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Bugjune wrote:OK. I put my rubber mallet down now. :-)
If your tips on posting from the Mac are not too long, you can send me a PM. I can read all my Inbox emails A-OK. I am just not able to reply in any form to them - so folks wouldn't know I got the email unless I told 'em so up here on the boards.
It's just been a fugduggly May overall. I should be home by tomorrow, and in addition to having more SNOW all week, will have my Mac and join the real world again.
Thanks! I've pm'ed you, Bug. I hope you can read/write everything you want to now you're on your Mac at home. Thurs is neaaaarly here.....
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Quick and positive update, now that I've crossed the chasm and reached the "other" side. I have been making baby steps in improvement every day since getting on Keflex antibiotic. The raw skin under my left eye has resolved! (yes, it's very pink, but not raw anymore). There's still a coin-sized patch under my right eye that is a bit too raw for my liking, but it doesn't sting at all when I do my facial cleanings. So I'm thinking, ALL IS GOOD. I actually look forward to and enjoy the cleaning now! There are no more funky, boogar-colored pustules to scrape away. I still use a silicon spatula to abrade my skin ever so lightly - and it feels GREAT. After the scrape-down, I wash gently and thoroughly with Cetaphil soap. That is followed by a pat-down and sweeping across the face with a sterile gauze soaked in diluted vinegar water. AHHHHHH. Finally, I use rubber-gloved hands to reapply the Aquaphor generously where needed. I dab in a bit of Bacitracin right into the mix and touch that to my problem area. The rest of my face (forehead, nose, chin, upper neck) are fine with just Cetaphil moisturizer now. And these areas are utterly and completely healed. Normal skin tone, no marks or blemishes. My chest area is a surprising slow healer. That looked so good initially, but now it looks like my neighbor, Nosy Nancy, clawed my chest. And yes, we'd been home TWO hours on Monday before I got her ping, "WHERE ARE YOU??!?!" And every day since, she's inviting us to go out for lunch, and now we're to come to a BBQ at her place Sunday. Bugs me to be "stalked" but y'know what? I got bigger fish to fry. Oddly enough I have been plagued with huge "cankles" that resemble my granny's. Very stout and swollen ankles. My feet also swell UP! UP! UP! And then go down half a day. Then UP! UP! UP! They are busting the laces off my Minetonka mocs. I think this is a circulation issue that I hope to resolve by getting moving again. I won't do anything to strain my face, but I'll start doing some yoga stretches today. Every day, I pick an area I want to resolve and focus on it, using visualization. Worked a miracle on a few spots already. My lips were dotted with painful sores over the weekend, but I picked Tuesday, said, "Be gone!" And now they are. It's a process alright. And this whole experience has made me rethink my own self-obsessions. At this point in time, I can honestly say, I'm DONE with surgical procedures of a cosmetic nature. I think I look fine and need to go gracefully into late middle age. My absolute number one priority is HEALTH. Body. Mind. And thanks to all of you for the continued positive vibes!!! You are an amazing gang.
I Bug U
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Great to hear you are FINALLY recovering! I'm possibly considering something similar for my chest (it is a "war zone" after years of tanning), so I'll be glad if you can share some pics when you're all done healing.....
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Wow, You have had a trying ordeal. Once you have an ordeal like that, you get 'gun shy' of more cosmetic stuff. I used to want PS and look forward to it myself but now I'm gun shy too because I had a prior ordeal (thing that did NOT go right). I'm so glad you are 'out of the woods' though wit this. Bugjune wrote:Quick and positive update, now that I've crossed the chasm and reached the "other" side.
I have been making baby steps in improvement every day since getting on Keflex antibiotic. The raw skin under my left eye has resolved! (yes, it's very pink, but not raw anymore).
There's still a coin-sized patch under my right eye that is a bit too raw for my liking, but it doesn't sting at all when I do my facial cleanings. So I'm thinking, ALL IS GOOD.
I actually look forward to and enjoy the cleaning now! There are no more funky, boogar-colored pustules to scrape away. I still use a silicon spatula to abrade my skin ever so lightly - and it feels GREAT. After the scrape-down, I wash gently and thoroughly with Cetaphil soap. That is followed by a pat-down and sweeping across the face with a sterile gauze soaked in diluted vinegar water. AHHHHHH. Finally, I use rubber-gloved hands to reapply the Aquaphor generously where needed. I dab in a bit of Bacitracin right into the mix and touch that to my problem area. The rest of my face (forehead, nose, chin, upper neck) are fine with just Cetaphil moisturizer now. And these areas are utterly and completely healed. Normal skin tone, no marks or blemishes.
My chest area is a surprising slow healer. That looked so good initially, but now it looks like my neighbor, Nosy Nancy, clawed my chest. And yes, we'd been home TWO hours on Monday before I got her ping, "WHERE ARE YOU??!?!" And every day since, she's inviting us to go out for lunch, and now we're to come to a BBQ at her place Sunday. Bugs me to be "stalked" but y'know what? I got bigger fish to fry.
