doctor visit, and yesterday's workout

[redbird]

I went to my doctor first thing this morning. The visit was scheduled as a (belated) follow-up to my mammogram, and Dr. Kump has duly checked my breasts and, like the mammogram and sonogram, found no problem. I also asked her to look in my left ear, because I've had intermittent pain; she found some fluid, and wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic, which I will pick up after work. I also have eight more physical therapy sessions approved, and the advice that I try scrubbing my eyelashes with baby shampoo to deal with the dryness and itching. I'm not convinced this will help, but it seems harmless.

I had a reasonable workout last night.
Cardio, 20 minutes, top heart rate 132
Calf machine, 75 pounds, 13, 12 (9, pause, 3); 70 pounds, 12
Leg press, 250 pounds, 2 sets of 12
Triceps, 45 pounds, 3 sets of 15

Crunches, 4 sets of 20
Back arches, 3 sets of 17
Yoga tree, 4 sets of {2 on each leg}. A little wobbly on those, but glad to be back to the proper mat work

Hip adduction, 75 pounds, 2 sets of 20 (since that approach worked well last time)
Hip abduction, 65 pounds, 17, 12

Bicep curl, 30-pound bar, 15. My right arm felt odd just above the elbow near the end of the set, so I stopped at one.

Stretches

Comments

[callunav.livejournal.com]

Er. Can I ask questions and offer possible herbal remedies concerning your eyelids? Or do you already know what you're doing and not need anything besides, "Bleah. That sucks. I hope the shampoo trick works." Because I could be quite sincere about that. I just have an itchy fix-it reflex when it comes to health stuff.

[redbird]

I don't have the slightest idea of what I'm doing. Ask away, but I should note that the itchy area includes the top of my nose and the skin just below my eyes.

[callunav.livejournal.com]

Well, first question, is there a reason not to call it eczema?

And did they give any explanation for why they thought scrubbing with baby shampoo would help?

And what else have you tried?

[redbird]

One probably-relevant fact is that it doesn't show--that is, the doctor can't see any difference between this and normal skin/the rest of my face.

What else I've tried is switching from ivory soap to dove bars (per my dermatologist, a few years back), and putting petroleum jelly on it to stop it itching, which works if I do it in time.

I think my doctor said something about why she was recommending the baby shampoo, but I don't remember what.

[callunav.livejournal.com]

Okay. I'm puzzled about the shampoo thing, unless it was a recommendation to use baby shampoo *instead* of any other kind of soap, because any kind of soap or shampoo is inherently drying. Maybe he thinks there's some kind of irritant on the skin, so you're supposed to try to scrub it off? Can't really figure that one out.

It might be worth 'gently exfoliating' as the cosmetics people say, just to see if that clears it up. I'd use a washcloth while you're showering, or possibly scrub very gently with a loofah or an old soft toothbrush. Personally, I'd do this without soap or shampoo, just friction, but since I don't understand the recommendation, I'm not about to advocate against it.

In any case, I would suggest using a balm/salve/butter kind of thing regularly, rather then either a lotion or petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly /does/ moisturize skin to some extent, but from what I know about it, it tends not to benefit the skin in the long run. No mineral oil or petroleum product does, from what I've been told. And lotions contain alcohol which would probably sting and is in any case drying, and so kind of contrary to the intent. Something that's oil/butter/wax based is a lot more effective in my experience (which is why, unsurprisingly, that's the kind of thing I make).

I'd say carry a small thing around with you and put it on whenever you think about it, and infallibly after you shower or wash your face.

Comfrey is the specific for eczema, and might be worth trying. If you have the patience for it, I suspect you might get really good results from spending 20 minutes or so every day for a week or so with a comfrey poultice on the itchy areas. (Two ways to make a poultice, both involving hot water and the herb itself: one, put some of the comfrey in a teabag, soak it until thoroughly wet and warm and loose, and plonk the teabag itself on your face. Two, make a strong tea, and then dip a cloth or paper towel in the tea and put /that/ on your face.) Sitting around with something warm and wet on your eyes is not congruent with most people's lifestyles, so if you don't think you'd do that, then you might want to look for a salve that has comfrey in it.

If you'd like, I'll make you one - something with shea and cocoa butter, vitamen E, comfrey, and maybe some nettle and calendula, since they're soothing to the skin. You can have the first official pot of Kerey's Magic Potion Eczema Butter. :) (see http://www.morningmagpie.com for images, even though the e-store isn't actually set up yet.) Send me your address and I'll pop it in the mail to you. Or you could probably find something that would work fine in any earthy-crunchy kind of store near you.

[callunav.livejournal.com]

Sorry - I meant "compress" not "poultice". I *knew* there was something wrong with the word, even while I was writing it.

this is what works for me

[baratron.livejournal.com]

I wash my face without soap unless I have to get suncream off. The only part of my face that's greasy enough to need soap is immediately around my nose where I tend to get blackheads. Other than that, it's safer to go without, as even Pears soap and hypoallergenic suitable-for-newborn-babies soaps dry my skin too much.

I use Johnson's Baby Moisturising Cream as a face cream. It is hypoallergenic, lanolin free, non-greasy and suitable for newborn babies. It's about the only cream I can use on my face. Don't know if you'd be able to get it there (are Johnson & Johnson a British company? I have no idea). I have to go into the babycare section of the chemist to find it, which is always faintly disturbing to me.

I usually use it around my nose and top lip, which get dry because I have to blow my nose about 2400 times a day, but it helps with itchy eyebrows when I get them. Never used it immediately over my eyes because I fear it would make my eyelids puff up. There, I use the Body Shop's fragrance free Elderflower eye gel, which I know is available in the US. The fragrance free part is important because they do a smelly one as well, which is less safe for people with crap skin.