nikigdoesthings

[nikigdoesthings]

No Filter - Dealing with Rosacea

In February 2019, I noticed a small, red patch on the left side of my face. I didn’t think much of it. 

I figured I had a pimple or skin irritation that would soon go away. I put concealer on it and tried to forget about it. Little did I know that this small red patch would end up covering my entire face and cause months of doctor appointments, tons of money, and even a trip to the emergency room. The redness on my face turned out to be a type of Rosacea. Rosacea is a condition that causes redness and sometimes small acne-like bumps on the face and is common in middle-aged women. 

Initially, I saw my primary doctor who thought I may have had a bacterial rash that I could have caught while on vacation at Universal Studios Orlando. We rode several water rides and I had picked the area thinking it was a pimple. She cultured the area and put me on antibiotics. The area did not improve, so she sent me to a dermatologist. The dermatologist suggested it was a type of contact dermatitis. He asked me several questions about what products I was using and what types of things I come into contact with. Nothing was out of the ordinary but he gave me a topical hydrocortisone and told me to be mindful of what I was using. Soon after that, the rash that had been isolated to the left side of my face spread to the right side and became more painful.

In frustration I returned to the dermatologist who then told me that “a lot of people have problems we can’t figure out.” He made me feel awful. I felt embarrassed about how my skin looked, and was in a lot of pain. It was swollen and felt like a horrible sunburn that I couldn’t get rid of. I became more and more depressed.

I returned to my primary doctor and she prescribed a low-level dosage of doxycycline, which seemed to help a little. She also ran blood panels and they revealed a positive ANA, which meant antinuclear bodies were found in my blood. This prompted my doctor to send me to a rheumatologist. Often, a positive ANA can indicate Lupus.

Even with this potential prognosis, I wasn’t about to miss out on riding roller coasters. Tim and I made our first trip to Cedar Point in mid-May. We had Fast Lane Plus and rode as many rides as we could, a large portion of them being on Steel Vengeance.  By the end of that day, my face was killing me. By Sunday night of that same weekend my face was so swollen and red that we went to the emergency room. I became worried when I noticed the swelling had progressed down to my neck. The ER did nothing and told me to follow through with the rheumatologist, as it was probably Lupus.

I went to the rheumatologist the next day, which required me to miss work. My face was bright red and very sore. They did x-rays and numerous blood tests. She told me that she doubted I had Lupus, but we would see what the tests revealed. After I described my first visit to the dermatologist, she suggested I find another doctor.

The test results were returned and, thankfully, negative for Lupus. 

I was able to schedule an appointment with a PA at another local dermatologist’s office. At this point, I was an emotional wreck. My husband went with me and I broke into tears as I waited for her to see me. I had all my records sent over and explained everything I had gone through for the last four months. She was so kind and understanding as she listened to my story. She then proceeded to tell me she thought I had an unusual type of Rosacea. She prescribed me a higher dose of Doxycycline and daily antibiotic cream. She said to see how I respond and we could go from there. This appointment was June 3rd and by my brothers wedding on the 15th, I was feeling and looking like myself again. 

The PA I saw told me some important things I would need to change in order to manage my Rosacea. One of the most important things is protecting my skin from the sun by wearing a non-irritating lotion with no lower than a 30 SPF rating. While researching, I discovered that there are both physical and chemical sunscreens. Physical sunscreens tend to be less irritating to people with sensitive skin as it does not absorb into the skin like chemical sunscreens. In addition to daily sunscreen, careful use of facial products is also necessary. People with Rosacea tend to be sensitive to products containing fragrance and alcohol.

She also suggested the importance of wearing a hat while outside. Some of my Cedar Point pictures and videos after May, you will notice I was wearing a hat. I’m not quite ready for the wide-brimmed hats as she suggested! I tried some on in the store for a laugh but a ball cap is much more my style. 

Stress is also a huge trigger. It’s difficult not to get upset when something is happening to you that you really can’t control. I’ve been working on going to yoga and exercising more as a way to release some tension. 

I’m glad I found a doctor to finally help me discover what was going on. I have improved, but I still have bad days and flares.  As a result I’ve made some life changes. It’s embarrassing to share some of these photos of my skin at its worst but I’m happy to share this story in the hope that it can help someone else. I have found some other great blogs and posts online of people sharing their experience with Rosacea.  This blogger shares some great info on her page: https://talontedlex.co.uk/

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact me. I’d love to hear from you.

[nikigdoesthings]

Favorite Moments of 2019

Felix Felicis Tattoo

In January I finally did something I had been wanting to do since high school; I got a Harry Potter tattoo! This was my second tattoo and I decided on a bottle of Felix Felicis, also known as liquid luck. A good friend of Tim’s, who has done most of his work, did the piece for me. I expected this to be more painful than my first tattoo (which is on my thigh) but it was surprisingly easy. I’m happy with how it turned out, and am planning on getting more Harry Potter themed work. 

My New Vlog

Before our Honeymoon in February, I decided to try my hand at vlogging. I was spending a lot of time watching theme park vlogs on YouTube and my husband suggested I make some of my own. Anyone that knows me is familiar with my obsession with roller coasters and theme parks. We had full intentions of making a video at Universal Studios Orlando but we didn’t have the right equipment. We did a few home vlogs about our Universal trip after we returned. I found it difficult to be at a park like Cedar Point and not be riding non-stop. So we didn’t vlog as much as I had hoped or anticipated, but we made a few Cedar Point vlogs that I am proud of. Here is one of my favorites. I have since gotten a GoPro and I think that will make vlogging in the parks a lot easier for me. So look for more in 2020.

