…I feel so helpless.

My daughter has pretty much always had eczema. We have battled that off and on her whole life. Due to her itchy skin and tendency toward drier skin, she has also had a couple of battles with MRSA. I think what happened is those cases was she scratched a couple of little open sores and picked up the virus at school.

So, now there is something new happening with her skin and I was just without a clue when I first saw it. I think it was about three weeks ago that she developed some little hard bumps all over her arms and legs, mostly around the areas where she would generally get eczema patches. Also, on one of he knees she got a patch of skin that did not feel rough, but looked rather like elephant skin. It was unsightly and looked a little like something her dad gets on his own knees. Additionally, she had two three larger red spots on her lower back that looked like hives, but without the white raised parting the center.

I kept her moisturized and put her Betamethasone on the bad spots, but after a weekend at her dad’s, she came home even worse. I suspected the trip to the beach they made as well as the cat he has at his house. Gigi is allergic to cats and being around a cat would have taxed her immune system and not left any fight in her for her skin issues.

So, I got her in with my dermatologist. The derm changed her antihistamine and her skin creams. We were on an entirely new regiment and each of the medications had a $45 co-pay, so it was quite an investment. Also, we went back to the skin care products we used when Gigi was a baby: Aveeno lotion, sunscreen and bath wash for babies – not the adult version, but the baby variety.

She was with her dad again this weekend and I brought her home early since tonight was her pre-school graduation presentation. Her skin is even worse! It has been 10 days on the new antihistamine and the new creams. I should see SOME improvement, but instead her entire back is just covered with the splotchy, red, raised spots. It’s horrific, really.

So, my next call is to her allergist. He is very difficult to get in with, but I am going to beg, because my next step will be to find a specialist that can see if this is something systemic. I don’t know – maybe an endocrinologist or an immunologist.

I’m all cried out on this one.

It was like the Heavens had opened and rained down blessings when Wal-Mart announced their new $4 for some generic prescription drugs. That was back in 2006 and most major retailers followed Wal-Mart’s lead, creating an ever competitive market for prescription generics.

That kind of competition is always good for the consumer. Proof of that lies in Wal-Mart’s new plan to 90-day supplies for $10 of nearly 350 generic medications and to add discounts to several women’s medications. They also plan to lower prices on over 1,000 over-the-counter drugs to $4 or less.

The women’s medications that have been added to the discount program will be available for $9 (or 90-day prescriptions for $24) for a 30-day supply and include drugs for breast cancer and hormone deficiency.

Generally, I prefer to shop at Target over Wal-Mart. When the new prescription drug plan began at Wal-Mart in 2006, it was exciting and diverted a lot of my business back to Wal-Mart. As other stores began to offer generic prescriptions for prices close to Wal-Mart, I found myself shopping there less and less once more. With this new 90-day program, I can safely say I will be do more errands at Wal-Mart again. It’s worth it.

You know, it’s a dog eat dog world, especially in the world of business and marketing. Companies love to patent products that they hope will help them corner a market and make billions. But, when the product is a simple variation on using hydrogen peroxide to whiten teeth, they really should expect that they will not be the only game in town forever.

Seriously. I was using hydrogen peroxide on my teeth as a child, and I am sure generation upon generation before me was doing the same. Maybe they would like to sue me for using the bottle of peroxide in my medicine chest on my teeth.

Procter & Gamble Co. is suing Johnson & Johnson over alleged patent infringement over teeth-whitening strips. P&G says J&J broke two of its patents relating to the whitener’s active ingredient and coating system.

So, what pissed off Procter & Gamble? Johnson & Johnson launched Listerine “quick-dissolving” whitening strips last year. Their strips claim to dissolve after five to 10 minutes and they are making Johnson & Johnson a boatload of cash. It is infringing on P&G’s sales.

Procter & Gamble insists that the whitening strips are their intellectual property and asks the court to stop other companies from making or selling any products that infringe upon P&G’s tooth-whitening patents and also for unspecified damages.

Somehow, I really just don’t believe we’re going to see only one brand of whitening strips on the drugstore shelves anytime soon.

I’m not all that talented when it comes to doing my hair. I spent my teenage years perfecting my Mohawk and the use of a tiny curling iron and a crimping iron. Aqua Net was my friend.

Now, though, I have long hair with some natural wave. The wave is something that came along during my pregnancy and just never left. For me, though, it is not wavy enough. In fact, it’s just prone to being a tiny bit more unruly than it used to.

So, here is a simple hair styling trick I learned that takes zero skill and just a few minutes. If you want loose, flowing waves all you have to do is separate your hair into two sections, like you were going to make a couple of ponytail.

Then, wrap each section around a chopstick and once you have it all wrapped tight, you push the end of the chopstick through the knot to secure it.

Repeat this with the second section, mist your hair all over with water and set the wave with a blow dryer for about five minutes.

No fuss, and very pretty.

We see articles often enough talking about how one medication or another has been determined to cause different health issues. It’s not too often that one of those medication is actually one I am taking. I think the last time a medication I was taken was pulled off the market was 8 years ago.

