Progress Part IV: Getting answers and getting less socially avoidant

6 July 2011 - San Bruno

If nothing else, this doctor was reassuring. She touched my affected hand with no qualms other than being mindful of my wounds, didn't try to force my fingers to move as did the other doctor, and didn't tell me "it's probably better" if I didn't eat the things I asked about. She seemed fairly certain that it's an acute onset dermatitis (debatable, since I've had coming and going problems since I was young), and it was likely triggered by an allergy (possible, but not anything I know of).

After asking about the history of my condition, she even said I should be okay with dairy, as long as I avoid cheese. Baked and pan-fried stuff is okay, and even fried stuff is fine once in a while. Soy and gluten is definitely fine since I don't have prior history of these kinds of allergies. She did say to avoid all seafood until I'm healed though, in contrast to other doctor's okay on freshwater fish.

A few days prior my hands got slightly worse and I was getting jumpy about what I'm allowed to eat. The doctor, like the one in Millbrae, said it just gets better and worse sometimes. But it might be getting worse because the skin is too dry, so told me to soak in dead sea bath salt in the day and soak the herbal stuff only once at night a little before going to sleep.

The doctor said I'll get better again by the end of the week, but would like to see me at the end of the month to see if I need to change the dosage. I did become better slowly and that one stubborn crack on my right middle knuckle even healed up.

Regarding sleep, she said Benadryl is supposed to be the best (antihistamine and drowsy properties), but if that doesn't work we can try motion sickness medicine, because it helped her.

After seeing her, I went up to the general hospital to ask about insurance options for this poor, jobless, sickly self, because I wanted answers about the western view of things. Chinese medicine works and all, but their theories are only explained by more theories and has no physiological basis that my background wanted to know. until August of 2012, I'm fully covered (no co-pay) under the county health program because I have no assets to speak of. Too bad Father didn't want to take me when it was really bad--then I'd definitely qualify for disabilities, too (can't get a job and can't drive because of my hands).

I took the drowsy motion sickness meds that night, and after two nights, determined that I'd need 50mg Benadryl and 50mg Dramamine (dimenhydrate) to get drowsy enough. Even then I didn't pass out like I wanted.

Soon I ran out of Dramamine, and the less drowsy formula, Meclizine-HCl, didn't work at all. By then, I was able to sleep decently though usually still itched and have trouble falling asleep. Usually would wake up around noon.