Friday, April 11
(Warning: Some of this may be TMI and somewhat of a buzzkill....)
I can't believe it, but I've found some fellow eczema-sufferers on The Knot! I don't know any other such people in "real" life, but I managed to meet TWO of them on a wedding planning site. Who'd have thought?!? Chika and Mel have been awesome. I've really enjoyed chatting and exchanging war stories with them.
During one of our chats, I mentioned that while we were at the Ihilani, Brian and I walked along the beach and waded in the ocean. I had some eczema patches on my feet and calves. The salt water "stung like a mother" (as I so eloquently put it to them), but I noticed the next day that it really dried out the eczema patches I had! After bringing this up with Chika and Mel, Chika mentioned that her sister periodically soaks in a warm epsom salt bath. After doing a lot of Google-ing on the subject, I read about many of the benefits of epsom salt baths, thought it made sense, and decided to try it out.
On Friday, I gave my tub a good scrubbing (we never take tub baths, only showers), bought a carton on epsom salt and tried it out. It was an interesting experience. I used 2 cups of epsom salts in a bathtub full of warm water and soaked for about 15 minutes. It kind of dried out some of the eczema patches I had and reduced some redness and bumpiness I had. I think I was expecting more dramatic results and tried it again on Sunday with slightly warmer water and more salt. The results were worse than Friday. I think I'll keep trying, though, until I find the right combo of salt concentration and water temperature. It seems promising.
So, why am I bothering with this epsom salt business? I've decided to try and find more natural ways to deal with this eczema problem I've had since I was a toddler. Reflecting back on the years, I think it has become progressively worse since I was in high school. The usual "remedy" I get from the dermotologist is topical corticosteroids, which usually work in the short term. However, I would like to get the eczema under control without these harmful and expensive drugs. We're thinking about starting a family in few years and I can't be on these steroids when that time comes. Also, over the years, I've noticed my skin has become thinner because of the steroids. Recently, I was appalled at the discovery of stretch marks on both inner-thighs. I freaked out, thinking I had gained weight, which made me feel terrible. I hadn't had any major weight fluctuations so it had to be something else. I came to the realization that it was the powerful steroids I was using to treat eczema flare-ups on my legs! I was shocked and actually felt devastated that this had happened. I was only trying to help myself get better, but in the process, I now have these permanent reminders of this horrible affliction.
Friday was my father-in-law's 58th Birthday! "Happy Birthday" to the other Mr. T!
Saturday, April 12
(BTW, "Congratulations!" if you're still with me after that sordid tale. :P)
On Saturday morning, I woke up with my skin feeling pretty good. :) Then, I met up with Jenn (a.k.a. Knottie kinibruin) and her FI (that's "fiancè" to all of you non-Knotties out there :P) at Pearlridge Starbuck's to give her some vases and marbles I had leftover from the wedding. Yes, over 1 year after the wedding, I still had 6 vases and 9 bags of marble cluttering up our place. I was so happy to pass it along to such a sweet, super cool Knottie like Jenn.
I don't normally go to Pearlridge because I'm an old fut and don't like traffic or crowds. I've been meaning to return a couple of things to Ann Taylor ever since the holidays and seized the opportunity to finally get my store credit! I walked in, intent on getting my store credit and then getting the heck out of there! As I was walking out, I realized that I was surrounded by chrysanthemums! Yep, Ann Taylor had so many cute items with chrysanthemum prints! I nearly passed out from excitement. So, I moseyed my way back into the depths of the store, just to admire all the "kiku" prints. Then, I thought I'd try on a few pieces, just for fun. Here's what I tried on and walked out with:
I got the cute blue jacket :)On Saturday night, we went to Onstage Drinks & Grinds to see some band play 80s rock. One of Brian's co-workers knows one of the band members and invited us to come out. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to it. I had no clue what to expect. Come to find out, the band is called Dirty Thunder and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen! Well, Onstage is a super tiny place in Kapahulu, but the band rocked! I really got into it and had a blast. Another coincidence is that 3 of the 5 band members went to Waialua High School and either had or know my father-in-law, who is a Science teacher there. Dirty Thunder plays at Onstage the 2nd Saturday of every month. You better believe we'll be back there next month!
I really had no clue what kind of place this was. Brian told me to wear my new blouse and jacket. Needless to say, I was a bit overdressed. :P
Sunday, April 13
Hmm, I can't even remember what we did on Sunday morning. I think we just bummed around for a bit and then headed out to Pet's Discount (something really bugs me about this place's management, but I've been going back there for years because they always carry what we're looking for) to buy some special recycled newspaper pellet cat litter for Benny. After that, we picked up some Leonard's Malasadas (Yumm...I hadn't had one in years!) and Kentucky Fried Chicken. We took it over to the in-laws for dinner to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. It was fun, as usual. :)
1 comment:
Oh yay! I was hoping that you would have a good time at the show...even if you were slightly overdressed. :)
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