Sunday, July 11, 2010

on the surface...

i have dermographism
The term literally means writing on the skin but in short...im allergic to being scratched.
when i first got symptoms, it was overnight...sudden. HUGE welts would appear with no rhythm or reason. i started to see quickly where the name had come from. you can purposely give yourself a hive just by gently draggin your fingernail against your skin. in the first year, it was extreme and very uncomfortable. but in time, it lessened. almost to the point of forgetting i had it. but out of nowhere sometimes...BAM, its back. i have no idea why its so inconsistent...i just figured i was one of the luck ones. i could not imagine having to deal with the original intensity i once experienced. there is no cure, but luckily it has the ability to go away on its own. as for now, i struggle with bouts of feeling 'bug bites' all over. all i wanna do is itch it BUT as i previously stated, im allergic to scratching. it will only make it worse...much worse. i dont get hives anymore...and i almost wish i did because the histamine that flares up, has no physical evidence on my skin. so you can imagine, it makes me look alil crazy. while having a 'bad skin day', i look like im retaliating against an attack of invisible fire ants.
i stumbled upon people photographing their hives...even one woman making her images into self-expression.




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