xc and the eye drops

I'm writing this post today because I wasn't allowed to work with a computer yesterday.

I've been having problems with my eyes ever since I arrived here. In winter, whenever I went out, my eyes would tear up. I thought it was because of the cold air blowing directly to my eyes. But spring came, and it still continued to occur. I may have helped the irritation by rubbing it every once in a while (read: most of the time). It mostly felt like I had sand in my eyes.

Then yesterday morning I was having trouble opening my eyes. Oh no!!!

So I had to go to the doctor and tell her what was bothering me. But since she was not an ophthalmologist and didn't have the equipment, she couldn't do more than give me prescription drops, give me the contact details of an ophthalmologist, and tell me to not to forget to blink when working with the computer, and to rest my eyes for the day. Ha!

I could have figured that out for myself except that I wasn't sure if Visine was available here.

I called up the ophthalmologist's office to get an appointment. It's crazy how they don't accept more patients here...are they afraid of making more money?? I think it's way easier to see a doctor in Manila that it is here. It also helps that your mom is a nurse and has a regular list of doctors up her sleeve.

But anyway, I was able to get a rendez-vous... 2 weeks from now. I guess I'd just have to deal with using these eye drops for 2 weeks before getting a real diagnosis.

The good news is that G went out and bought me a spanking new pair of shades!! Yay!!



** I just read that this might be the dry eye syndrome and is more common in women...

when the lacrimal glands work overtime to try to compensate for inadequate production of the mucus or oily layer. But the resulting tears do not adhere well to the eye surface, and it remains dry.

peace, luv & no more tears,
xc

xc and the allergy

About 3 years ago I found out that I was allergic to San Mig light...we were in a remote island in Mindoro so no doctors nor pharmacies. I thought I was allergic to the detergent they used for the sheets but it turned out that it was because we had nightly meetings with Mr. San Miguel.

So I never drank San Miguel light again...ever. I switched to Red Horse (yeah, baby!) and stuck with the ever trusty Mr. Jose Cuervo and I never got allergies since. Except for that time in Ariege when I finished off a bottle of tequila in 4 days...by myself. The others were drinking vodka caramel (not a fan) and G and L polished off the rum making 'Ti Ponches. It was odd because I didn't drink beer and I thought it was because of the caramel used in the vodka.

And then it happened. Sunday, I felt them on my hands, the familiar and unwanted stiffness. I looked and there they were, little red rashes starting to form on my palm and fingers. I immediately looked back on Saturday night (or what I remember of it). Sure we finished a bottle of tequila, a bottle and a half of rum, I had champagne and 2 glasses of wine...but no beer...no caramel nor vodka. But why? Luckily the red rashes remained insignificant. They didn't even itch so I thought it was just a fluke. No need to rush to the pharmacy and ask for antihistamine this time.

But last night, we spent another fun evening with glasses of mojitos in our hands. Went home at 5am despite the fact that I have work today (it's a French holiday but the stock markets are open). G vomiting miserable just behind the Rennes bus stop...well, you get the picture. It was another hammered night in the town.

And so here I am typing with small blister-y type things on my hands. I know, it sounds icky but it's really not. Just think of it as a rash gone bad. Okay, that's still icky. But it's actually not. And as I was typing and reading what I was typing (duh!) I found it! I had a Eureka! moment.

I am not allergic to beer!!! The break out happens when I end up drunk as hell!!! At the beach, in Ariege, the previous nights!!! All drunk as hell.

Now I realize that I can drink whatever I want just not as much as I want to though. How cool is that????

I should congratulate myself but I think I need to go to the pharmacy now to get that antihistamine after all.


peace and luv,
xc


(I still can't get over my discovery!!! Thanks to blogging I don't need to go to an allergologist anymore!)



(Still not getting over it, it's huge, like HUGE!)