Oh Those Tell Tale Signs of Red!

My Mom used to say that my skin was more red than anything else.  I'm not kidding my skin turns a bright neon red at the drop of a hat.  If I have a bath or shower or go swimming my skin is bright red especially across my upper chest.  If I'm embarrassed or nervous my cheeks get painfully red.  Red is a sure sign for me of an asthma flare-up or allergic reaction.  Seriously I can take one sip of red wine with sulfates and it hasn't hit my stomach before it shows in my face!  This type of red will be two bright red spots about an inch diameter.  Actually there are very few times I can't find reddish overtones on my skin.  Lately my hands and wrists have been bothering me so they are bright pinkish red.  But the last couple of days the ultimate in redness popped up.  I mean the ultimate in redness.  My cheeks literally flame when I'm sick.  This is not the neon pink red either.  It is the bright fire red that would put my gorgeous ripe organic Brandywine tomatoes to shame!

The red hurts regardless when it appears but when I'm sick it is downright painful.  My husband was away at hunt camp so I had a few things I wanted to do.  I went down to visit the kids and watch the little ones enjoy trick or treating.   I was only gone overnight but it was a wonderful break.  The next morning I felt the burn.  Sure shooting there was that tell tale sign of red.  All the plans I had made went out the window.  I pulled a couple of soup bones from the freezer to make homemade soup while enjoying that wonderful burning sensation as my sinuses crickled and crackles, my eyes watered and my ears popped.  I added in extra onions and garlic for good measure.  So I was housebound for the rest of the week enjoying my gorgeous redness not dare going out around other people for fear of picking up any germs that would complicate whatever it is I had.  My colds tend to go directly to bronchitis then pneumonia, something I'm not impressed with but the last thing I need is a secondary infection.  Had it not been for the red, I would have been out and about with a compromised immune system picking up gosh knows what putting myself at further risk while possibly infecting others with whatever I had.  I looked in the mirror at the bright, flaming cheeks and said a silent thank-you. 

In many ways the tell tale signs of red are a blessing for me.  They are like a giant built in stop sign to back things down, avoid further exposure to anything and if it doesn't calm down get to my doctor.  Some people aren't so lucky.  Knowing what turns my skin red and what the normal red for that exposure is extremely helpful.  I know the warning signs and what each variation of red means.  While I tend to make light of it, the redness and variations are warning signs of potential problem.

Garden Gnome
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