Red, Swollen, and Totally In Love With Lortabs

I went in today to have the Leluvan activated and it was not what I expected at all. As soon as I took my scarf off in front of the doctor's office, in the bright noon sun, I could feel it tingle. They scooted me into a dark room and talked about what was happening and how to take care of it after the light exposure.

I was sat in front of a blue light, and right away I could feel the reaction. I was immediately at a 3 on the pain scale and my doctor told me to tell her when I was at a 7. Being a hard head, I tried my hardest to toughen it out, but soon I couldn't take it anymore. It felt like sitting in front of a bonfire, but without the ability to step back and refresh. Sadly, mostly to my pride, I lasted a good minute in a half to two minutes. The ride home was miserable sitting in the front seat of my mom's car. If I wore the scarf, my hot breathe burned my skin, but without the scarf my face seared. I finally resorted to popping a Lortab, pulling my hat down low, and leaning forward into the air conditioner.

As soon as I got home I ran straight to my dark room and Mom brought in some cold compresses, which weren't much help so I sat in front of my huge fan until my Lortabs kicked in. When they did I finally found relief! And I was pretty excited about that.

I'm a total outside person and the thought of sitting in a dark room watching tv all afternoon is not only the most boring thing I could possibly do, but it's almost depressing. I went outside for a second to piddle in the family garden, but I had to come inside until nightfall. The pain isn't unbearable, but my face is swollen and itchy and so red. I was sent home with steroids to help with swelling but am holding off until the morning.

I hope it's worth it in the end and I really, truly believe that this will give me the greatest chance at clear skin. "With the face the size of a small car," as my mother previously stated, it better :)