Friday, October 22, 2004

Atopic Dermatitis

Really Gross Pictures

I went to the doctor today and mentioned that the back of my knees (Is there such a place? I mean the back of my leg where it bends in the middle.) have had rashes. Since June. I have a medical condition! Still, I had no idea what she was talking about. (She also checked me out for testicular cancer, and amazingly I didn't miss a word of that.) According to dictionary.com, atopic dermatitis is "a severe form of dermatitis characterized by atopy". That didn't help me. "Atopy", however, is "dermatitis characterized by intense itching, occurring in individuals predisposed to developing certain hypersensitivity reactions". So now I have a basic idea even with the circular diction. Essentially, the allergies I had growing up and had thought disappeared kind of transmogrified into sensitive reactions to pollens and whatnot that come out through the skin. Now I have a prescription and what looks like a permanent condition. So the one day that summer when I really tried to get some sun and exercise showed me I have to relegate my activity to staying in. There goes the rugged lumberjack life I never had.

1 comment:

Arminius said...

If you look at my blog, back when I actually posted, I think I documented Fred's Atopic Dermatitis in Minnesota.