Atopic Dermatitis

Drool + sensitive skin = Atopic Dermatitis

according to wise Dr. Siegal at OHSU.

I was happy to hear her eliminate Psoriasis (a lifetime skin disease requiring meds if it is on your face). We will manage this with a variety of topical goops which will be applied on a rigorous schedule. It should clear in a couple of weeks with the new meds they gave us and then we will manage the flare-ups. He'll revisit Dr. in October and see where we go from there.

The real story, however, is how the kids managed to both slip a "batshit crazy pill" (I say this with love in my voice) before they put us in the 4 x 4 room, which we shared with several doctors and a medical student. Charlie was in full rock-your-ear-drum-scream-every-10-seconds-when-I-don't-get-my-way mode. Which I suppose was fine since we wanted out of there as quickly as possible anyway. And believe me, no one was going to hang out and chit-chat with that sound going on. The only time Charlie was quiet was when he was methodically ripping up a Sports Illustrated magazine, page by page by page. And guess what? I let him because it was hella better than the screeching. And Henry, while mostly cooperative, became really really upset and concerned when the Drs. pulled out a sample medication for me to take home. He immediately ran over to me as I was trying to absorb instruction from the panel of drs and kept asking over and over "is Charlie going to get a shot...is Charlie going to get a shot? Is Charlie going to cry...is charlie going to cry?" until the Drs started laughing and let me explain to Henry that it was just lotion, no shots or crying today.

For Charlie that is.

At that point, I wouldn't have minded a shot of something and a good cry. At one point, I got "the look" from the sympathic Drs - you know the one where they feel sorry for you a little bit because you've got your hands too full at the moment? And you are dripping with sweat from the stress and from trying to keep your 4 year old from typing on the Drs computer and from rolling the baby stroller over the Drs toes? And trying to keep the screeching at bay so that we all leave the room without hearing loss? And while your 17 month old only after trashing a commemorative SI then thinks its fun to repeatedly try to fall off of the chair while you save him at the last minute by the hospital gown that is barely hanging on his tiny body? That look. I hate that look.

But that is all ok because it isn't psoriasis, and I'm thankful for that and for my two crazy boys who hopefully love their sweaty hobo-smelling mom.