Medical Mystery

I watched a doctor become extremely excited today. Ohhh! Look at that!! He called his staff into the examination room to stare at Lily's leg rash. He quizzed his junior team members (it was, I learned, a teachable moment, and even more telling ... none of the staff guessed the diagnosis correctly). He fished out his text books and showed me the diagnosis in the book (and photocopied the text book for me to bring home and read). Then he got ... yes ... his camera. He took many photos of her rash, and commented proudly that he would include the photo in his next text book. He said he'd be overstating it if he saw one case of this a year.

And the reason I didn't get upset about all the commotion is because he told me first thing that she would heal completely in about a year from the initial onset (which was in March, so she should be fine in the Spring), so I was more than amused to watch the procession of doctors and nurses ooooh and aaaaah over my kid's medical anomaly.

Lily has what is called "Lichen Striatus" and you can google the term if you want more information, but basically doctors have little idea what causes it but it resolves itself completely without medical intervention in roughly a year's time. It usually strikes kids about the age of three. I take full responsibility for giving her some genetic predisposition to this weirdness, as a family history of eczema is oftentimes linked to this particular diagnosis.

More concerning is Molly's "Keratosis Pilaris" which are the little red bumps that dot her cheeks and thighs. It seems this isn't something she'll outgrow in a year, but instead will outgrow maybe in her 20s if ever, and it's not treatable. I can imagine how much she'll dislike the red dots on her cheeks during her teenaged years, when appearance means everything to young girls. Poor Molly.

Molly, incidentally, hid behind the chair during Lily's exam. She understood that we were at the doctor's office for Lily today, but just for a little extra insurance, she thought that putting me, Lily, and a chair between her and the doctor was the right thing to do. I found it hysterical. I was also overjoyed not to hear top-of-lungs screaming from Molly at a doctor's office.

So it's been a busy work-from-home day ... a doctor's visit for Lily, and I've gotten a little work done, and I've made egg salad, brownies, and am working on another pot of my Great Aunt's spaghetti sauce now.