Hey, we’re home again. And I almost feel normal. (“Normal” being relative when it comes to me, natch.) Know what is NOT a great way to overcome any potential jetlag when traveling back home to Eastern time after being on Mountain time? Planning to take the last flight home on Sunday evening. I mean, it’s probably not a great idea, anyway, but then if it’s truly the airline’s last flight of the night to Atlanta, chances are they’re going to delay the flight to catch all the folks who are making a connection, and then chances are that a ginormous storm cell is going to divert your flight path so that your long flight is even longer, and then to top that off, once you arrive in Atlanta at 1:00 in the morning they will insist that your luggage is arriving on carousel 2 but actually it is carousel 5 and once you figure that out and collect your things and make your way out to the parking shuttle and get in your car and find your way out and FINALLY white-knuckle it home through the pouring rain, just a few miles from your house a railroad crossing will insist there’s a train coming when there isn’t. And then you’ll watch several people slalom through the gates while you have palpitations and you will eventually turn around and go back and find the longest way home possible.
This is why you shouldn’t give a mouse a cookie, or maybe it’s why it’s not a great idea to go to bed around 3:30 and then get up and try to work the next day. (Needless to say, Monday was kind of a blur.)
Today I feel almost human, although I did bring home something extra special which was unexpected. I mean, we have some origami Raphael made for us, and Chickadee had half a suitcase full of pictures Sophia made for her, and Kira gave me some healthy gummy thingies that I’m now forcing on my children, but little did I know I had something EVEN BETTER.
Because I am apparently 10 and must’ve shared towels with my buddies at summer camp after getting out of the pool, I came home with impetigo (I think). I’m sure Kira will be THRILLED to learn this, as I was just all over her house (and her children) for the last five days. Um. Sorry, Kira! Let’s hope one of your kids gave it to me instead of the other way ’round! LOVE YOU (from a safe distance)!
Once upon a time about a week ago I had a zit near the corner of my mouth, and it continued to refuse to heal while we were gone. Or, at least, that’s what I thought it was. Yesterday I noticed it was… sort of scabbing and spreading… which—last time I checked—pimples generally do not do. So, yeah, it’s pretty much as sexy as it sounds, and the last time I had impetigo I was, indeed, freshly home from summer camp.
There’s nothing quite like ending an awesome trip with a bang, right?
Of course, now Otto and I are debating who had the better travel finale, because on his last night of traveling, someone broke into his car and swiped his GPS and his iPod. WE KNOW HOW TO PAR-TAY! I think I win for overall suckage, though, because we can replace his stuff, whereas my face is currently horrifying and my own beloved husband refuses to kiss me. Hmph.
If you need me this week, I’ll be busy slathering ointment on my… everything.
You just made my day. I’m all aglow with ointment de schadenfreude. Summer’s gonna be goooooooo d this year, for both our families, I can just feel it.
Bleah. Enjoy your ointment!
If it’s any consolation (?) I think you both lose. Bleurgh. I’m not even sure I know what impetigo is. In my head it’s in the same category as things like gout and sciatica, in that it sounds like something that some ancient colonel in an Agatha Christie novel would be complaining right before his scheming nephew slipped foxglove into his afternoon tea. At any rate, SORRY. That sucks.
It’s a crusty kind of skin infection. The lesions WEEP. YOU ARE WELCOME.
Awesome. And it’s not even my birthday! Although I might add, I would HARDLY wish for my birthday that you have (bleurgh) weeping lesions. For my birthday, I would wish you a leak-free pool and the most delicious gluten-free cake the world has ever seen. Among other things.
Augh, I can just imagine Monkey’s righteous (and man’s-weekend-manly) anger!
I believe I recall, my dear, that you fall deathly ill whenever you even breathe near an airplane. Hope the bodily suppurating (hee!) crusts go AWAY soon.
NEVER give a mouse a cookie. Eat that sonuvabitch your own self. (Feel better soon!)