Oddly enough I have been plagued with huge "cankles" that resemble my granny's. Very stout and swollen ankles. My feet also swell UP! UP! UP! And then go down half a day. Then UP! UP! UP! They are busting the laces off my Minetonka mocs. I think this is a circulation issue that I hope to resolve by getting moving again. I won't do anything to strain my face, but I'll start doing some yoga stretches today.
Every day, I pick an area I want to resolve and focus on it, using visualization. Worked a miracle on a few spots already. My lips were dotted with painful sores over the weekend, but I picked Tuesday, said, "Be gone!" And now they are.
It's a process alright. And this whole experience has made me rethink my own self-obsessions. At this point in time, I can honestly say, I'm DONE with surgical procedures of a cosmetic nature. I think I look fine and need to go gracefully into late middle age. My absolute number one priority is HEALTH. Body. Mind.
And thanks to all of you for the continued positive vibes!!! You are an amazing gang.
Can hardly walk. Need hip replacement.
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You are absolutely right, MissJ. I don't want to go all "starry" here, but one of the outcomes of MercuryRx is that it offers up a lesson. That's why the monkey wrench is tossed in to an otherwise straightforward plan: to force us to re-evaluate our process leading up to that decision. It is very epiphanous to me that I researched MixTo for a good year, was totally confident in my surgeon who did the procedure, and had an *idea* of what the recovery would be like. But then: disaster! Valtrex tossed in to the mix. Severe, unplanned reaction to toxic drug. Result: recovery is not just delayed. It's derailed until a week's worth of issues unrelated to MixTo are resolved. Like DUH. So I have learned my lesson here. I need to forever more be aware that some unplanned monkey may wreak havoc on the best-laid plans. It's simply safer to take care of myself going forward with proper nutrition, skin care and exercise than go under the knife again. I am hoping I'm out of the woods, too. I bailed 2 days early on the Valtrex, so Herpes Simplex Type I still haunts my nightmares. I'm winding down on Keflex antibiotic, and who knows how my body will do then? Meanwhile, I'm doing 5 sessions a day of lymphatic massage. I've read that after trauma like I've been through, I WILL have some congestion along the lymph system. Gaddang I feel older than the hills sometimes.
I Bug U
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I had the lymphatic massage too, Bug. It did help some. Damn lasers. There, had to say it. Sorry. I know in your case it was not laser, but they just suck us in (the thought of what a laser can do for the skin). So, at the very least I hope you have beautiful skin/outcome for what you've endured. I'm terrified to risk surgery again. I was so cavalier the first time and now that I know more, I'm afraid (in an educated way). I often wonder (a whole lot) if I should just let nature take its course. Fricking vanity. I hate it.
DCNGA has left the board and is no longer taking PMs. She requests that if you wish to e-mail her to use her direct e-mail address which is: laserandiplsupport@gmail.com
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But yes, it WAS the damn laser that started all this! If I hadn't pined away for that baby's bottom skin on my chin, mouth area, I would never have gotten into this pickle. I also hope the outcome was worth the journey, but I KNOW (by God, I do) that if someone had played a video of what my life would be like for a month post MixTo, I'd have run for the hills before doing this. And yet, like you say, "it wasn't the laser" per se. It was Valtrex. Couldn't get one without the other! That's what makes me slap my forehead with frustration. WHY?! How is it that I was so utterly poisoned by Valtrex? Was it all just a starry confluence? What if I'd gotten this done in the fall? AH. I'll drive myself nuts with the "what-ifs". I agree with your sentiment on letting nature take its course. What woman doesn't look spectacular with a GREAT body that's been maintained through exercise and healthy eating? Whole lot less risk going that route. ========================================= DCNGA wrote:I had the lymphatic massage too, Bug. It did help some.
Damn lasers. There, had to say it. Sorry. I know in your case it was not laser, but they just suck us in (the thought of what a laser can do for the skin). So, at the very least I hope you have beautiful skin/outcome for what you've endured.
I'm terrified to risk surgery again. I was so cavalier the first time and now that I know more, I'm afraid (in an educated way). I often wonder (a whole lot) if I should just let nature take its course. Fricking vanity. I hate it.
I Bug U
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If anyone has a long weekend to spare, here is a frank blog on MixTo recovery. I'd read it months ago. It gave me a pause. But I still went ahead and DID IT. http://mixtosx.blogspot.com/2009/12/laser-resurfacing-day-one.html
I Bug U
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how are you doing bugjune? what's with the valtrex?
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The 'tried and true' is cutting and redraping, plus implants (for the most part), but even then you are at the mercy of your surgeon's skills and the anesthetic is the wild card.
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I get a monkey wrench tossed in my gears almost daily by something or other. LOL But great that you have reevaluated all. Bugjune wrote:You are absolutely right, MissJ. I don't want to go all "starry" here, but one of the outcomes of MercuryRx is that it offers up a lesson. That's why the monkey wrench is tossed in to an otherwise straightforward plan: to force us to re-evaluate our process leading up to that decision. It is very epiphanous to me that I researched MixTo for a good year, was totally confident in my surgeon who did the procedure, and had an *idea* of what the recovery would be like.
