Mosquito Season

[Marielle]

Hey
Does anyone have any problems with bug spray? We live in a very heavy Mosquito area and with the West Nile Virus thing going around I want Jessie to be covered. She already has two bites and is itching and getting a few P spots where the bites are. Any recommendations?
Thanks
M

[MikeK]

Hi!

Here in New Jersey we have to worry about both West Nile and Lyme Disease, so I too would be interested in knowing what types of bug spray people use. I wear long pants/sleeves if things get too buggy or if I'm going to be in or near the woods. I also sometimes use Avon's Skin-So-Soft, which I can now buy directly at a local chain drug strore. (I've heard mixed reviews about Skin-So-Soft ... some people claim that it's alleged bug repellant qualities are just another urban legend; other people claim that it really does repel bugs. I'm not sure how effective it is.) I have p on my ankles (which is one of the places that you need to apply repellant if you're walking in the woods) I'm afraid to use anything stronger than Skin-So-Soft, because I don't want whatever I do apply to a) irritate the p or b) (even worse) be absorbed into my body via the cracks in the lesions. (I do spray repellant on my jeans if I'm hiking in the woods.)

Thanks !

Mike

[Marielle]

Hey Mike and anyone else out there,
I asked Jessie's derm about the bug spray thing and he said we could use anything on her. I am personally worried about all those chemicals on her. Someone sent me an e-mail saying something about a product called BUZZ AWAY. I am going to research it and will get back to you.
Thanks
M

[MikeK]

Thanks Marielle. I have to be careful though. It seems like just about everything that I use irritates my p. Sigh.

[haldam]

Hello everyone!
Just my input.....
Even though Haley had no symptoms last year, I have always been cautious with her skin. So, didn't want to put chemicals on her, didn't want to create a flare up. So, we tried OFF Botanicals, and just a little FYI, it did not repel mosquitos. Now, for some maybe it would work, but for me, Haley, and my son, we all would come in with mosquito bites! So, decided this year we will have to give the normal ol' bug spray a try. With this whole West Nile thing, hate not using anything.
Marielle, thanks for the Buzz Away info...will have to research that myself. If you find out anything let me know.
Tara

[MikeK]

Hi Everyone,

Tara! I was glad to see your post! :) How is Haley? I've been worried. Did you get to see that pediatric derm? Were you able to get prescriptions for meds that you felt comfortable using?

Mike

[Marielle]

Welcome back Tara
How are you doing? Just like Mike I was getting a little worried. How is Haley doing? I hope you got into the right derm. About what you said about puting chemicals on her. I feel the same way about chemicals on children. I have learned from experience that it is not good. When I was 8 I was hospitalized because our school sprayed for ants and I had a reaction to the spray. After a long suit, the school system had to notify parents when any spraying would be done. I tried the Skin so Soft and it did not help Jessie against these Michigan Mosquitos but our dog is not getting touched when I put it on her???? Go figure!! I have not had any time to research the BUZZ AWAY yet but when I do I will inform everyone. Same goes for your mom's diagnosis Mike, I have been way too busy to do anything. Have you found out anything about it? I would like to let my mom know what is going on. Her scalp seems to be better now with the T-Gel. Well I better get back to work.
M

[MikeK]

Hi Marielle,

I'm glad your mom is doing better. :) I'm trying to get my mom to get a second opinion, but she's been resisting my efforts. I saw in our local paper that a derm was going to be doing free skin screenings (presumably for for skin cancer) at our local senior center on Monday and mom promised that she would go. She told me today that she didn't go because she "forgot"!?! (Did someone say denial? I wrote in on her calendar and my sister reminded her about it on Sunday. Sigh!)

I've been putting in a lot of long hours at work for the last couple weeks. It's been a lot of late nights and most weekends, so I haven't had a chance to do as much research as I would like. (I spent the day with some friends in Philadelphia on Sunday, but that's about it as far as a social life is concerned.) My brother and sister have been similarly busy. Sigh!

I did find out that some people have both seborrhoeic dermatitis and psoriasis. I also found one web site (here's a link: http://www.dermnetnz.org/dna.sd/sd.html) that implied that seborrhoeic dermatitis was a severe form of dandruff and may predispose to psoriasis. We want her to get that second opinion because a) of my history and b) the words "psoriasis" and "seborrhoeic dermatitis" seem to go together.

The good news is that mom has been using a prescription shampoo and that seems to be helping. It would be great if it turns out to be nothing more than a severe case of dandruff!

BTW, I just did a google search for "Buzz Away" and came up with a couple of links. Here's one to the company that makes it. http://www.quantumhealth.com/productgroups/prod_menu.asp
It sounds like it may be worth looking into.


I'll talk to you soon.

