Dr. Andrews Barber, I presume?

Remember when I went to
Gran Canaria?
Well I had some blisters on my toes there and after careful consideration I thought they'd probably blisters from burning my foot on the hot black lava-sand they have there on the beaches.
I had a mani-pedi planned, since I was living the luxurious-free-holiday-beach-life, I thought I might as well…I asked the mani-pedi-woman and she agreed. Once finished I swiftly I moved to the nearby pharmacist and asked for a cream of sorts. She didn’t speak English…. You’d expect, in thek kind of holiday factory that town is, swamped with British individuals, that the lady in the pharmacist –where they sell DRUGS- would speak some English… but no. Imagine, going there with a headache and taking home hemeroid cream or something. Anyway, since I’m a gal of the world and speak* about as many languages as there are countries featured in 'it's a small world', I could manage to let her know what my problem was.

*when I say ‘speak’ I off course mean; sign, using hands and feet and a handful of words I read on the back of foreign shampoo’s and milk cartons.

So she gave me a tube of stuff and made very clear that I should NOT use it in the sun, because it would turn my skin black. HELOOW… I’m on a tropical island. Should I wear wellies (rubber boots) then? Or maybe just stay indoors…

Anyway, I’m making this into a book when it could be just a note. (again) Moving on… swiftly…

I returned home to see the blisters dry out. Yay, it was healing! I forgot the cream in Gran Canaria, but I was ok, it was healing. Then suddenly, more blisters appeared and they moved to my hands. To-my-hands… from my feet, to my hands…without touching my legs or upper body. I thought that was a little weird. And a few days on my hands were now really getting into the game and small clusters of blisters were having a parties everywhere.

First I called a doctor that was substituting for mine. Without seeing my hands and feet, solely listening to what I told the assistant, he prescribed a cream, let the assistant call me back and tell me it was some sort of (I can’t find the translation….) ehm…. Literal translation is: mould infection, but I knów that’s not right. Anyway, moving on…
The cream didn’t work and it only got worse and worse. So I decided to contact my own doctor as soon as he got back. I did, he looked, he frowned, he sighed… ‘Miss, this is Andrews Barber disease, you have a form of psoriasis.’ Lump in throat, swallow, sigh… from my part. Then he showed me a book with a disgusting picture of a hand covered in ‘pustules’, blisters with puss, EEEEEEEW, GROSS!! ‘Doctor, that is NOT what I have…’ ‘Well, see, this is a very extreme picture, but yes, this is what you have.’

I returned home with cream #3 to mail Boyfriend Dear a link so that he, at work, knew what was going on. I read the text and it was so different from what I looked up earlier that I started to doubt the doctor’s opinion. (I never self diagnose on line, I know not to ‘go there’, but when the doc was away and I was deciding whether this was serious enough to call another doctor, I did. What I found then (dyshidrotic eczema) that description was still way more in sync with what my hands looked like.)

I called the doctor, he told me it REALLY was Andrews Barber. So I decided to go with the cream, be a good girl, do what I’m told and see from there.

I shook Mr. Barber’s hand, so to speak:
‘Dr. Andrews Barber I presume? My name is Saskia, I have really painfull and itchy and dry hands, but I’ll be a good girl. Thank you for discovering the disease, or at least, naming it, sir. Have a splendid day!’

By now the blisters, with the mind blowing itchyness, are gone and I’m left with hard shedding skin on my hands and feet.

I’m a dragon.

The good news is, that I can still knit! In fact, when the itchyness kept me up at night, I’d go downstairs and knit like a freak to keep my mind occupied.
To protect my hands, and myself from scratching them open, I've knit a pair of Fetching handwarmers. Like Drea did, I used the same cotton, so I’m a big copy cat. ;-P They are really quick, you can make them in 2 days, while still doing some other stuff, like eating and talking…
I definitely need some more. If this thing returns I’m going to be ready for it with a pile of stylish cotton gloves and handwarmers/protectors. (Ideas for patterns are welcome!)

Slaying the dragon!

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Remember when I got that box full of lushious stuff from Drea? Well, I figured out what I'm going to make with the extremely soft pinkness New Zealand Touch Exclusive Kid Mohair/ Merino blend...
EVERYTHING: mittens, a wrap and a beret.

I picked out patterns that were fast and simple because that lovely yarn doesn't need anything more!

ps can you see me with my extra large post, trying to make up for non-posting...?
here I am, this is it, Me blogging.
First picture: as a am.
Second Picture: trying to look extra glam... (pshhhh...)

Me with knitting bag and new sneakers 'on the go'.