9.06.2007

It Just Sounds Like an Expletive

Cal's spots are folliculitis. Fancy word meaning that his skin (namely the follicles) got a little irritated by sand, hot tubbing, sunscreen and the accompanying bacteria last week. Phew. A few scrubs with antibacterial soap and a litle bit of time oughtta clear it right up.

It was a fun time at the doctor's office, though. The nurse looked at him first and said, "Don't let him out of this room or let him play with the toys in the lobby" and left. The second nurse came in and said, "I'm pretty sure it's chicken pox. Don't leave this room."

So we were feeling like carriers of the bubonic plague and getting really annoyed that Cal was vaccinated for a common childhood illness that he ended up getting anyway. (Incidentally, I have no problem with vaccines, but I did find out that the one for chicken pox is mostly for parental convenience, not health endangerment - to prevent missed work, school, etc. AND it's only about 90% effective.)

Luckily, the doctor came in and asked lots of questions and looked really closely at every single spot and said, "Folliculitis." And I thought, "You don't have to get all rude about it, we did't let him out of this room."

In other news...

I just got a pretty short haircut and have been feeling all peppy and edgy and whatever - just nice to have the hair out of my face, mostly, but I do feel cute. Then I pulled through McDonald's yesterday and the guy called me, "Sir."

I felt so deflated. Less than a week before I turn 33 and I have officially reached frumphood. Or some derivative of it where not only do I not look young, I no longer even look like a girl.

Maybe I should have sat up straighter in my car. Not for posture's sake, but to show him that I am most definitely a lactating woman. Because it would have been obvious and I'm sure I could have gotten a "yes, ma'am" out of him then.

But I couldn't muster the confidence even to do that. So I just grabbed my Coke, almost muttered, "Well, folliculitis," and drove away.

12 comments:

Real said...

UGH! I've been "sir"ed a couple of times, too. All with short hair and (I hope) coincidentally while I WAS PREGNANT!!! HELLO!

someone else said...

When my oldest daughter was just a few months old we were sitting in a restaurant with her. She was in a pink dress, with a pink blanket in a pink-covered infant seat, and the waitress asked if she was a girl or boy? I couldn't believe it!!

Do we get to see the new haircut?

Super Happy Girl said...

hehehe...should I be laughing?
BWAHAHAHA!You are so funny :D that was hilarious!!

Jamie said...

I hear ya about the dr's office. I called once because everytime I gave my son some penicillin that he was on, he broke out, so I called to have the dr. look at it. They made me come in the back door into a special room. I kept saying that he only got the rash when I gave him the medicine and that he didn't have the rash then (I didn't give him the medicine so if the dr. wanted to see the reaction he could). The dr. got to us and said "He doesn't have a rash, it's not chicken pox." No DUH!

Lisa said...

Delurking to say hi, I'm here from NCS's blog.

This was too funny!

NOBODY said...

Oooooooooh you sassy girl!
This post is hilarious. Loved every word. Every sassy word.

Oh yeah, we got ushered out the back and through and alley when my kids got the dreaded CP that every other child is vaccinated for. It was the "super secret back way" the doctor said. That was code for "don't get yo' nasty chicken pox folliculitis germs on my other patients yo".

NOBODY said...

p.s Chicken pox ain't so bad.
When you have a crate of phish food to carry you through...

megachick said...

what a coincidence. folliculitis is at my house, too, but i didn't have fun at the beach to get it.

ot question, how do you get the crossed out font? when i paste it in from word, blogger kills it.

An Ordinary Mom said...

From frumphood to swearing with folliculitis. You are hilarious!

I had folliculitis once when I was in college and it was the pits.

Jennifer B. said...

You made me laugh out loud. Hope you're feeling cute today.

Blackeyedsue said...

I would have thrown my Coke on him!!!

I had folliculitis. It was when they were worried about Anthrax. They gave me the strongest antibiotics out there. Why can't they vaccinate for that?

Anonymous said...

We found out the hard way that one of our daughters is allergic to penecillin. It's not a serious medical reaction requiring emergency care - but she does get hives ALL OVER her body. Poor girl, we had to keep her house-bound for over a week because we were afraid of scaring everyone with what looked like a contagious disease!

This post made me laugh out loud - I think a lot of us moms have been in some kind of similar situation. Thanks for sharing!