Archive for July 14th, 2007
A hunk A hunk of burning flesh
I hate the sun, I really do. I was outside on Tuesday and didn’t put sunscreen on since I was in the shade. Yeah, I’m dumb. My shoulders, arms and chest are red as red can be. Strangely enough though, it didn’t bother me Tuesday or Wednesday. It started getting that burning/itchy feeling Thursday at around 4pm. After 3 hours of pain, I decided to go to Shopper’s Drug Mart to try and get some Aloe Vera for it, see if that helps.
I didn’t find any Aloe Vera, but got some Solarcaine Medicated Lidocaine Gel (The bottle says it heals sunburns, and is green like Aloe so I assume it’s Shopper’s brand Aloe Vera). So I pick it up, run home and try it: Makes it worse. So I spend the next 3 and a half hours standing in my shower since the hot water cools it off.
Eventually I manage to get out, call Cheryl in hopes that she A) has a better idea or B) can drive me to the hospital.. Then Mags messages me with another answer: Vinegar and baking soda. At this point I’m willing to try anything rather than standing in my shower until I pass out or sit in the hospital for 6 hours to get looked at.
So I try it out, and it works. Almost. As anybody who has passed the 3rd grade knows, when you combine vinegar and baking soda they bubble for a few seconds then form a thick white paste (Note: would work well for visual effects if you’re making a porno film). Anyway, it worked well when it was still bubbling and relieved pain for about 5 minutes afterwards on that spot. So I’m lying there on my bathroom floor with white goop from the vinegar/baking soda mix on my chest and spraying the itchy spots every 5 minutes so it starts bubbling again. I eventually pass out.
The next morning I wake up (still on my bathroom floor) and the itching has subsided a little. I have found though that wearing a shirt actually helps. Don’t ask me how, but it does. Seems to cool down the burningness and stuff. So a baggy t-shirt is key.
Long story short:
Sun: 1
Me: 0