I have been taking Merck’s Singulair for over eight years. My daughter has been taking the pediatric version for about three years. We both do well on it. For me, it is the first medication that treats both my asthma and my seasonal allergies without giving me a racing pulse. In fact, I have nee r had medicine work better for my asthma or my allergies. I have often said I think Singulair is a “life saver”.

And now, there are reports that Singulair is linked to suicidal tendencies. The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) say they are looking at a handful of reports that focus on mood changes, suicidal behavior and suicide in patients who have taken Singiulair.

Merck has updated the Singulair’s label four times recently to include information on side effects like tremors, anxiousness, depression and suicidal behavior.

Merck says the FDA’s inquiry is based on reports, not clinical studies. They say none of the 11,000 patients enrolled in 40 Singulair trials has committed suicide.

Nobody is suggesting that anyone stop taking Singulair in the meantime. And, for that I am glad. I worry a little that a medication that works so well for me would be pulled off the shelves. I might consider taking my daughter off the medication. I was never convinced it was a wonder drug for her, anyway.

Well, it finally hit our home. We got the winter flu. So far, we have been SO lucky around here and the only thing that has made anyone in the house feel bad is the early onset of spring here in Florida and our allergies kicking in a bit early.

Last night, though, around 1 a.m. I heard my daughter trashing around. The ext thing I knew I heard her vomiting. She had it all over her bed, the floor, the shoes next to her bed, and herself before I knew it. Before the night was over, I had washed two sets of sheets and blankets, bathed my daughter, and accompanied her to the bathroom at least a dozen times.

In the midst of all this, I head my mother running to the bathroom. She was struck with the same flu at just about the same hour as my daughter woke up sick. It’s been an odd day so far. And, to top that off, my nephew had spent the night and he is sick as well. I ended up calling my sister at work so she could come help out. I will stay here with the kids while she takes our mom to the hospital.

When it rains, it pours.

Not so very long ago, a young college student at the University of South Florida in Tampa died of bacterial meningitis. Now, an 18-year-old female student at Daytona Beach Community College has been hospitalized for a possible case of bacterial meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis is a potentially fatal infection transmitted by respiratory secretions and direct contact with an infected person. This new case makes it even more urgent that the recent proposal from the Board of Governors that would require all new students at Florida’s universities to be vaccinated against meningitis and hepatitis B be implemented as soon as possible.

I take particular interest when I see an obituary that mentions that the person in question had multiple myeloma. That is because my mom has multiple myeloma.

From what I can gather, Scheider died at 75 today after being treated for two years for multiple myeloma. The difference between him and my mother is that she was blessed to find out she had it in a very early stage and has been living with it for almost 13 years now.

Someone has already updated his Wikipedia page and says that Scheider was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2004 and had a bone marrow transplant in 2005. They mention that he was in “partial remission”, though I know that doctors are not keen on using the word remission with patients who have multiple myeloma. His death is being attributed to a staph infection – which is very common in healthcare settings. In fact, I have written various blog articles about the very serious threat of staph and MRSA in our community.

My heart goes out to the family of this wonderful actor. I have always liked the guy, more so than most actors.

I’ve enjoyed Florida’s smokeless dining for years now. You may not smoke here in a restaurant or even in some bars that serve over a particular percentage of food. You cannot smoke in workplaces either. It all makes for a very pleasant dining experience and I have to admit I’ve become spoiled.

When I used to visit my dad in West Virginia, I would be shocked back into remembering that the entire US is not yet at the same place Florida is. I would stop on the way up north to eat and realize I had to eat in a non-smoking section at a Cracker Barrel in Georgia, for example, where the smoking section poured over onto my table. Ick.

West Virginia went no-smoking in certain counties a few years ago, so my time in the state is actually quite lovely.

I am happy to hear that even nations like France are looking around and seeing that the world is becoming a healthier place. France is following fellow European countries like Ireland and Italy in making all bars, restaurants and cafes smoke-free. You can still smoke if you are sitting outside, though.

Fish from the Gulf of Mexico are the cause of outbreaks of ciguatera fish poisoning. This was confirmed today by the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. The outbreaks of the illness were confirmed in Washington, D.C., and St. Louis.

The biggest threat of tainted fish comes from grouper, snapper, amberjack and barracuda. Why these particular fish? It is because they feed on fish that have eaten toxic marine algae. Though the toxin causes no harm to the fish, the humans that eat them can develop neurological problems that could last for months or even years.

Symptoms of ciguatera poisoning include nausea, vomiting, vertigo and joint pain.

Although it is considered rare for fish in the northern Gulf of Mexico to have the toxin, the FDA did confirm that the tainted fish are from the area around the Flower Garden Banks National Marine in the northwestern Gulf.

Those who think they may have ciguatera poisoning are urged to report their symptoms and what fish they ate to a doctor or local health department.

I’ll admit this is a delicate topic, but you are reading a woman’s blog, so you’ll have to come to terms with the fact that there will be women’s issues discussed here. Just a fair warning; when I say this is an intimate topic I mean as in intimate apparel.

