October 28, 2017

Light Therapy - UVB

It has been a day since my first session. 40 seconds of being rotisseried in a cabinet of special fluoro tubes. They start the initial duration low to allow the skin to adjust over time to the treatments.

I walked into a small room at the doctor's office, about the size of a disabled toilet. There was a curtain and then behind this a weird metal cabinet about the size of a large telephone box (for those that remember what they looked like). It reminded me of something that would have been designed during the ‘60′s as part of the space programme. Its name is Daavlin but really sounds like it needs some numbers after it, like a Daavlin5000. Even more so as it talks to you. The front doors both swing open to reveal all the walls, including the doors full of vertical fluorescent tubes. 

It is just like a standing sunbed thingee which is what makes me a little nervous about this treatment. Haven’t sunbeds been given a terrible time? Driven off the face of the earth for being the latest thing to give you cancer. Given my current situation with my wife battling cancer, this is not something I am keen on.

I know my skin improves after being in the sun so there may be some merit to this. Plus my father in law swears by it for treating his psoriasis.

Before I start, I am advised I will need to strip down, either nude or boxers. I chose boxers. But then I was advised to make sure that my boxers are consistent, as you build up a tolerance as the exposure gets longer and you don’t want any fresh white skin being exposed because I am wearing different length boxers. 

I put on little sunbed goggles and jump in. Soon after the nurse walks in and pushes a few buttons. Daavlin5000 starts talking to me to tell me how long the exposure is and a countdown to start. Then the lights flicker into life and it gets mildly warm. A couple of bulbs are out so I spin around to rotisserie properly. 

Pretty quick and straightforward. All done and dressed again. Paid for the session and out in less than 15 min.

Later in the day, my skin felt a little tight like I had been in the sun or wind. Millie commented that she could see little goggle marks. Today is the day after and apparently, my legs are a little red. Looks like I may have a tan for summer.

I am not sure if it is related to the light therapy but I am very scratchy today. My face is quite red, raised and blotchy. I had a really poor night’s sleep a couple of nights ago so this may also be it. It could be the volume of kiwifruit I ate yesterday. Could be the probiotic. Who knows. The wonderful world of eczema.

An update re Millie, they are trialling some new meds but things look pretty settled. Millie has been given a pass out of hospital to come along to an awards evening in which CuddlyClaws has been chosen as a finalist. This is great news as Millie is a massive part of our progress and achievements. It will be interesting to see how her body copes with being out and about.

I will update progress on the light therapy as we go.

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Also in Starting from Scratch - Mike's Personal Journey