So, this has all kind of set back my mid-life get-my-ass-in-shape-and-write-a-funny-blog-about-it program. On the up side, I did get down to 105. But then the dermatologist gave me large doses of 'roids (I've never met a dermatologist who didn't think that steroids were the answer to each and every skin problem, and I've never had steroids actually fix any problem. Ever. Although I will admit I was pretty happy with them the day I had about 4 layers of hives all over me.) And about 11 days into my 10-day steroid program, duh, I finally realized why I was eating everything that wasn't nailed down. And that lasted at least two weeks (hell, I'm STILL hungry), and totally blew my big weight loss victory -- the one good thing that came from the whole bug ordeal, blown to bits by 20 tiny steroids tablets. I hate dermatologists AND steroids. So I'm probably back up to 110 -- I haven't checked yet, because I finally just left town and went skiing for a week. Oh, and note to my dermatologist -- sun exposure (which he recommended) can actually exacerbate Grover's (kind of a crap shoot I guess -- might help, might hurt). My face got all red, swollen, blistery, and, yes, even itchy, despite SPF 30. So my joy continues. I took two days off to let my face heal a bit, but couldn't resist getting one last afternoon of skiing in -- final day of the season for me. AND it was GOOD.
Hang on, got to get some liquid sedative....
So tomorrow, I'm back to Phoenix and reality and trying to get back to normal -- at least I'm not washing everything every day any more. I. Re. Fuse. Looking forward to opening the Amazon purchases that I got myself last week and catching up with my friends and neighbors. What up?! to Luane and Rhonda, who have been doing a boot camp at the Y every morning at like 6 am or something even more insane and doing it for like 2-3 weeks. OUCH. My hat is off, ladies. My butt remains in bed at that hour, but my hat is way off.
Next week: Maybe I take P90X out of the box? It could happen.
OMG! Your poor skin! My rash is all cleared up - amen and amen - but I can feel for you, sister! Potluck Sunday - Will see you then! Glad you got some good skiing!
ReplyDeleteMy scale and I aren't really speaking right now. I read that for "optimal" running, I need to have, like, 15 to 20 percent body fat. Well, you know that effin' "Thinner" does body fat - I'm not likin' what it's tellin' me!
I gave up measuring body fat after about one week. It's only a number. You look great and you run great!!
ReplyDeleteHey Tracy,
ReplyDeleteI, too, and many others have Grover's Disease. It is supposed to be a disease that mostly men get once they are in their 50's, but many more women are getting it once they hit their 40's. Plus, there are also a lot of guys out there that actually got it in their 20's. They do not know why or what brings it on and their is no cure, but that is partially because there really is no research going on. It is one of those diseases/ailments that not enough people are suffering from at this time. From what I have read this seems to be changing.
I have tried different treatments and I also exercise and do lots of outdoor activities. So, I am going to sweat, which like you said makes it worse and can bring the reaction on. I have found that using vinegar helps a lot. What I do is if I cannot get to a shower right away after sweating (basically doing anything that may make me sweat) I have on hand a small travel container of vinegar and water mixture (does not need to be measured, half and half is fine), and some cotton "make-up" wipes. I have this with my work-out gear and also even in my ski bag. I also found that wearing bras and sports bras that still give support, but allow some air flow helps, too. But, getting out of the sweaty clothes as soon as possible and using the vinegar helps the most (or a quick shower). The idea is to keep the area dry and cool. I should mention that my Grover's has only showed up on my chest and I have had two reactions. For some people they will have one reaction and that is it, and for others it will be a life-long issue.
I have also found that UV therapy either by getting some controlled doses of sun and even salt in the form of Epsom Salts (or, if someone is so lucky to be by the sea, regular dips in the salt water). The sun exposure either by natural light or a UV lamp to the actual area and the Epsom Salts either as a soak or light scrub seem to really help. The sun exposure and salt is what has cleared up my reactions both times. The steroidal cream that the dermatologist gave me helps to calm it, but will not get rid of the reaction/rash for me.
The biggest thing I have found is that nothing seems to be the "perfect" treatment for all people, there is something that works for one and not another. There are those that use Selsun Blue and it helps due to the selenium sulfide in it that works for skin fungus and others utilize tea tree oil and other treatments. I have tried all these, too, and they did not work for me, but they do work for some.
I hope this helps a little bit and I wish you luck. It is a frustrating disease to say the least and each person that I have read about is so different that I cannot find any commonality between people as to why we would all of sudden get this. One last item that was part of my experience in all this was that when the Grover's first surfaced I had for the first time been wearing bras with under-wires made of metal. I happened to sweat in the one and all of a sudden I had this rash on my chest. I did some research at the time and found that metal under-wires are a bad thing anyways as their metal ingredients will leach through cloth into the skin which can be toxic to the body. Plus, pretty much all metal under-wires come from overseas. So, I no longer wear under-wires and I changed out those particular bras to plastic under-wires (they were hard to find!).
Take care and God Bless!
Laura: Thanks for the info -- had not heard of using vinegar before. The vitamin A and beta carotene seem to be keeping the Grover's in check. It's hard to tell sometimes which of my skin problems is going on, but now that I'm more familiar with Grover's and eczema, I can usually tell which one I'm dealing with. I seem to get the Grover's mostly on my neck, which seems odd, and sometimes on my arms and legs and torso, but I don't seem to get more than maybe a dozen spots all over at any one time. Have been using Epsom salts for baths and body scrubs, so it's good to hear that that is helpful too. Have you tried vitamin A or beta carotene? I seemed to get much better after I started taking that, but my other problems were clearing up at the same time, so it's hard to tell.
ReplyDelete