January 2, 2013
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Poor Mustachio!
TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM
I don’t remember if I ever mentioned the skin problem Mustachio came up with over a month ago. He figured out it had to be a fungal problem due to his previous bouts with athlete’s foot when he was a kid and the fact that he’s always climbing under houses or in their attics pulling new wiring for homes that he’s installing equipment in. It got awful…bad enough they really DIDN’T want him to come in to work. His skin peeled off in sheets and it was horribly painful. The dermatologists that saw it were totally shocked. I gather he didn’t want to go through testing. All he wanted was to get better and stop hurting. They treated him with steroids and some special creams. He got better; felt better; went back to work.
A few days ago, he had put his favorite sweater under his work shirt and headed off to work. His skin started burning. It got so bad, he pulled over, took off his shirt and peeled off his sweater. The skin was red but the relief was wonderful. The sweater was 100% polyester. After cogitating over it all day, he felt it must be tied in with his earlier problems. When he got home, his skin was showing the same signs as the first attack. He started reading labels and realized damn near everything he had in his home, his wardrobe and work clothes were ALL polyester or a blend.
Now he had, for a time, thought it might be the soaps he was using. He changed all those. I think after talking to me, he changed them again to make sure they were hypo-allergenic. He washed them again. When the new symptoms popped up, he started working on seeing what natural fiber clothes, linens, etc. were in his home. He had to buy all cotton sheets for his bed but didn’t think about the fact that his polyester pillows might still affect him. His face became affected. The whole time I was telling him to make an appointment with the dermatologist that treated him and, this time, get the tests done. He was just hoping to wait until his medical insurance kicked in, which it did on the first of this year.
He started checking out websites for allergies and symptoms. He panicked when he read the symptoms he was experiencing might also be related to a milk allergy. He’s a milk and cheese nut. He often gets up late at night just to have a cold drink of milk (like his dad). He asked me if his father was milk intolerant (he’s not) but…..when I mentioned it to his dad, he reminded me that he WAS when he was a kid. AND…worst of all….the symptoms were similar to what Mustachio had just gone through. However, his mother found a dermatologist that gave the Beast a series of shots and the milk allergy disappeared. His mother, however, suffered with it her whole life. I have either one or two sisters that have a lactaid problem. I know Bratfink does but not sure if the other sister I am thinking about does so I won’t name her. I don’t, nor have I ever had anything other than a sensitivity to ragweed. I just get drippy nose and some sneezes during ragweed season. The Beast’s family is loaded with various allergies. Mine, only a few.
My son is finally going to stop self-diagnosing and make the appointment with the doctor. He says whatever it is, it’s going to be life changing for sure. He’s already discovered that finding all natural fiber clothing has to be ordered online these days. And it’s not cheap. But he says if he has to throw everything out, he will. His couch is even a polyester blend fabric. I suggested he get an all cotton blanket and cover it until he can afford to replace it (probably with leather which will be expensive). He has to realize that some of the so-called leather (like) coverings are actually made from polyester blended products also. REAL leather will be terribly expensive. I know. We have had real leather furniture. I hate it because it’s always cold to sit on so what do you do? Cover it with a blanket or an afghan. Dumb.
He went to the store and picked up a bath product with natural oils and lubricants to help keep his skin from drying until his appointment with the dermatologist. He has a cream he also is using. If it IS polyester, he can’t do much about the sleeves on his work uniform but it’s a blend so it’s not quite as bad as his full polyester sweater was that he had on. I just hope he gets in soon.
Be grateful for your good health.
