Bravely Serving My 48 Hours

As a very pale person who has spent her entire life in the Sunny South, a close working relationship with a good dermatologist is a must. When my new dermatologist's receptionist apologized because it would be a three week wait before they could get me in, I almost laughed because in Atlanta it would have taken four months minimum to get an appointment. This is one of the best parts of living in the Triangle - fabulous medical care.

The Triangle is home to two of the country's top medical schools, Duke University and the University of North Carolina, so this area produces more than it's fair share of excellent doctors and nurses. Many of them never leave because it is such a great place to live. This gives us a plethora of doctors to choose from, fast appointment times and short waits in the office.

After examining me with a magnifying glass - literally - my new doctor's plan of attack was to treat my entire face at once to get rid of all the per-cancerous spots at once, which seemed way better than having pieces of my face scrapped off little by little.

The treatment involved a photo-sensitizing medicine and a very precise 16 minutes and 40 seconds in front of a blue light.  For me the actual treatment was a breeze,  but now I am suffering through the tough part - no sun for 48 hours.

Apparently the medicine's photo-sensitizing effects take a while to wear off, so I have to stay out of the sun completely in order to prevent post-treatment burns. And they mean it. Three different people said we are not kidding before I left the office with my wide brimmed hat shoved down low on my head.

All of the shades in the house are closed, but I still cannot sit close to the window. I cannot sit near a lamp either. Thank goodness computer light was not included in the list of no's. I could not survive without some link to the outside world.  I have gone all Orange is the New Black and am scratching out little hour marks on the wall. I'm halfway through my sentence. Tomorrow at noon I get sunshine and a ticket to drive.