Back to Life in St. Louis & Happy Cinco De Mayo!!!

I made it safe and sound, after driving through 11 hours of rain... a water wall that seemed to follow me on the journey. Whew! It was a rough drive!

I arrived back at my mom-in-law's house with a body that was simultaneously cold and on fire, sore and yet wanting to move, itchy and super sensitive... and in a mass of stinging nerve pain. As it turns out, I was being triggered by an air freshner in the rental car that my body absolutely did not like. *sigh* That's why my rosacea acted up when I got to Atlanta and then again on the drive to St. Louis. I swear, it never ends with Rosie. It's not anyone's fault, it's just that my body is hyper-sensitive. If the average person had a base rate for sensitivity to environment at a 5... then I'm dialed up all the way to an 11 or 12. On most days I can manage it, work with it, maintain the balance... but then there are the other times...

I took a warm bath upon arrival yesterday, ate really well, did 2 red light therapy treatments, doused myself in pure aloe vera gel, and then slept through the night.

This morning I'm much better! Instead of my rosacea being at an 8/10 on the discomfort scale, I'm about a 3/10. Last time this happened it took about 2 days to go back to my version of balanced. 1 day down and 1 to go!

I did learn from this ordeal that I should just go ahead and get a back up red light unit. Mine come with lifetime warranties, so if a unit breaks it is replaced for free... but I would have to be without while I awaited the replacement. I think having 2 with lifetime warranties would help keep me covered no matter what. It's really important because red light is the single most effective treatment I've encountered for my rosacea thus far. Don't get me wrong, the green light therapy is nice. It's soothing for when I'm having a good day, but red light is what I turn to on good days and bad to help heal any inflammation and ease my fired up nerve endings.

I'm pretty positive at this point that the specific subtype of rosacea that I have is "neurogenic rosacea." It's a neurological disorder (likely genetic) where the nerves just keep growing more and more connections and more and more nerve endings, causing the types of symptoms that I have... I'm an exact match to the medical profile. Oh, and my topical medication stopped working completely. I knew up front that it happens that way for a lot of people, and during the trip to Atlanta, it happened to me. I might as well pour water on my poor, rosy skin for all the good the medication now does.

On the upside, I've also learned that I really, really like Atlanta. After 3 days in the city I was already feeling at home. The people are incredibly friendly, the lush greenery of the city is stunningly beautiful, there's local art everywhere, they have a terrific public transit system, and there's a lot to do and get involved in... I think I could really grow as a person in such an environment. The area I'm looking to settle into has a distinct bohemian/artsy/crafts/wellness vibe to it, and the house itself could best be described as an eco-brick-cottage. The house is a little rough around the edges, as it's older and has been vacant for a few months, but it's still adorable to me.

The home buyer's inspection has been set up for the new house in Atlanta on 5/9... and that's a tad nerve wracking. One never knows what lurks unseen until a professional takes a peek at it, or whacks it with a hammer.

For now, it's back to life in St. Louis... friends, family, and awaiting the upcoming move across country. Happy Cinco De Mayo to All!!!!