I’m starting to think I’m allergic to myself. Either that or it’s just my eczema acting up again. Coconut oil is the only thing I can use without breaking out. Cue the world’s smallest violin. 🎻 I really do need to see an allergist and get proper testing. I already avoid fragrances and artificial dyes because I know those set me off.

Other health updates: I finally gave up nicotine. I still vape, but it’s 0 mg now. I haven’t been eating much meat—mostly chicken when I do, and bacon on rare occasions. I’m still eating dairy, even though I’m lactose intolerant. That’s one thing I can’t seem to give up.

I’m also trying not to drink. I’d started spiking my lemonade water with vodka just to knock myself out because the physical pain was too much. Sleep is still a mess; I can’t stay asleep for more than an hour at a time thanks to my leg pain. That part is normal for me. There’s not much I can do about it, since they took away my Vicodin when Trump’s war on opioids first began.

And now that fentanyl is treated like a weapon of mass destruction, I can only imagine what that means for chronic pain patients. One chatbot even told me the restrictions only apply to “synthetic fentanyl,” as if fentanyl isn’t already a synthetic opioid. 🤦‍♀️