The Contessa's New Groove

My face is perfect. Perfectly clear. Arms mostly clear. Chest clear. Legs are on the way, feet and ankles are making their way slowly. I've heard the process described as a "body reset" and I understand why. When a body part turns to the path of healing, the internal heat goes up, the itch intensifies but both are still 80% less than the AD itch and heat. That's huge. It's also going down exponentially as each body part settles into the reset. I've ordered my refill... still free. I wore mascara on Saturday. Why? Because I could. I did a jeunesse mask to help the peeling.  I can't get over my face. I still have some minor pain in the ankles where the plaguing is the kind of AD itch that makes you think before scratching, whether it will be worth it to stop the itchy sensation OR be in excruciating pain in that area. I do not have it every day which is a swing and a hit, baby! Meanwhile, I got to test drive all this against high stress. My...

My face is almost 100% clear. It was least affected so I am not terribly surprised but still it's nice to see! My legs and ankles are not moving as fast but they are plaquing up and the itching is less. Did you hear that - ITCHING IS LESS. That is biggest hurdle for me.  The itching makes me psychotic at times. So this is great. I am optimistic for the first time. I checked in with the pharmacy today and another shipment will come to me next week to start on the biweekly schedule. I have my sharps container, I know I am capable of giving myself injections. I am feeling pretty good about this situation. I have to call the pharmacy on Sunday to get the next shipment kicked off and after that they will call ME. This level of service - where I am the patient and come first - is weird. I am not taking any part of this for granted. At any moment, I could become a pre-existing condition. I am taking advantage of this program and all of that care it provides until it...

Day 1. My drugs arrived at 9:15. They came in a cooler, with ice packs. They gave me a sharps container and lots of reading material and alcohol wipes. I watched the video on how to give the injection. I reread the list of side effects ( though I'm pretty sure I have it memorized) ad shortly before noon, I pinched an area on the right side of my belly, hit the needle at a nice 45 degree angle, and wham! It was in and done. I felt nothing. The second one was harder. I went the other side of my belly, couldn't get the angle right. A word.... if it hurts before you've touched the plunger, it's wrong. Finally got the angle right and same results. Yay! It's done! So I go out to my car to relax a bit. I'm reading my book, and I start crying. I have no idea why. I chalk it up to finally getting here. I am asymptomatic as of right now. But I'm paying close attention to every little thing. When something comes up, unless I can't identify t...

I am patient zero. Exciting yet daunting words. Especially when uttered by your doctor. To be clear, I am only patient zero for his practice. Still, it's a lot to take in. My name is The Contessa. It's also my title.  I have been suffering my entire life from atopic dermatitis. Tomorrow, I begin Dupixent. The journey up til now has been the usual, topical steroids, oral steroids, coconut oil, manuka honey, yoga, massage, all of it. I have experienced chronic pain at 50 on a scale of 1-10. I have used prescription pain medication to manage the pain. I have used yoga and meditation successfully to manage it as well. There is no secret that stress exacerbates the condition. At my wedding in 2013, my skin was perfect. PERFECT.  My husband got sick shortly after and died of lung cancer in 2014. Grief and stress led to my condition being so out of control that even high, extended doses of steroids and very serious pain meds were no longer working. My parents gave me ...