Keeping it Real....

I wish I could say I am doing better or having a relatively decent day, but that is not the case.  I had a severe increase in my flare during work on Friday.  Yesterday I cried all day and my skin felt like it was on fire!  Felt the same most of today.  I really tore my skin up - didn't take much - just rubbing it will slough skin off.  It is a hot raging mess!  Thought it may be due to PMS hormones but I am not due for another 9 days and I have no other signs of my PMS.  Which means in a few days I will flare just as bad again I am afraid.  I took tylenol and ibuprofen during the day today because I absolutely needed to get to the store and I knew I could not handle it without something for the pain.  Not sure if it is still working or the flare is going down to its normal state of flaring, but right this second I am OK.  Not great, not good, but not horrible like earlier today and yesterday.  I thought my neck was doing better - and it was -but with this latest flare in a flare, my neck raged as well - so not happy about that.

But despite all the pain and the crying and frustration, I did manage to keep things moving here at home - I NEED to continue to try to get life back in some sort of order.  It makes me feel better over all.  So I exercised on my new elliptical - twice yesterday for 5 and 6 minutes.  Today I did a whopping 10 minutes at once.  My heart rate was 132 at the 3 minute mark - so much better than 160 - so I did the extra time.  It felt good despite the pain all over my skin. It also helps that I subscribed to Rhapsody and downloaded a bunch of my favorite "rocking it out" tunes.  The music helps keep my mind somewhere else besides the pain.  I continue with my 24/7 ice packs around my neck.  They are my life saver!  Couldn't have made it this far through TSW without them!

So here are just a few pics - not much different from other pics, but like I said - I am keeping this real and this is where I am right now at 4.5 months:

Face is red, raw, and painful

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Left ear has been weeping for 3 days now

The top half of my thumb is all red and excoriated

Left arm red, swollen, painful, and tight feeling

Right arm feeling the same as the left - really tore it up bad

Red all over chest neck and face