After I had my daughter, my bra size changed. It’s a matter of nursing, gravity, a little weight gain and the wonder of the ever changing female body. Things are just different once you have children. One thing that is not different is that I still do not like plain or “old lady” looking lingerie. I like fine lingerie that makes me feel girly and feminine and pretty. I’m sure I’m not alone in this preference.

There are a lot of retailers that just plain don’t sell bras over a particular size. There are even those who purport to cater to the curvy woman, and still don’t carry anything out of the general norm. So, when you do find a comfy bra that fits well, it is usually decidedly matronly. I’m not having any of that, thank you very much.

Bits of Lace not lonely sells a wide variety of sizes, they also carry truly stunning lingerie. These are tasteful, lovely under things at their best. They concentrate on European styles and brands, from classic Marie Jo bras to the trendy Spanx shaping collection. If you care about how you look from the skin up, this is a logical starting point for you.

It’s January. How many times this month have you already been asked how your resolutions are going? Holy cow. I’ve been deluged. Now, to be honest, this is the first year ever where I just relaxed and did not make any real resolutions. I just can’t handle the clichéd failing feeling.

But, let me tell you something just between you and me….and the several other hundred people who pass by here daily, according to my stats. In my heart of hearts, I still look at January as a time to sort of start over and I particularly look at it as a time to really try to work on my weight issues again. I used to have no problem with my weight, but then I had my daughter, and my divorce, and two subsequent moves. It’s been a rough road and my health has not been at the top of the list. So, here we are in January and although I do not like to call it a resolution, I suppose it really is.

Now, I know there is no miracle pill. And, if wishes were money,…yadda yadda yadda. When it comes down to it, the solution is exercise and a goal to achieve fast weight loss with healthy diet plans. I will add the stress to the word healthy!

Now, the year I had my daughter I joined Weight Watchers and I have to tell you, it works. I stuck to it as long as my family was willing to eat the food I prepared along with me. Once that willingness was gone, I got too flubbed up trying to cook separate meals and gave up. Still, the diet works and right now Weight Watchers has a 25% off coupon that expires at the end of the month. It’s a good deal.

I’ve heard good and bad things about so many of the popular plans and when it comes down to it, everyone has an individual plan that is right for their body, lifestyle, and desires. The Weight Loss Diet Help site is a good resource for discovering what might be right for you, because their focus is comparing the different popular plans. There are also helpful articles, like this one on how you can do small things to lose a pound a week. Do that for a year and you are looking at a loss of over 50 pounds.

So, like I said, it is January and my resolution to not have a resolution has likely failed. Maybe one for weight loss will succeed.

Our society is pretty much able to embrace people with drug addictions or eating disorders. Alcoholics are hardly even worth gossip anymore. But, when it comes to people who live with mental illness, even just depression, there is still a massive stigma. Most people who take medication for mental issues find out that it is just not worth it to the share that information with anyone.

That is why I am s so shocked that football legend Herschel Walker plans to reveal to the world in his upcoming book “Breaking Free” that he lives with multiple personality disorder, sometimes referred to as dissociative identity disorder.

He’s a brave man.

There is not much information available that provides further detail. I’m looking forward to Walker’s book, though. Here is a man who obviously maneuvered a brilliant football career and maintained relationships with people to an extent that his revelation came as a shock to most who know him. He coped. He adapted. I’m excited to read the details.

I’m a dichotomy. I love to go camping, but I hate not being able to shave my legs and keep my hair clean. I’m a girly girl at heart and I love being shower fresh, my friends. So, lately the camping I love so much has been a real pain for me.

I’m checking out a product now called Salon Grafix Spray Powder Shampoo. It’s not your grandma’s spray shampoo. I remember some of the old products my grandmother used to have around her house: the flakey white stuff, the way my hair would feel stiff afterwards, and the odd smell. This product, though, uses a color match formula and promises no oil or powder residue.

You use shampoo between regular shampoos, not as an overall shampoo substitute. If you are traveling, or camping, or bedridden and cannot use water to wash your hair, then dry shampoos are good solution to keep your hair looking fresh and clean.

I’m pretty sure I need to pack some of this the next time we go camping, because I’m tired of obsessing over my hair getting dirty when I am supposed to be having fun in the woods with my family and a toasty campfire.

One of the best things about this product is that it only cost $8. That’s a whole lot less than most specialty hair products.

I wrote earlier about having some weight loss goals for 2008. I need to buckle down and get a new menu into place, as well as a solid exercise schedule. This year is about eating healthier and lighter as well as being more active.

I have a friend show is set to do Lap Band surgery sometime this year and I await her results with baited breath. Believe me, the procedure has crossed my mind more than once and I even discussed it with my doctor. When it comes to weight loss, Tampa has some reputable clinics right here close to home. The technology is within reach and my insurance might cover it if it were proven medically necessary, but my doctor has inspired me to try other venues for now and I am all for that.

There is a unique and correct solution for each person. I’m finding mine. I want to avoid surgery if at all possible, though I support my friend who is opting for it 100%. It is right for her and that is good enough for me.