Preparation H - it's not just for your butt!

Preparation H is not just for hemorrhoids and those bags under your eyes anymore!

If you remember my new chemo antibody causes either a facial rash or acne.  Well, I am the happy recipient of a lovely facial rash.  I’m actually not complaining because I would take a rash any day over acne!  I take an oral antibiotic and then have a topical antibiotic that I take each day to cut down on my skin reaction. 

The first time the rash showed up I wasn’t prepared for what all it would entail.  I’ve always understood that rashes tend to go hand in hand with itching.  But….I did not have any clue that a rash on my face could itch so bad! 

My rash usually shows up about 5 days after I get my infusion regardless of the use of my antibiotics.  The rash isn’t horrible.  I just get little red dots that pop up in one day and are gone the next.  Though the rash isn’t bad the itching is insane!  I still remember the first time my rash showed up.  I was checking it out in the mirror thinking “Not too bad.  I can deal with this.”  As the day wore on I noticed I would randomly scratch my face.  It was just a little scratch here and another scratch there.  By the end of the day I promise you I could have sat in front of a mirror and scratched my face for hours!  It itched SO bad!!!

I searched through my drawer of medicine but couldn’t find any hydrocortisone cream – I thought I had some, but it must have been hiding.  I decided to try a face mask to calm my skin down.  It worked and I was able to sleep through the night.

The following morning I woke up and immediately started scratching.   Something had to be done before I scratched my face off my head!  I can take pain, I can handle surgery and other weird things, but simple little things like a rash that itches will make me go insane.  I stared at my red scratched up face and frantic eyes in the mirror and gave myself a pep talk – “Get it together girl!  Think!  What do I have in the house that will help with this crazy itching?”  All of a sudden it hit me!  Preparation H!  I had some Preparation H that had hydrocortisone in it – score! 

I quickly shuffled through my medicine drawer once again and pulled out the glorious tube of Preparation H!  I swear I heard a chorus of angels making that “waaahhhh…..” sound as I lifted the tube out of the drawer.   I took a look in the mirror at myself and thought, “Are you really going to do this?!  Are you really about to slather Preparation H all over your face?!”  I stared right back into my own eyes in the mirror as I fought off another itching fit and said “Hell yes!”

I didn’t just put Preparation H on the rash areas, I smeared that stuff all over my face.  Now, I’m not sure if you’ve ever used Preparation H before you know it has a distinct smell.  Great…..I smelled like butt cream, just what every woman wants.  I quickly covered the butt cream smell with my usual moisturizer.  As my itching subsided and I started to put on my makeup I started thinking – Women sometimes use hemorrhoid cream for bags under their eyes.  If that works then what will having that type of cream all over my face do?  Would it make me look 10 years younger…?

I did my makeup, threw on a cute dress and headed off to chemo with a funny story to share with all my nurses and doctors.  Everyone thought my story was hilarious (even my doctor cracked a smile – though he also explained how Preparation H would work well in an itchy situation).  The funniest part of the day happened towards the end of my infusion.  I was just sitting around fighting sleep and another lady who was getting some iron leaned over and asked what I used on my face because my skin looked “radiant”! Hahaha!!!  All I could do was laugh - the Preparation H did make me look 10 years younger and give me a youthful glow!

I now have some actual hydrocortisone cream that I use, but I do look at the tube of Preparation H with new respect now.