Pink Girl = Pink Eye

Always a lover of anything pink, these green eyes went pink over the weekend, and that could never be good. A quick visit to the MD and the diagnosis: pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis. Teaching at a college, many of my students have young children, and apparently young children get pink eye. Does this mean I am much younger then I thought or just young at heart?

A clean fanatic, these hands get washed way too often, and after teaching from a classroom computer, Purell is used to remove any germs left on these hands; even at the grocery store a Clorox wipe is used to clean the cart prior to pushing it. As a way to kill germs from pink eye, Lysol Spray and Clorox Wipes covered many a surface at home, auto and office.

But what about the eyes themselves? Nothing to fear, Zylet is here. Zylet is Loteprednol, in a class of drugs called corticosteroids. Loteprednol inhibits processes in the body that cause inflammation (swelling) and contains Tobramycin, an antibiotic used to treat eye inflammation caused by surgery, infection, allergies or small children. In a few short days, actually 24 hours, these pink eyes will turn green again. Eye makeup can be worn again. I will feel like myself again.
Photo attribution: somewhatfortyplus

Ragweed -- I Hate You

Allergies to ragweed and pollen haunt many of us, forcing us to look swollen, puffy, and somewhat poofy under the eyes that water and drip during the day. The ragweed season runs from early August until the frost -- never have I been so anxious for a heavy frost which will kill the little culprit that invades me. Last night a light frost hit, killing the last flowers of the season, damaging the ferns that will now die off, but allowing the mold and ragweed to flourish a bit longer.

Allegra helps, as does Allegra D or Zyrtec, I've tried them all. Now Verymist is the nasal spray of choice, claiming it will stop "runny, watery eyes" as well as constant "dripping" from the nose. Three days into it and I am somewhat better, though the Benedryl I just swallowed will add more relief and allow me to stop sneezing in front of a classroom full of college students.

A purse full of pink kleenex helps, but I have graduated to paper towels -- the heavy duty reuseable ones -- to catch the scum that drips from my nostrils. This is not pretty.