Re: desperate

[Guest guest]

Hi Angie-Many of us have been exactly where you are. It will get

better. Please don't do anything as drastic as quitting your job.

It's so much easier to go to work with this stuff if you tell your co-

workers what is going on. I know. I've been there. It was so much

easier for me when everyone knew what was wrong with my face and that

they shouldn't expect it to get better overnight. If nothing else,

ask if you can take a leave of absence until you're better able to

cope.

The good thing is that you eventually learn what it is that will make

you better. You may not get back to where you were before, but you

will find things to help and things to help you cope.

You have so many options, but you have to move slowly so you can

pinpoint what helps and what harms you. I have a few

recommendations, but I also recommend that you take any advice, from

anyone (including me) with a grain of salt. Nobody here has all the

answers and, as you will learn, one person's tonic is another's

toxin.

First of all, If I were you, I'd ask your dr for an antibiotic and

stay off of all topical meds until your skin gets a little better.

I would go off the metrocream (cold turkey) and ask your dr for

something gentler (Cleocin lotion or Clindagel are options). So many

of us cannot tolerate the metro products. They contain all sorts of

ingredients that are common irritants to rosacea. Ironic, isn't it?

The fact that you are experiencing such severe pain tells me you've

got an irritation that probably goes beyond rosacea.

You also sound like you are in a state of extreme anxiety, which

won't help your skin. You might want to ask your dr for an rx for an

anti-anxiety medication in the short term. I have not used these but

probably could have at some point. I think I was too proud to ask,

but many on this list have found these meds helpful.

Find something that soothes your skin. I find products with

dimethicone to be invaluable in this regard. I like the Ti-Silc

Sheer sun block, which you can order from a number of web sites (I go

to either skincarerx.com or skinstore.com). It provides sun

protection but goes a long way in soothing the skin as well. (I've

suggested this product to friends and coworkers who have rosacea and

whose skin was irritated by the metro products and they have never

stopped thanking me!)

Find a good moisturizing product that won't irritate your skin--the

fewer ingredients the better. I like either pure shea butter, pure

vitamin e oil, or pure jojoba oil. I used to mix mine with pure aloe

vera gel, which helped the burning for me, but seems to irritate some

people.

Look at what you are eating and consider how it might be impacting

your face. What worsens your rosacea may not be those things which

you consider your triggers. Many of us find that sugar and simple

carbs (white bread, pasta, white rice) cause additional redness and

dryness over the course of days.

Laser/IPL is definitely an option, but you can't undertake this

treatment when you are seriously flared. It's also best to let your

skin stabilize. You may find out you don't need it quite yet. I'm a

big advocate of photoderm/v-beam etc, however, as it has helped me

immensely. cea is progressive, so anything you can do to reverse

the progress will help in the overall scheme of things.

Lastly, find ways to relax and de-stress. Whatever helps you--

physical exertion (as far as you are able), meditation, prayer, a

good comedy. And tell yourself things will get better, because they

will. If you go through the archives here, you will find hosts of

people with posts similar to yours and either see their improvement

over the course of time or that they have just plain left the board

as they no longer need it.

p.s. Been there too. Had friends buy groceries for me for a couple

months! Also, now keep a freezer full of food, just in case...

>>I don't want to go even to the grocery store to get food

> >because i look so disgusting and i hurt so very bad.

>