Today I was off work from where our hours were cut. After a week of being down with the Flu I still had a terrible cough that was pestering me and keeping me up all hours of the night. No wonder I have been exhausted! So today I was off to the doctor for the second Friday in a row (Boo). My doctor is long haul...I live in Franklinton and my doctors office is out on the other side of Raleigh (40 min), but with my Asthma one thing I refuse to compromise on is crappy health care, my doctor is great and even though I hate the drive its well worth it to be taken care of by what I consider the BEST! Besides the cough I also had a rash in the front bend of both elbows and on the top of both of my hands that has been off and on for awhile and really aggravating me. The verdict was...with my Asthma the Flu really took a toll on my bad bronchial tubes and they are swollen and infected from the Flu, it has a name but I can't remember it or spell it either (LOL). Now I am on prednesone for a week to try to take care of that situation. On to the rash...apparently I have atopic dermatitis which explains several skin issues for me. I have always had rashes break out from time to time, and this condition really makes sense. My doctor explained to me that people with Asthma are more likely to have this condition. It is something that can flare up for any number of reasons, go dormant for years at a time and they really don't know the exact cause and it can be quite a pest since cures are few and far between. It is just one of those things that remain a mystery in the medical world. My doctor prescribes a cream that has some strange side effects like thinning of the skin...weird! He said do NOT put this on your face...LOL Don't worry I wont :) This condition for me always seems to mostly localize on the front bends of my elbows and hands. Although in many people it affects the crease of the legs and sometimes the neck and chest. Tonight I came home and did some research and some of the things they say you should do are not for me....like not showering every day, ummm that is kinda gross!!! However I also found some things that may help my condition like showering with warm water instead of hot water (I LOVE HOT water), patting yourself dry instead of wiping, using baby oil to keep as much moisture in your skin as possible, using special lotions, staying away from dust (I dust our house all the time b/c of my Asthma) so I think I am going to buy me some baby oil tomorrow and start taking warm showers :( I hate to have a rash like that because people always notice stuff like that and assume you are dirty or something like that...but I can't help it, my body has a weak immune system and that with my Asthma makes me more likely to have this condition....UGH!!!!! I have never really complained about my Asthma...I don't know life without it, I had my first attack and ICU visit before I was 2 years old. I never used my Asthma as an excuse to be lazy, but of all the things I hate this rash thing the worst! I hope it is gone REALLY soon! I hope when I have children they don't have Asthma because it really sucks. I don't think most people understand how serious it is for some people like myself who has the worst possible type. All I can say is I hope this cream takes away the rash and leaves my skin...LOL

Other than that I have been feeling better today. My energy is slowly coming back and tonight I will sleep in our bed...WOO HOO! I have been sleeping on the couch for over a week to try to keep Mark from catching my FLU. So far so good....fingers crossed that he doesn't get it! I surely don't with a sick husband! Men and sickness don't mix and I don't want to deal with it.

So just a quick note about gas prices. As you know my car is still being repaired so I have been driving Mark's Mom's Honda Pilot (6 cylinder). This has been my dream car for so long, but not anymore. I have barely drove the Pilot and I have already had to put $45.00 worth of gas in it!!! OMG I miss my 4 cylinder Honda Accord that can go almost two weeks on a tank of gas!!!! So today I told Mark, you don't have to worry about me wanting a new car anymore. On top of that you don't have to worry about me wanting ANY 6 cylinder larger size SUV. Nope, I think if I do decided to get a SUV it will be a small 4 cylinder like a CRV. Forget those big clunky gas guzzlers I wouldn't be able to afford to drive it...gezz Now I remember why we drive my car everyday opposed to Marks Ford truck.