The Beginning
It all started near the beginning of December 2012. I began to have random bouts of itching over ninety percent of my body. The itching would come and go with a thirty minute break here or there. As the days passed, the itching became more intense. I assumed that it was something new to my diet or environment and made a list of thing that had change within the last month. The list included a new multivitamin, a D2 supplement, and a new natural soap. I immediately stop utilizing all of the above. Week three arrived and had nearly passed when I began to worry. I did what any modern person should not do to relieve medical worries. I did an internet search. I found all types of life threatening conditions and diseases that had my exact same symptoms. Now that I feared the utter worst, I turned to western medicine to diagnose my issue. With my handy insurance card in hand, I decided to give my doctor a call. Unfortunately, my regular doctor’s office was booked until January 10th 2013. I scheduled the appointment but continue to look for other options. Desperately wishing to have this resolved before the beginning to this quarter, I picked a random doctor from the Cigna site that was near my home. The night before the doctor appointment, my lower back formed a weird patch of thick dark skin that felt like a colony of ants lived inside of it. I immediately took a bath and covered the area in hemp lotion. The lotion had a positive effect and soothed the inflamed area. After taking a day off from work, filling out poorly duplicated new patient forms (It looks like some used a fax machine to copy them), and waiting an hour or so in the waiting room, I was able to go back into a private patient room to wait a little longer to be interviewed. When designing anything for a client (in this case a patient) the interview is very important. It allows a informal fact finding session that will give you the tools needed to create the proper solution. Anyway, let’s get back to the story.
The Interview
The ‘doctor’ enters the room, introduces himself as a nurse practioner, and asks me what was my issue. I told him what I wrote earlier an included the steps that I had taken prior to the visit. I will list them below:
- stopped taking new vitamins
- stopped using new soap
- stopped drinking all beverage except orange juice and water
- increased my water intake to at least 1 gallon per day
- changed bed linen
- began using less laundry detergent and increased rinse cycle
- used organic oils instead of lotion
As I was hoping that I did not omit anything from the list, he stated something that I thought was pretty bizarre. He said ‘you seem to have done everything that I would have suggested’ and asked what did I want to do next. I asked him to run my blood work to eliminated any internal problems. He agreed,had my blood taken, and stated the results would be back Monday or Tuesday. He also gave me a prescription for an unknown issue. I told him I would wait for the blood results before I started taking any medications. By Thursday after several phone calls and two office visits, the random ‘doctor’ admitted that they lost my blood work and had no real solutions. Thanks. Next, I went to my regular doctor gave him the same run-down. He gave me a complete (cough) physical (cough). He also collected blood to check my internal organs. In a burst of honesty he stated that doctors don’t usually figure out whats wrong with patients suffering from most skin conditions. The rest of his conversation emphasized the PRATICE in medical practice. He gave me a prescription for Benedryl to mask the itching and put me to sleep at night and referred my to dermatologist . I think that’s like tying a sock around a leaking pipe. It doesn’t fix the problem but makes it less noticeable. The doctor sends me a letter that states my blood work was fine but my vitamin D was low. I kinda expected that cause I stopped taking my supplement.
The Letdown
During Week 7, I visit my referred dermatologist. He gives me an exam and looks a the discolored patch on my back. He stares at the skin between my fingers. He steps back and states that he can’t tell me what it is but that it will probably go away. I couldn’t do anything but smile. I have been itching for 8 weeks now with little relief. It is very hard to concentrate at work and school. I have taking more colloidal oatmeal baths than any man should be allowed. I have lost the little faith I had in western medicine. I’m pretty sure when it comes to gunshots and plastic surgery western medicine is great but that leaves for a lot of improvement areas.
I have been doing more of my own research and now increasing my Omega 3 intake. Scratching yourself all day makes you stick out. I hope to have some positive results soon. I am starting to look like the stereotypical drip addict.
-signed fell through the cracks.
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