DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME!

Well you can stand close to me, but don't hold my hands! The other day I noticed a friendly smiley face starting to grow on my left thumb! It was cute little bumps and I thought nothing of it.

Until... It swelled up into a nice bubbly smiley face! After I noticed a few more bumps on my left hand, it spread on to my right hand, and became very itchy. By this time the rash had been around for 4 or 5 days and we had become friends. It would itch and I would scratch every so gently so as not to pop the bubbles! Then it spread to my face! Not good to look at! And now I decided to go the pharmacist. He took one look at it and said "Get to a doctor imediately!" So I made an appointment for that afternoon. He (the pharmacist) was concerned that it might be a "Staph" infection. But when I saw the doctor she said it was more like an allergic reaction to something. When she took a closer look at my hands she was horrified, like a scared child on Halloween Night! (For those who don't know, yes I bite my nails and the skin around them too. Yes I know, what a disgusting habit! I'm trying to stop!) Anyway, to continue the story, she told me I needed to stop, and SURPRISE SURPRISE I had to stop washing my hands so often! The water/soap combo was drying them out and may be the cause of this gross reaction! She prescribed a steroid cream to use only once a day, and also recommended to use a hand cream that would keep moisture in.

I hope that these creams will help clear up my hands, and I won't be to sad when I have to say goodbye to my dear friend "The Rash"