Mike

[Marielle]

Hey
Thank you for the update. I know what you are talking about with your mothers "denial". My mom has not made any attempt to see a derm. She was laid-off in December and does not have insurance right now. (My dad is retired) So she says she won't go. I told her I would even pay for it so we could get answers and she told me not to waste my money. Waste???? I don't want her to end up like Jessie and be covered after a week. But then again it could be just her scalp. Jessie once again had a kid in her class with strep and once again she had it with no systems. No breakouts since we caught it in time. She has P really bad on her eyelids but that is about it right now. Thank God for the sun. I thought I would never say that. I am a red head that burns being in the sun for 5 minutes. I checked out the Buzz Away site.....Thanks. I am going to buy the big package deal. Try it all. It can't hurt. We are very heavy rustic campers and hiking to the backwoods with P is going to be a new experience. I hope the Buzz Away works. I did not check the site about your mom's condition yet but when I get the chance I will. Thanks for everything. Including the support. I may seem like a strong person but the only reason I am this way is because of the support from this site. Talk to you later
M

[MikeK]

Hi Marielle,

Good luck in convincing your mom. She really should get it checked out. It may turn out that she has something other than p. BTW, I read that stress can a trigger for seborrhoeic dermatitis. (I know from personal experience that stress and p do not go well together.) Being laid off and without insurance has to be very stressful and that might be the cause of the problems with your mom's scalp. (We first noticed that my mom had a problem when my dad was in a cardiac rehab facility last fall. He was recovering from a heart attack, a pacemaker, and heart valve replacement surgery at the time. Mom's hairdresser told her that she might have p when she got her hair done after dad came home.)

I also ordered some Buzz Away. I don't spend that much time in the woods, but we have a mosquito problem here too. (BTW, I have family who live in Michigan. I have cousins who live in Oxford and Rochester (both north of Detroit) and Lapeer (east of Flint). Their grandmother (and my aunt) is my mom's oldest sister. She also lives in Oxford. I went camping with them, in the Upper Peninsula, when I was about 12. I can't imagine anything more rustic than that. Is that where you go?)

I'll talk to you soon.

Mike

[Marielle]

Hey Mike
My husbands family is from the Detroit area also. Brighton, Redford. I also have aunts that live in Plymouth and Royal Oak. My parents are from the North (Alpena, where I grew up). Yes! We go as far north as we possibly can get. Last year we went to Marquette and this year we probably will go to Paradise where we have some land. My sister works in the big Mac, so it is always fun to go up there. With the new baby it is going to be a treat camping this year. Jessie started camping and hiking with us at 9 weeks old. Loves it outdoors. Well I better get back to work. Talk to you later.
M

[haldam]

Hello All.
We did finally get the Dermasmooth, which has worked wonders on her head. How did we ever live without that!!!! Also got Luxiq. Doesn't seem to want to clear really good, but those scales and crusties are finally gone! So that is a wonderful positive for us. As far as the body goes, she was clearing great until about a week ago. The old ones are getting worse and she was getting a bunch of new ones. She was sick last night, took her to the doc today and she has strep throat. Just another hurdle. But, her spirits are good and she is hanging in there.
Sorry to hear about your mothers. I really hope all is well for them.
Marielle, how is Jessie?
Well, gotta go. Think I am going to go and put in my order of Buzz Away also.
Tara

[MikeK]

Hi Everyone,

Tara: Thanks for asking about my mom. :) I'm glad to hear that a) Haley's doing better :) and b) you finally got the the Derma Smooth and Luxiq. :) That's wonderful news! I bet that her latest flair is caused by the strep. She probably had it for a couple of days before she showed any signs. As Marielle can tell you, p and strep do NOT go well together. Sigh. (Step is probably something that you should have her checked for whenever you notice that her p is getting worse.) Have her get some sun once she starts to feel a little better.

Marielle: Talk about it being a small world. :) My mom lived with my aunt (the one who now lives in Oxford) in Royal Oak for about 18 months after she graduated from high school in 1943. She moved to Detroit, from Pittsburgh (her hometown), to look for work. She moved to Cleveland when one of my uncles got her a job as a real-life "Rosie the Riveter" during World War II. She lost that job right before the war ended. She eventually wound up in New York, where she met my dad. They moved to New Jersey (where my dad's family is from) when they got married in 1953.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!!

I'll talk to everyone soon.

Mike

[Marielle]

Hello Tara and Mike
Just a short letter to say 1. thank you for the mother's day greetings and to tell Tara that Jessie is doing great. She has P really bad on her eyelids right now. Bad spot for a kid who hates meds. We did the UVB treatments 3 times a week for 5 months and she went from 95% to under 5%. Jessie is a good one for getting strep without any symptoms, so whenever I have anyone that is in contact with her who has it I take her in. I don't ever want her to be 95% again. I know that it will probably happen but I am going to try everything in my power to stop it from happening. It is a small world Mike. My mother is from Southfield and what is left of her family all live in Royal Oak or Plymouth. The only other family that I have that might live in your area is my uncle lives in Bath, NY???? Have no idea where it is. Well I better get back to the grind stone. After another hour I am out of here for a weekend of scrapbooking during our churches women's retreat. Yeah!! Talk to everyone soon.
And all other mothers out there
Happy Mother's Day
M

[MikeK]

Hi Marielle,

I never heard of Bath, NY. I had to look it up. :) According to Yahoo, Bath is in upstate New York and is about 270 miles from me. It looks like it's a little past Corning, NY. I have a friend from college who lives in Binghamton, NY, which is also upstate. It takes me about four hours to drive to his house and Corning is 45 minutes to an hour from Binghamton.

To give you an idea of the geography. New York has over 50 counties. Upstate New York is huge. It's the part of the state that's outside of the New York City metro area (which is roughly about a dozen or so counties). I live in Hoboken, a small city in New Jersey that is located directly across the Hudson River from New York City. (Hoboken is literally between the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels.) Bath is northwest (more west than north) of here.

I'll talk to you soon.

Mike