But then: disaster! Valtrex tossed in to the mix. Severe, unplanned reaction to toxic drug. Result: recovery is not just delayed. It's derailed until a week's worth of issues unrelated to MixTo are resolved. Like DUH.
So I have learned my lesson here. I need to forever more be aware that some unplanned monkey may wreak havoc on the best-laid plans. It's simply safer to take care of myself going forward with proper nutrition, skin care and exercise than go under the knife again.
I am hoping I'm out of the woods, too. I bailed 2 days early on the Valtrex, so Herpes Simplex Type I still haunts my nightmares. I'm winding down on Keflex antibiotic, and who knows how my body will do then? Meanwhile, I'm doing 5 sessions a day of lymphatic massage. I've read that after trauma like I've been through, I WILL have some congestion along the lymph system.
Gaddang I feel older than the hills sometimes.
Can hardly walk. Need hip replacement.
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Bag2, thanks for asking! Today was a turning point of sorts! I no longer have to slather Aquaphor all over my MixTo'd skin! YAY! "Grease monkey" took on new meaning for me with that stuff - and I'd nearly weep with frustration at my pathetic, thin strands of hair always billowing onto my cheek slathered with that stuff. I emailed today's shots to my surgeon, and he said I'm ON MY WAY! Face is going to resolve very nicely; but I have bright pink tissue under each eye and on my chest still. From what else I can tell, there are NO age spots, freckles, patches of uneven skin tone or fine lines on my face anymore. I am still swelling, so it's not really a fair assessment. In six months I'll see what I got for $3,000. Way more important than my face, tho, is my systemic health. I am as clueless as a pipe-smoking nun as to why the anti-viral Valtrex just about did me in. I'd taken it for 4 days - no prob - till the $hit hit the fan. One nurse told me that the drug was probably building up in my liver or something, till my body just rebelled. Weirdest sensation was the loss of muscle control. Before I really fell down with trots and throwing up, I'd bonk into doorways and furniture at the hotel, even tho in my mind I was steering around these things. My balance was way off. I know there is a vaccine for shingles that I can take some years from now, but IF I was to get Herpes Type I now, I'd be frickin' phucked unless there is a total substitute outside of the acyclovir family. When you get right down to it, one's health is ALL that matters. Looks be damned. Not that I want to be beaten with an ugly stick, mind you. ===================================== bag2 wrote:how are you doing bugjune? what's with the valtrex?
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Wow, what a story Bugjune. I'm glad you are on your way to a full recovery!!
Yours is a cautionary tale, and I do hope the results are worth it for you! But you are right in that it all comes down to one's health. I looked in the mirror this morning and felt despair but I am still healthy (despite receding gums!) and I still get compliments despite my obvious aging skin so I guess I just have to go with the flow and accept "what is" and not "what could have been" if I had lived my life differently (e.g., never went outside).
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Thanks for the well wishes rm1961. Wait till you see my pictures. I'm WANTING this to be a cautionary tale, so folks know what may be in store for them. I got an email invite from my other PS, who did the Vaser lipo on me last summer, and his office is co-hosting a paddle wheel cruise on the Sac'to River - topic to be highlighted: facial rejuvenation. I just about spit out my teeth at that one. Would I LOVE to be on that boat with my photo gallery in hand to show the lads and ladies alllll about facial rejuvenation. My guess is, they'd tie me to the paddle wheel and give me a dose of "water boarding" for sharing my story. Makes me cackle to think of it, tho.
I Bug U
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Which would make you a water bug!
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I sent a post to you yesterday, Bug, but somebody has removed it. I just wondered whether you have reported it to the Valtrex manufacturers as it is important for their 'adverse effects' register. I have seen the pics(yikes)- your hubby is adorable and you are very brave. I am sure you will get a great result as the day 13 pics are starting to look so much better.
All the best, brave and funny lady!! You rock
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NO! I didn't even think of that Sarah W! That is an excellent suggestion, and I AM ON IT! I will hop right over to the Valtrex website directly now. Cheers! Bug Sarah W wrote:I sent a post to you yesterday, Bug, but somebody has removed it. I just wondered whether you have reported it to the Valtrex manufacturers as it is important for their 'adverse effects' register. I have seen the pics(yikes)- your hubby is adorable and you are very brave. I am sure you will get a great result as the day 13 pics are starting to look so much better.
All the best, brave and funny lady!! You rock
I Bug U
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Status report! I have a message in to Valtrex (and missed a call back from them) today; also filed a report with the FDA on my adverse reaction to Valtrex - so this was a great suggestion! My pharmacist put a note in my permanent file: NEVER, EVER, no not NEVER, give this woman any acyclovir-based med again! (or she will hurt you plenty!) Well, words to that effect anyway! Cheers! ================================================ Sarah W wrote:I sent a post to you yesterday, Bug, but somebody has removed it. I just wondered whether you have reported it to the Valtrex manufacturers as it is important for their 'adverse effects' register. I have seen the pics(yikes)- your hubby is adorable and you are very brave. I am sure you will get a great result as the day 13 pics are starting to look so much better.
All the best, brave and funny lady!! You rock
I Bug U
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Good for you for filing the report to fda
Can hardly walk. Need hip replacement.
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