Sorry about the impetigo. My particular curse when travelling is managing to catch a bad cold. Seriously, I’ve done it at least half a dozen times. I am a firm believer in Airborne now for before and after the flight. I know there’s not any scientific studies done on its effectiveness but it seems to work for me.
It does actually work for some people, Chuck. Those that proclaim its bogusness are those for whom it does not work.
I’m leaving on research/holiday on Sunday and am thinking five days isn’t enough to do all the travel-gremlin avoidance rituals I’m going to need. Sigh.
Well, you know you had a good time when you end up with a spreading infection and a prescription ointment!
That sucks! I hope you feel better soon. I also firmly believe you should kiss Otto and let him suffer with you! Unless he has a summer class…
Mir,
I had a similar experience on my chin. I went to my MD and she gave me some steroid cream and sent me on my way. The cream made it a little better while I was using it but when the 7 days was up and I stopped……24 hours later it was worse and …… growing. Back to the MD I went and she gave me a different cream……apply for 7 days. The 7 days was up and the same circumstance happened again, meanwhile my chin looked like I had developed Leprosy. It was awful!! So the MD sent me to a Dermatologist who couldn’t see me for 3 weeks!! When I finally got in to see her she took one look and declared Peri-Oral Dermatitis…..which when treated with steroids gets better until you stop the steroids (kind of like crack for this condition……happy till you stop feeding its addiction then very very angry)…..requiring 6 MONTHS of an antibiotic the government stockpiles for Anthrax exposure. Good luck with the impetigo!
i just get acne rosacea and then pick at the eczema that develops and get horrible acne nastiness that is MUCH worse now that I am in my 50’s than when I was 15. YOU’RE WELCOME! Isn’t Middle Age fun???
Makes me feel better about the huge zit I have right now. Speaking of skin….how’s Chickie’s mystery rash this year?
We are absolutely not discussing that issue about that thing which seems to have magically resolved itself for the most part, lest we jinx it. No medical explanation is available for why—if we were discussing it—that thing seems to have gone away. AHEM.
Maybe you have a cold sore?
Ugh, I had it exactly once and, yep, it was right after I got home from church camp when I was 11. Yuck. My sister got it all the time at camp, though, so I was really glad I only had it once and I didn’t have to have any special meds for it (we caught mine early enough that we just kept it clean and dry and covered). My sister, however, once had it pretty bad and had to get some special meds. :( Good luck!
One of my 4 month old twins developed it from baby eczema. What fun to try to keep everything separated to prevent spreading it to the other twin. The topical antibiotic seems to be clearing it up pretty quickly though, hope yours clears quickly as well!
MRSA ins one of the causes for impetigo. Didn’t Otto had that? I’m just saying there might be a way to blame it on him… ;)
I would offer two more options, neither of which is attractive or pretty but you may want to look in to:
Cold sore (Abreva anyone?)
MRSA (probiotics to counteract the rediculous amount of antibiotics – ugh)
Feel better!
Honey colored scabbing crusts, for everyone trying to visualize it. And surely it is antibiotic ointment, not steroid ointment, as feared by another commenter. I’m sorry… how awful.
Jeez, Louise when does the madness stop! How’s the pool doing?
Just Googled “impetigo” and now breakfast is over. Thanks, Mir!
Impetigo might also be caused by the same bacteria that causes strep throat. Highly contagious, of course, so don’t trade wine glasses or coffee cups or anything like that. I hope you kill that nasty bug soon!
WE DID THE EXACT SAME THING! Sorry, I’m catching up on reading. We traveled from Mountain time to Maine on the very last flight out of SLC Sunday the 16th. With three children, 8,4, and 2. It was miserable, but not as bad as the flight out there that was delayed for 3 1/2 hours in JFK because some brilliant individual decided to flush a diaper, topped by the 4 year old having food poisoning (along with 8 other unfortunate souls on the flight). The individuals who insist, “take the redeye!! Everyone will sleep the whole flight!!!” are damned liars. And I worked Monday as well, so glad to know I wasn’t the only one!
I thought for sure you were going to say LICE.