The Sun precaution FAQ

As my readers already know, the protocol I'm on causes exquisite sun sensitivity. As I live in the Northern Hemisphere, near the 45th paralell, the rays of the evil daystar are quite direct and extra specially dangerous right now.

I had a sudden epiphany this week--I realized that I was causing myself real, no kidding, physical discomfort because I have been worried about making other people uncomfortable. This discomfort is evidenced by people's lame attempts at humor and downright obnoxious comments.

Iimmediately, I bought some more scarves and have started experimenting with outfits that cover every last bit of skin.


I don't mind if people ask me questions in an honestly curious or sympathetic way, but its amazing how many people feel the need to be rude to me. These are, I am sure,the same people who feel the need to appoint themselves fatpolice.

So here are the answers to the sun protection FAOQ (frequently asked obnoxious questions) :

Yes, I can see just fine with these glasses.

Even driving

Even indoors.

I have three pairs of glasses 40%, 10%, 2% (meaning that this is the amount of lightthat they allow to reach my eye) or dark, darker and darkest.

Yes I really do need them. They are, in fact, medical devices that block UVA, UVB and infrared.

No they are not fashionable. But then, medical devices are not known for their sexiness.

Yes, Its hot.

No, I am not dressed for the Arctic/skiing/sledding.

Yes, I am aware of what month it is

Yes, I do need gloves.

No, I am not a bank robber/terrorist.

No, I have not changed my religion. Muslimahs do not let their hair show and do not take off their hijabs when they sit down to dinner in a public restaurant
.
No, I am not wearing a burqa. Those cover the whole face

Yes I do know how weird I look.

No, this is not a lifestyle choice, a fashion statement, or a bid for attention.

No sunscreen will not do it. I apply sunscreen under my clothes, in fact.

No, lack of sunlight is not making me depressed. Actually having my symptoms begin to resolve is making me pretty happy.

No, I am not worried about osteoporosis(well not from this anyway).

No, I don't know how long I have to do this, but eventually I will be less sun- sensitive. You, on the other hand, you will probably still be an insensitive boor who asks personal questions of people they hardly know in a less than polite fashion.

Hello again

Still here. Just trying to muddle through. Lots of stuff needs attending to and I have limited energy.

I'm going to take my next drug holiday in time for an actual vacation in July, so I can have some recreating. Yay!

I am getting better. Or at least I feel better, and people keep telling me I'm better cognitively. My joints are bad, but that means that the bugs living in my cartilage are dying off.

Snow on Beltaine

May first was Beltaine. The beginning of the summer quarter of the year. And it snowed.

Anyone get the plate of the truck that hit me?

I'm tired. I just added the third and last antibiotic to my regimen and right on schedule, its thrown me for a loop. I'm wicked tired. too tired to write so I'll just leave you with this very good video. Please ignore the large Haliburton Banner...Its a documetnary on Lyme



Goddess, I love copy and paste.

Seasons of grief

I'm so sad lately. Almost anything can choke me up. I can turn from it for a moment, but its the background color to my day.

Every time the phone rings, I jump. I'm just expecting bad news all the time.

Dental work done

For the first time in twenty years, I don't have any ongoing dental work. This is amazing. Who knew that dental fractures (breaking teeth) were a symptom of Lyme disease? I have enough work in my mouth to buy an SUV.

Anyway, I don't need any work done for at least the next six months. Hooray!

Holiday's over

For the latter half of Feb and the beginning of March I took a "drug holiday". This meant that I quit taking the antibiotics I was on to get an idea of what my new baseline is when I'm not experiencing immunopathology (fancy word for feeling like shit because my immune system is trying to clean up rotting microbial corpses). New baseline is very, very good.

However I started back on my meds on March 20th. Right on time I'm experiencing inflammation and that fluish-someone-turned-the-gravity-up fatigue. My fingers hurt and I want to crawl into a hole and sleep for a week.

Next scheduled drug holiday is June. I'm settling into a six weeks on, two weeks off kind of schedule. We'll see how it goes. What's comforting to my little scientific mind is that this has become predicable and reproduceable.

I'm not nearly as sick as this time last year, so I'm very grateful for that. In my mind, I have shifted from suffering from Lyme Disease to recovering from it. This makes a huge difference.