Saturday, October 17, 2015

One of the top ten reasons NOT to visit the emergency room....

cold sores!

There I was, one week ago, sure that the news was dire, but I should start at the beginning.

Nearly two weeks ago Bruce and I were riding to MN with Janet and Gerald to a funeral visitation when I felt, what I thought was a pimple, beginning on the side of my nose.

WHAT THE HEY???? At what age is there a moratorium on pimples?? It's just darned embarrassing, especially there, for all the world to see. To make matters worse, another erupted under my nose, great! As the week wore on, the 'pimple' on the side of my nose turned into a sore so I found some antibiotic cream in the medicine cabinet and started doctoring it to no avail. Every morning I got up and looked in the mirror, only to see it looking worse and worse and it was very painful. Friday morning was the final straw, my nose was red and swollen, I looked like Rudolph's little sister and made an appointment with my ARNP, Judy. She took one look at it and shook her head, she said the nose is a really bad place and she wanted me to see a dermatologist, that is when I let the panic that had been building all week, take root.

I knew it, it was skin cancer. Family was home for the Big G's 75th birthday party on Saturday and were going out to eat at Germantown, one of my favorite places but I was in no mood to be around people. And I couldn't get in to the dermatologist for 10 days, more time to fret and worry.

Saturday morning I got up, looked in the mirror at my red, swollen nose and saw a new place under my lip and really freaked. I called Bruce, he came home, took one look at me and said, "You need to go to the Emergency Room."  I did not argue. I dressed and drove down, promising to call him as soon as I heard anything.

Dr. Harrison was my former GP, she sold her practice and went to work in the Emergency Room and she was on call. After lots of paper work and questions and waiting, Dr. Harrison walked in my room, looked at me and said, "Fever Blisters!"

 FEVER BLISTERS??? 

After I picked myself up off the floor, I realized that they acted exactly like cold sores, the breaking out, the pain, the oozing but never on the side of my nose, what's up with that? Plus Bruce and I had both had a bad case of what I fondly referred to as the crud. Mine hung on and on, I was run down and that is when the virus attacks. 

Dr. Harrison gave me some high powered pills to stop the current eruptions, I had to let the others run the course and one week later my nose no longer looks like I've been on a month long bender but I'm left with a big, ugly scab that makes people politely avert their eyes.One thing I have noticed is no one comments on it, unlike if I had my arm or leg bandaged and gimped around, everyone would ask what I did. A huge sore on my nose, the lip is zipped! It's kind of funny, For me it was a huge relief, cold sores, who'd a thunk??? 

We went off to Foof's birthday party with a light heart, I chattered away in the car and finally asked Bruce, "Can you tell I'm relieved??" Yes, he could tell.

FEVER BLISTERS????? It's darned embarrassing!!




2 comments:

  1. So glad that is all it turned out to be! :) It was wonderful to see you at the party--and honestly I didn't see the sores, just your sweet smiling face, Julie! :)

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  2. Thanks, Annie, for your support! I feel like the 'Jake from State Farm' commercial where the wife catches her husband on the phone at 3 AM and he claims he talking to Jake, from State Farm. She takes the phone and asks Jake from State Farm what he is wearing, "Uh, Khakies." She hands the phone back and says, "She sounds hideous! He says, "Well, that's because shes a he." Trust me, it's hideous!

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