This morning I got up early and, in the shower, I noticed that I seemed to be beginning to peel. I gently washed as much of the dead skin away as I could, so it would not be as itchy later.
I walked up to the bank and withdrew some money from the ATM. and I walked back down to the English Fellowship Offices to see Anne Cliffe.
Anne was gone for the day, so since I figured I wouldn't get a chance to see her otherwise, I made an appointment to see her tomorrow morning. They were leaving the next week for HMA. I sat down and took off my fleece vest, only to discover I was awfully glad that I had been wearing it zipped up over my top - my jeans zipper wasn't zipped!!! How embarrassing! I wondered for how long it was unzipped and if anyone noticed!
I walked back to the guest house and changed clothes. Knowing I'd be outside for some time again, I didn't want to further damage my painfully burned skin, so I gently put some sunscreen on my shoulders. Gentle or not, at the touch of the sunscreen, I almost hit the ceiling, and nearly hyperventilated to keep from crying out in pain... I was gasping to myself, "Take it Off!! Take it Off!!" but it had already soaked in so much that there was no way to take it off. I decided perhaps I should get some medical advice. My whole back was just plain raw. The blisters had hardened over the last few days, and unknowingly, that is what I had peeled off in the shower that morning, leaving everything oozing and sticking to my shirt. I couldn't do anything anymore until I took care of that.
I stopped up at RuthAnn's office on the way to the Emergency room, but Elsi told me that she was sick and hadn't come in. Across the hall was Dave Cliffe's office and I popped my head in to say hello. (He's Anne's husband and he teaches at the same place RuthAnn and Elsi do.) We chatted for a bit, but I had to get going to the Emergency room, and he had to stop at the bank before class started.
I walked over to the hospital and asked one of the doctors what he suggested. He walked me right over to the wound clinic where they took one brief look and said, "You need to be covered with Duoderm." ... I was sent to get a hospital card and then returned to the wound clinic.
Apparently, I had second degree burns, and the area of the burn was quite large. They (OUCH!!) cleaned my whole back and shoulders with gauze and some kind of sterilizing agent, and then stuck about seven 4"x6" Duoderm pads to my back and shoulders, with paper tape connecting the pieces together to keep them from rolling up at the edges. At first they stung like crazy, but then they just got very very hot. After a while they just felt odd, but at least I wasn't in excruciating pain anymore.
I was sent home and told to wear a loose shirt and avoid anything binding (goodbye modesty for the day!). I was also told that the pads would get thicker as time went by, and that they might not smell very good either. Lovely! I was supposed to meet the girl we're sponsoring through Children International the day before my return appointment. I guessed I'd have to explain somehow that the smell was the pads and not me!
I had an appointment to go back on my birthday the next week (at 10:00 a.m.) to get them either removed or changed. It felt weird on my back, but at least my shirt didn't hurt to be worn anymore. And the tag on the back of my shirt wasn't cutting through my tender skin. And I could even hang my purse on my shoulder again!
Before I headed back to the guest house, I walked down to Q'Mas and picked up some empanadas de carne and Fiora Light for lunch. On my way back, I saw Gustavo and Violeta Carvajal and Elisa del Salto and was surprised to have recognized them. I said "hello" for me, and for mom and dad, and they gave their greetings back, although I asked them to avoid the traditional hugs because of my sunburn. They were very understanding and it was very nice to see them.
Adriana had asked for the afternoon off for some other commitments, so I didn't have lessons that day.
I figured one should be able to laugh despite it all. I still felt I was having a terrific trip. The weather outside was beautiful - breezy, partly cloudy ...
B&B? Burn? ... They were just a couple of negatives in a sea of positives.
Current Temperature: 64 ° F Wind Speed: N/R 3 mph
Feels Like: 64° F Visibility: N/R mi
Current Conditions: Mostly Cloudy Barometer: 30.30 in. S
Humidity: 52% Sunrise: 6:16 am
Sunset: 6:22 pm
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