Re: 's motd Friday Sept 2, 2011

[Guest guest]

>Okay, no

more covering up. Let the world see you happy and let the world

see you shine.

Sorry, Dickie, and sorry, Dr. L, but with my

medical history I *must* cover up or suffer the consequences!

I mentioned way back in January how my Vitamin D level was so

low the lab test couldn't detect *any* in my blood, then in

March, after 3 months of a high dose daily, it went up, barely

into the normal range. Well, I just had that lab repeated, and

the count is dropping back down again, unheard of in summertime

in normal, healthy people even this far north of the equator.

He's now running tests to find out *why* it's going down - am I

not taking enough? Is my vegan low fat diet to blame? Is it a

mal-absorption problem, like lupus or Crohn's disease?

So for now my dosage has been doubled, and he told me to get out

in the summer sun for a minimum of an hour each day without any

sunblock.

I then listed the reasons why that's NOT going to happen:

1) My pale Irish skin burns in half that amount of time even

*with* sunblock

2) Due to my asthma, I can't breathe on those hot, sunny summer

days. He already knew I had been using my rescue inhaler more

times this summer than the previous 3 years combined and he had

already written a prescription for a different, stronger med.

3) My rosacea can't stand sun. 5 minutes and my face is breaking

out, that after an hour there won't be any healthy skin left on

it. Now I find out this may not be rosacea afterall but a

symptom of lupus.

4) My history of skin cancer. And those were in places that

*didn't* get exposed to sun. Imagine what would happen to the

places that *are*!

So, while I certainly won't wear all black or long sleeves when

outside during the summer months, I'm *not* going to go out

exposing lots of skin nor for any length of time.

Sue in NJ