More Than Skin Deep

Good news! The PET scan was clear! The “lesion” that showed up in the MRI was likely an old one or possibly scar tissue, according to Dr. Joudeh. That means no biopsy, another huge relief. I already had an appointment with the neurosurgeon, and Dr. Joudeh suggested that I keep it. There is still the neuropathy in my arms and hands, and we need to find the source of it. It could be the bulging discs in my C3 and C4 vertebras, and Dr. Joudeh feels that the neurosurgeon may be able to tell more about it once he sees the MRI. The best option will likely be my pain management doctor, Dr. Tan, and I plan to see him as soon as possible. The pain medication has helped greatly, but I still wake during the night and every morning with numb, dead hands and aching arms. Would be good to know if there’s something we can do about it.

There is also the pain and stiffness in nearly all of my joints when I’ve been sitting for even a short time and I stand up to walk. I know I must look like Nancy Pelosi shuffling along trying not to look like the stiff old woman she is. The pain in the joints of my fingers and at the base of my thumb have made it extremely difficult to turn the lever of a can opener or twist open a bottle of water. Keifer usually does those things for me. For a couple of weeks, I was walking two miles at least three times each week, and the pain in my hips and knees grew worse. After a few days of a new exercise routine, the soreness usually begins to fade, but not so with me.

But these are not the worst symptoms compared to the most recent. I told you when I began this journey that I would be very open about my experience, even if it was unpleasant. I think I’ve mentioned that my skin has been a source of discomfort for me since the transplant. Having never been through one before, I had no way of knowing what recovery would be like, and even now, it’s hard to know if what I’m experiencing is a result of the transplant or just a part of growing older. I reject the latter explanation for several reasons, among them the fact that some are autoimmune disorders that I never suffered before the transplant, and also because of my age (I am NOT old) and general good health. But I have to tell you, the latest issue has given me a new perspective and empathy for anyone who suffers from a chronic skin disorder, like eczema or psoriasis.

Just a few days ago, I absently reached up to scratch an almost unconscious itch on my scalp and felt a dry, scaly, bumpy patch. I drew my fingertips away, and they felt a little oily. Gross! I immediately went upstairs and plopped down in front of my ancient but ever dependable Clairol True to Light Tri-fold Makeup Mirror, the best one ever made, in my humble opinion, but I digress. I began searching through my new growth of short silver locks to find the offending patch of abnormal scalp.

Let’s back up several weeks...

On September 20th, I saw my dermatologist about my skin, specifically on my face. It was exceedingly dry with scaly patches on my cheeks and on my forehead at my hairline. I told Dr. McMartin that I had a history of mild eczema, but never on my face. It didn’t itch and there were no characteristic fluid-filled blisters (thank goodness!) that are common with eczema outbreaks. Dr. McMartin examined me and told me I had dandruff.

“Dandruff?! But I don’t have any flakes or itching on my head. And I’ve never had dandruff before in my life.”

He went on to explain that one can have dandruff wherever there is hair, and the human body is essentially covered with hair, most of it fine. He recommended that I choose a dandruff shampoo and wash my face and neck with it when I showered. He also prescribed pimecrolimus cream, which is used to treat atopic dermatitis, or eczema. I recall that I told a friend about this new development and joked that Selsun Blue was now my new body wash.

It seemed to help, at least until this new condition literally erupted on my scalp. As soon as I discovered the yellow ooze that had seeped from a tender pimple in the middle of the patch and hardened into crust on the shafts of my hair, it was research time. I googled, “crusty yellow patches on scalp,” and this result was most illuminating:

I was so upset about it that it almost overshadowed my concern about the potential results of the PET scan. I couldn’t wait to ask Dr. Joudeh about it. Why was this happening? Would the condition come and go for the rest of my life? Was it because my immune system is on overdrive since the transplant? What could I do to get rid of it...yesterday! Good to know it wasn’t contagious and also good to know it has nothing to do with cleanliness, but for some reason those facts didn’t make me feel better. This stuff was positively disgusting! It was like having a severe acne outbreak on my head! The only sense of relief I felt was that it wasn’t visible under my hair, and if it ever was, I could hide it under a hat.

Dr. Joudeh confirmed my self-diagnosis of seborrheic dermatitis, also known as cradle cap in infants. He further explained, as if what I had already learned wasn’t gross enough, that it is also believed to be a type of yeast infection. I asked if there was an anti-fungal he could prescribe, but unfortunately, there’s not.

I know stress can bring about such infections, and while I’m not always aware of it, I suppose I do deal with a bit of stress in my life. Geesh! I thought working at Walmart was stressful. It was, but it was a different kind of stress, and I am grateful every day not to be experiencing it anymore. If I were still working there, I imagine I might look like Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in the 1984 version of the movie Dune. I’ll do you the favor of not including a picture and let you look him up yourself, if you’re not familiar.

So, I remind myself that in the grand scheme of things, I have much to be thankful for. Life is too precious to spend even a moment wallowing in self-pity. There is no temptation that has overtaken me except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let me be tempted beyond what I can bear. But when I am tempted [to wallow in self-pity, for example], He will also provide a way out so that I can endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13)