When I wake up and realize I forgot to close the blinds, I have to panic. I don't play down at the beach anymore. I wear sunglasses, a hat and a scarf to go out during the day, even if it's summer. I no longer ask for a seat by the window. I am slowly becoming a vampire--a champion of the night--fearful of the sun. I don't drink blood yet; hopefully I won't have to.
...
Okay, maybe not a vampire. I don't turn to ashes like Dracula, I don't glitter like Edward (though that'd be an awesome alternative, considering). Instead, I burn in minutes, hive in hours, then my skin peels for days. Even if I'm wearing sunscreen. It's just come up, this allergy to the sun, so I'm not used to having to deal with it.
I still remember the days when I was a kid and all the other mothers were slathering their kids with sunscreen while my brother and I were already out and running through the sun, completely unprotected from the sun. The other kids would still burn by the end of the day--we would go home unscathed with golden tans.
Now, I stand outside in a parking lot on a sunny, but cool autumn day for a 10 minute post-lunch conversation and I breakout. I sleep in while the sun streams in through the open blinds on my face and I breakout. FML.
Who's allergic to the sun? Who develops an allergy to the sun after more than a quarter of a century of loving to soak it up? I asked my GP the last time I went to visit her during my latest bout if there was anything she could think of that I could do to prevent breakouts. She sadly smiled and shrugged and sympathetically suggested:
"Live in a bubble?"
*sigh*
And so, I'm confined to long-sleeves, pants, scarves, hats and sunglasses at least until December 7th when I can finally visit my dermatologist and allergy guy. At least it's not the dead of summer. :(
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