Cedar Point in 2019

2019 was the most trips to Cedar Point I had ever made in one season. Tim got us Platinum passes which enabled us to go as many times as we wanted. We try to go on Fridays because it is the only week day I don’t work, and crowds are usually lower in attendance. We did some vlogging and the pass came in handy because on the days we didn’t ride as much and vlogged, it didn’t feel like we were wasting money. We rode Steel Vengeance as much as we could, and are obsessed. There is nothing else like it that I’ve ever ridden! We also had a season FunPix pass, and we loved all the ride photos. 

Clean Beauty Switch

I made the decision last year that I was going to start using green beauty products, and eliminate products with toxic ingredients. If you are careful with what you put into your body, why wouldn’t you be careful with what you put on it? I started realizing more and more green beauty companies appearing on my Instagram feed. I had an issue with my skin last year that spanned six months. After that, it was even more important to know what I was putting on my face and body. I discovered the company W3ll People and began using their products. They even ended up asking me if I would complete a survey, and after I received a $100 gift card. They are my favorite clean beauty makeup brand and I really love their products. My favorite products are the Bio Base Baked Foundation, and I also enjoy the Optimist Lipstick in the Choose Love color.

New Garden Boxes

We had ambitious plans for our garden in 2019. Tim built new planter boxes closer to our house. It was a cold Spring so things started out slow but when it started to get warmer, the garden grew like crazy! We planted way more than we needed and put the plants too close together. Next year we will plot the garden differently. We were successful at our first attempt to can pickles. I was nervous that they wouldn’t turn out, but they were really tasty! We had been busy during the summer riding coasters on the weekends so a lot of the cucumbers weren’t harvested properly. It was a good lesson on how we can improve things next season. 

One Year Anniversary in Paducah

Paducah is a town in western Kentucky that is very special to us. Tim and I had a beautiful, intimate wedding there in October, 2018. We planned to make a trip back to celebrate our one year anniversary. We stayed at an adorable Airbnb downtown which was in the perfect location because we could walk to most of our favorite places. We met up with some of our friends, did a haunted ghost tour, ate a delicious replica of our wedding cake, made an emotional visit to our wedding venue, and of course ate at Just Hamburgers! I can’t describe how happy this town makes me, and every time we leave I can’t wait to come back. Our first year of marriage has been amazing, and I love him more every day.  I hope Tim and I will continue to make yearly visits and, maybe someday even make Paducah our home.

First Trip to Dollywood

Dollywood has been on my theme park bucket list for a long time, and I finally got to visit in October. We had a wonderful experience, and the park exceeded my expectations. It was a gloomy Monday and I was very concerned the rain would ruin the experience. All my worrying was in vain. Everything ran perfectly all day, and ride wait times were 5 minutes or less. My top priorities were riding Lightning Rod, and eating cinnamon bread from The Grist Mill. A back row ride on Lightning Rod had things off to a rough start (literally) but after moving to the front row,  the ride experience was much smoother. It’s a short, but intense ride that took me by surprise. The cinnamon bread was as good as I had imagined. I will dream about that until I have it again!  I was impressed by the theming on all the rides, the staff was very friendly, and the park was clean. I even enjoyed checking out things that were not roller coasters like touring Dolly’s bus and the Chasing Rainbows Museum.  We had fun with our photo pass, and took as many pictures as we could! 

Rucking

Before I met my husband, I had no idea what rucking was. He taught me the basics and this last year, we spent a lot of time rucking. Rucking is walking with a weighted backpack, and you can do it anywhere! It’s a great cardiovascular activity but also helps build strength and posture.  When he went to GORUCK HQ to shoot an event called Selection, he brought me back my very own ruck and weight plate. He got me a GORUCK Echo in my favorite color, Java. Soon after, I started rucking with my 20 lb plate in my ruck. It’s an activity that is really fun for Tim and I to do together. We can spend quality time and also be active and healthy. I signed up for a monthly rucking challenge in November and earned my first patch. The pledge was to ruck 10 miles and I did that plus many more. This year I want to challenge myself more and try an event with Tim. 

Rucking My First 10k

In November, one of the offices I work for decided to do a 10k. My boss is a competitive runner and triathlete, but the rest of the staff decided to walk. I’ve walked a few 5k’s before but never a 10k. To add an extra challenge since I had been rucking, I told myself I would carry my ruck with weight (20+ lbs). Thankfully, there wasn’t any snow on the ground yet, but it was chilly! This was also the first time doing this type of distance with weight and not having Tim with me. It was a challenge, and at times very discouraging. I was the only one rucking and everyone else was walking or running so I felt like I was dead last. Maybe I was dead last, but I finished. I look forward to taking on new challenges in 2020. 

Universal Orlando Honeymoon

It’s no secret that Tim and I are huge Harry Potter fans.  When we were deciding on where to honeymoon, we originally had plans to visit Scotland. When it came down to it, we decided to go to a place we were familiar with and  where we knew we would have fun. We chose to spend a week at Universal Studios Orlando, Florida!  It was a dream to spend a week here! An exhausting dream come true. The staff made us feel so special and everyone congratulated us on our marriage multiple times a day (thanks to our buttons!). Staying on-site is perfect! Loews Royal Pacific is a beautiful hotel, and it’s very convenient to the parks and Citywalk. February is off season but with the Unlimited Express Pass we walked on every ride. It was sunny and upper 70’s every day! Perfect weather for me and comfortable for Tim. We started out our mornings immersed in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and enjoyed bouncing back and forth from Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios all day long. We can’t wait to make  a trip back in 2020, so we can ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure!

[nikigdoesthings]

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A post shared by Niki G (@nikigdoesthings) on Jan 13, 2020 at 5:10am PST