Climate and EB
Sue Chapman - Summer
Ah-h-h summer...one of my favorite things right up there with getting a
tooth pulled...well, at least when the tooth is pulled, the pain is over
and done with. Well, anyhow, my summer ritual started 2 weeks ago when
we had temps in the 90's for 3 days in a row here in Maine. I've spent
the past week scouring the local department stores looking for those
nice loose fitting wide legged pants made of challis..that cool whispy
rayon stuff. Now, thanx to the shopping and doing yard work, I've got a
nice crop of 6 day old blisters on both feet, some of which are
infected.
I spend the better part of the summer in air conditioned
stores looking for cool comfortable clothing and something for my feet
as well as just hanging out to stay cool. I develop many more blisters
on my feet in hot weather because my feet sweat heavily. I HAVE to wear
socks, but if they have too much cotton in them, they will cause my
feet to stay moist, the skin will become mushy and blister from the
friction of the socks. I've also put together a blister kit which I
carry with me in my tote bag.
If I get a blister on my foot from walking
too much, and it doesn't take much, I can duck into a bathroom and take
care of the blister right then and there instead of sweating it out
until I get home. I do get more spontaneous blistering extending from my
knees right on up the fronts, thighs and backs of both upper legs.
For me, this is the worst part of my EB year, because these wounds don't
heal for months. This of course necessitates wearing dark clothing in
order to hide the staining that comes from draining or bleeding wounds
and blisters. I can usually get away with wearing T-shirts of any
color since the upper body doesn't blister to the extent that my lower
body does.
I can usually get away with the "misquito and black-fly
bites" excuse when i'm asked about my face or neck being broken out. The
best thing I can do for myself on a hot humid day is to jump into the
shower several times a day and just rinse the sweat off I DON'T USE
SOAP.. I find that the salt that naturally occurs in perspiration will
accumulate on my skin during the day and cause the itching to get worse.
Since my skin takes on the characteristics of wet tissue paper when it
has been moist for awhile, scratching the itching is devistating to my
skin.
Taking a coolish shower several times a day, lowers the
temperature of my skin and rinses off the salt, thus reducing the
itching and scratching. Also, I'm careful about food and liquids.
During the flare up that I have during the summer, I drink lots and lots
of water and eat watery fruit such as grapes or watermelon. Altho'
fruits contain many beneficial vitamins and nutrients that our skin
needs in order to heal, I am careful to not eat too many acidic fruits
such as citrus it may eventually find it's way out of my body via my
skin (ouch).
Since I'm loosing fluids and protein from the wounds
and blister drainage as well as thru perspiration I also believe that my
body demands more protein during a flare up, so I use this as a good
excuse for this vedgetarian to eat a charcoal broiled steak.mmm-mmm-mmm.
I have also read from several different sources that studies have shown
that EB is intolerant to temperature changes and extremes.
So-o-o I'm putting on my crash helmet, knee pads and getting ready for
another fun filled summer in Maine............ YEEE HAAA
Sue from Maine.
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