The tape I’m using now is, as is the gauze, so I’m probably okay. Unfortunately, the tape doesn’t stick very well.
I have actually been wondering if I have a very minor latex allergy for a few months now, but it would have to be incredibly minor. I’ve worked in far too many genetics labs and too many bio class labs with far too many latex gloves for it to be any sort of serious allergy.
Go ahead and bring yours. We’ll see what the options are. I’m dying of itchiness, here. And I may have to do some serious cleaning, unexpectedly. What time are you thinking you’ll be here?
Right, except that repeated exposure often leads to an increasingly bad reaction. So all your previous use of latex may have just have finally caught up with you and tripped your immune system into overdrive. The bad news is that once a serious reaction occurs, it’s much more likely to be just as bad next time. The good news is that many labs (even the little one at Truman) are going latex-free now.
[personal hijack]As soon as Kidlet is picked up, I’m outta here. I’ll probably be there 'tween 6:30 and 7, hopefully earlier.[/ph]
Yeah, all the teaching labs I worked in when I was in DC were all nitrile based. I figured it was because we had so many more students than my undergrad institution, that the chances were too high we’d catch someone with an allergy. And all the subsequent research labs I’ve worked in have also been nitrile based, so I’m dealing less and less with latex anyway. Which makes me happy, even if I don’t have an allergy because latex STINKS and the smell sticks with you, even through repeated washings.
Anyway, the oddest thing here is that my belly and back are both itching. My shoulder is completely fine. No itch, no rash, no reaction at all (though I’ve switched it also to paper tape and gauze - no reason to tempt fate). I have some ideas about why this might be the case, but since they’re probably wrong, I’m not going to air them here.
As for our personal hijack, those are fine and earlier is fine too.
Can you point a hair dryer at them? That would seem to offer the desired combination of “heat” and “dry” I’ve been known to turn a hair dryer on my legs when I’ve got the twitches and it’d be inconvenient to soak in a hot bath.
Cool! Just, ya know, be careful not to set it so high, or hold it so close, that you burn your skin because ultimately, I think that would not increase your comfort
I’ve got about 6 stitches in my knee right now due to ACL reconstruction on Tuesday. Fortunately, I’ve been able to take a Percocet about every 4 hours, and it puts me to sleep for about 2.5. The ice cream helps me forget about the itching for the other 1.5.
I tend to suspect the adhesive too, Alice The Goon, but I have also occasionally wondered if I have a latex allergy. At this point, I hope to get some allergy testing done and get an actual basis for all my darn reactions.
Santo Rugger, I’m glad you got the reconstruction, even if you’re stitched and doped up. Enjoy the ice cream.
I’m kind of surprised that she didn’t remove the mole on your belly, too. As far as I’m concerned, I’d rather just have the whole mole removed, and they can biopsy the whole thing.
After you heal up, though, I’ll bet you’ll be very glad that you got them removed. I had a couple of raised moles that kept getting irritated by my bra straps, and when I had them removed, it was really much more comfortable.
I wish my dad would get more of his moles removed. Some of those big ones really worry me.
I think the reason she didn’t remove it is that most of it is totally flat (I call them all moles, but think of it as more of a “beauty mark”, I guess). She couldn’t just snip it off in the same fashion as the other moles.
However, the reason I wanted it to be checked out was because the middle was just barely starting to rise up and turn a new, brighter colour.
Actually, right now the whole “mole” area is covered by stitches, so I may discover on Tuesday that she did remove the whole thing. It certainly was painful enough that she might have!
Though not gone, my itching is way down. I want to thank Alice The Goon for her suggestion, as I wouldn’t have known what to go for after I removed my bandages for the first time and saw the clear irritation. I really appreciate it, and I’m a lot more comfortable. It may not have been the distraction I was asking for, but it is much, much better than that.
And Lynn, some of your dad’s big moles may actually be seborrheic kerastoses. I don’t have time to link, but search for images of them and that may allay your fears. They can look big and scary, but they’re quite benign.
I’ve been known to turn a hair dryer on my legs when I’ve got the twitches and it’d be inconvenient to soak in a hot bath.
