I'm Here

So, I'm getting my chance at redemption with Sara. Unfortunately, she's suffering so it's not very uplifting for me.

My sweet, beautiful child has suffered some with acne the last couple of years -- nothing monstrous but noticeable to a teen aged girl -- and we had often discussed taking her to a dermatologist but had opted to try over-the-counter remedies. Some worked for a while but, perhaps due to sporadic use over a prolonged period of time, all stopped.

Then, during band camp this summer, she developed blemishes on her chest, shoulders and inside her elbows. Blech. She could deal with it on her face, everyone gets it there but the other places were gross to her.

So to the dermatologist she went the week before Labor Day weekend and she got an entire set of regimens for her skin (different stuff for different areas) and an oral medicine that looks like it's in the tetracycline (spelling?) family from its name.

Her skin started to clear within the first few days and then she went to Cumberland -- and got a bad sunburn on her face, causing painful burning sensations for her and worry for me.

Of course, band practice goes on and she has gone from bad to worse with pain and now has developed small patches of chapping on her chin. I had her put Neosporin ointment on it last night before bed, thinking, it's medicine! Well, it had started to ooze a bit by this morning -- nothing gross or noticeable to the naked eye but awful for her and she was mortified by the time I dropped her at school.

It didn't help her that I had tried to go swimming at the Y this morning (getting up at 5 a.m.) and had missed getting into the pool by a hare's breadth, and worse, beaten by an 80-something, emaciated old man! I was in a foul temper when I got home from a quick stop at Kroger and she was still in bed, Tim was in the shower, Noah was IN LINE for the shower, I needed a shower and so did Sara! Grrrrrrrr.

So at 3 p.m. we return to the dermatologist's office. I am pretty much convinced that she needs to stop taking the medicine until after band season is over -- competitions are outdoors for the most part and ALL practices are. . . I just hope getting off of it will help. They have offered to give us sunscreen samples, etc. but I'm not sure I even want to try that. Sara already has "wounds" from this.

So today I redeem myself. And pray I can just continue to be available and not continue to need redemption. . .