Month 18 TSW

Last Saturday I reached my bench mark of 18 months, however I have been unable to sit down and blog because work has been pretty manic recently with the build up to Christmas and all of this Black Friday malarky, of which I have had to work. Luckily my store didn't get any aggro and I'm not starting until a little later today so although busy, I'll have missed the huge rush, if there even is one...

So how am I?

Not great really. The infection came back for the third time however the antibiotics aren't doing anything. Last night I must have scratched myself raw because I've woken up oozing all over my neck, cheeks and ears. It's pretty grim :( Especially so since I haven't had any oozing of this sort for a long time. I'll just accept it as one of those things.

No photos today as I simply cannot be bothered to pick up my phone. So you'll just have to take my word that I'm not that great. Obviously this is nothing at all like past flares as I don't get the hives that accompany them any more. Yet it is especially painful today and I can barely move my neck because it is so sore and I'm keeping it moisturiser free. Today will be a fun day at work I'm sure.

Maybe I'll feel more inclined to post photos later but for now -

Over and out!

Edit:

I changed my mind. This blog does act as my form of diary after all.

Aquaint Sanitiser

I have recently had the pleasure of trialing an eco-friendly water-based sanitising product from a brand called Aquaint. It is a 100% natural sanitiser stated to be used for the hands, skin, mouth and more. It contains no harmful chemicals, fragrances or alcohol and kills 99.9% of bacteria, yet its ingredients are so safe you can even ingest it. Water is used as the base for the product to be highly effective as a cleanser and its only other ingredient, Hypochlorous Acid (a harmless natural acid produced by the human body to kill bacteria), provides its antibacterial properties.

The product claims not to cause dermatitis or sting on application due to the harmless ingredients, which we can all agree is a god-send! It is a product created to be allergy friendly so that all skin conditions may benefit from and use it. Aquaint can also be used for all ages, including new born babies to help fight against nasty germs. As well as this you can use it to prepare food, clean the likes of dummies, bottles and toothbrushes, toilet seats... and so on... you can even use it as a mouth wash and to deodorise which would have been great to try out if I was still able to go camping at festivals - may be one to try for that purpose!

500ml spray bottle (RRP £4.99)

50ml hand sanitiser (RRP £2.49)

I was sent a small handy travel sized 50ml version alongside the full 500ml version that comes in a spray bottle and can be used at home. As a shop assistant one of my main concerns is picking up different germs and bacteria from customers and the money they hand over. Working behind the checkouts means I am unable to run off and wash my hands as often as I'd like so hand sanitiser is essential to me. I found the product to be good for this purpose as it sinks into the hands quickly and doesn't leave a horrible sticky residue like some others do.

When we moved house recently I found the 500ml spray bottle to be really good at cleaning the surfaces, appliances and such and meant I could actually join in with the cleaning as it wouldn't aggravate my skin. I also used it to clean surfaces with my recent skin infection, which I'd like to think contributed to me getting better, but gave me peace of mind if nothing else.

Aquaint products have also been given the Allergy UK seal of approval as well as numerous Awards and Accreditations so they must be good!

If you want some for yourself their website is: http://www.aquaint-uk.com/shop and if you're in the UK the likes of Boots and Amazon stock it.

Infected Eczema

Hey guys,

Thought I owed you all an update. So around the 22nd October I was given antibiotics for a bacterial infection that had started to crop up around my nose and mouth. Within a couple of days this cleared up and I finished my course of antibiotics.

Fast forward to the 27th; moving day. This was me after hours of running around, loading and unloading, carrying heavy items up to our top floor apartment. No hives. I was on top of the world.

27/10/14

However as we know this is me and my life is never simple.

Fast forward to the following Monday (3rd Nov) I could see some redness occurring on my face and such but this was the day I went to see my derm nurse and for some reason my skin always goes a bit backwards when I see medical professionals. Funny coincidence that, huh? But we shook it off as just that, Afterall the rest of my body was perfect.

The following day I woke in the early hours to a sickness bug. This carried on for the entire day and I was so weak I couldn't even drink fluids.

The day after (Wed 5th Nov) my skin was becoming a right old mess but I didn't want to ring in sick at work. So braved it and went in even though I could see the beginnings of infection returning.

5/11/14

5/11/14

After my shift I went straight to the hospital to see my derm nurse as she had previously said on Monday that she would rather me be seen there than by my GP. So off I went and was swabbed and given a longer course of antibiotics.

The next day (Thursday) I woke up feeling terrible and my skin had worsened and was visibly spreading. I decided to go to work anyway as I figured the antibiotics would soon start to kick in.

Friday I woke up and was far, far worse. My eyes were now completely affected and crusted shut together. It was now on my chest, back, backside, legs and arms. I was a mess and it hurt so bad I couldn't move.

7/11/14

This brings us to today (Saturday). It hasn't improved at all and the antibiotics don't seem to be working as quickly as usual. I am however going to wait it out until Monday for improvement but if not you can bet I'll be straight back to the doctors.

8/11/14

For some reason the redness and swelling isn't being depicted so clearly by my phone. I think it's because smart phones these days are made to give more "flattering photos" for the vain upon us, rather than depicting what is really there. But alas you can see I am suffering.

I haven't felt this horrendous since my last bout of MRSA. I also have a wisdom tooth coming through which of course isn't helping matters, especially given that I can barely open my mouth as it is due to the extreme dryness. Ho hum. Suck it up.

Fingers crossed the weeping will soon stop as that is definitely the worst thing ever with infection.