I Traveled a "Bumpy" Road this Weekend

* Perhaps my mind didn't like my two daughters getting all the attention with their
    broken jaws and broken wrist?!?

* Perhaps things had gone too smoothly during the last weeks of chemo
    and my "rest weeks" before radiation started?!?

* Perhaps I was under the mistaken impression that I would sail through radiation
    with ne'er a problem?!?

Are these the reasons my body got hit with another ailment?!?

Let me backtrack a few days ...

While playing cards with company on Saturday night, I rested my elbows on my dining room table and felt bumps on the back of my two upper arms.  A few of my daughters regularly get those during the winter months when sun is not plentiful and skin is usually covered up.  I thought, "I'll have to see if Rachel has discovered a remedy for these things.", and put them completely out of my mind.

In the morning, I bid farewell to my company and started cleaning up the house.  Something caused me to rub one arm and, low and behold, it was COVERED in tiny, red bumps.  Upon further investigation, I discovered that the bumps now completely covered both arms from shoulder to wrist. They were the worst where I first discovered them, on the back of my upper arms. Here's a photo -- NOT for the faint of heart :)

Ugly, eh????

I carried on with "business as usual" because, thankfully, they were neither sore, nor itchy.  My poor sister, Maureen, is a fabulous RN and gets promoted to the status of "Dr. Lewis" by my entire family.  If anyone has a condition or malady of any description, we call Dr. Lewis and pray she has some insight into what it is and a possible cure.  Well, Dr. Lewis called me at exactly the right moment to see how my weekend visit had gone.

Thank Heaven for modern technology --  I was able to text her these same pictures for diagnosis. Her suspicion was an allergic reaction to body wash (yes, I had just purchased body wash at Costco I had never tried before) or lotion (yes, I had used umpteen different lotions to be a diligent radiation patient, keeping my skin in top-notch condition).  She suggested an allergy pill and calling the Nursing Hotline.  Deciding to go with the allergy diagnosis, I popped an allergy pill about 3 p.m.

The "hives-like" appearance of my bumps by Sunday evening. 

By about 7 p.m., with my bumps now developing into "hives", I took a different brand of allergy pill and called the Hotline.  My own sister was FAR more help than the pleasant RN who answered my call.  Since I wasn't itchy, nor was my throat constricted, the hotline nurse felt I could wait to see a doctor at the Cancer Agency today.

Both Cheryl (back from her weekend in Vancouver and ready for another week as caregiver) and Kate were concerned with the progression my bumps had made.  They insisted I track down the radiation oncologist on call, so I called the Kelowna Hospital.  The oncologist was helpful and reassuring.  In his mind, these bumps have NOTHING to do with radiation -- otherwise, they should have started at the treatment sight (which they did not) and been mainly contained to that same area (which they weren't).  My mind is always puts at ease as soon as I have talked to, or seen, a doctor.

I am thrilled to report that the bumps regressed back to the original appearance of tiny red bumps overnight.  Still anxious to have an idea of why I have them, we will leave early for Kelowna today and hope that I can see a doctor before my 4 p.m. treatment.

I'll keep you posted on the prognosis.