Skin Sensativities Solved!

My skin has a way of baffling the entire medical community with it's absolute refusal to accept any type of adhesive to touch it for any period of time. And sure, there are people who are sensitive to adhesive and even  people who complain about rashes from Tagaderm or other adhesive bandages, but I have yet to find another human being whose skin is as picky as mine. I have dozens of blog posts on the subject that can be found here, but I must warn you that some of the pictures are rather graphic.

To be fair, my skin is actually pretty easy going in most areas of life. I have zero allergies to any other products I have ever used anywhere on my body. Lotions, creams, sun screen, detergent are all fine by my skin, but for some reason the more PICC lines, IVs and port dressings my skin comes in contact with the more it revolts. And we have tried everything! We have talked to NICU nurses and burn centers and tried dozens of types of coverings to no avail. 

Well, we have finally discovered the perfect solution for all my skin troubles. The only solution we have found is the one and only Prednisone! I know, I know not an ideal solution, but 10 mg of prednisone kept my skin reaction at bay enough that when I got my dressing changed yesterday there was no swelling, no oozing blisters and my skin looked 100% intact.

There is such a huge amount of relief knowing that I can get through IVs without dealing with weeks of itchy, irritated and swollen skin. The only downside is that Prednisone elevates my blood sugar just enough that I have to be careful of what I eat. Now, this wouldn't be too bad except that it seems October is prime IV time for me given my history. This means that not only is Halloween candy off limits, but October is when all of my fall fruit is ripening on the trees. Pineapple guavas, lemon guavas, persimmons, pomegranates all taunt me with their high sugar content. Sigh! But as the saying goes: Beggars can't be choosers!