Of spots and dots

Last week, 2 dermas confirmed that I have vitiligo. It's a skin disorder where my immune system hinders my melanin-producing cells from producing melanin or skin pigment. This, thus, results to white spots on my skin.

Most say that there is no cause nor any certain cure. Some respond to the available treatments, others don't (Hmmm... ) .It can be hereditary - 50 % of those who have it, have relatives who have it also (As far, as my parents can trace, no one has it in our family) . It can also be caused by stress (Now, I see what's potentially causing it in me...).

I read about 2 herbal remedies in the internet (which I accessed through my SMART phone using WAP -- Yep, just wanted to endorse SMART a bit). One is Anti-Vitiligo from True Herbals. 45% of those who have used it, reorder. There are also testimonials displayed on the site about people whose pigments were restored.

Interesting! Hopeful.

The other one is Dermatint... Haven't read much about it. I'll update you guys.

Before going to the 2nd Derma consultation, I went to our company clinic to have the dots on my neck (otherwise known as warts) cauterized. I was expecting our company surgeon to put anesthesia on the dots before the cautery but I was surprised and a bit dismayed to know that anesthesia is only applied on dots on the face in his clinic. Bummer!!!

Anyway, I was decided to get rid of those small but many dots on my neck so I went through with it. I faced the music but didn't appreciate the rhythm much. The treatment was torture! I felt like I was being tortured for my sins. The instrument used had a needlepoint tip that was used to prick the dots at the same time burn them. The burning felt more like an electrocution. I cringed, shivered and perspired on the chair.

I felt like Manny Pacquiao after a boxing match -- though hurt and beaten, I emerged like a champion, a hero that braved it all.

Whew! That was such an ordeal. Btw, I still learned that I have dots on my face and some flesh-colored ones left on my neck. I'll have it done elsewhere next time around.

My derma pursuit continued on... After consulting about Vitiligo, I availed of the medical facial and acne surgery treatment offered in the Derma Clinic. I know, the terms seems to technically medical. I think that it's just one of their marketing efforts to make their treatments seem scientific and serious vs the regular commercialized treatments in most Derm-Spas.

The medical facial is a facial with steam and the works. The acne surgery treatment is for the removal of even smaller dots on my face that are commonly called as white and black heads.
I had a lot of black heads on my nose and chin. Eck!

After my spots and dots sessions, I decided to call it a day and went home. Afterwards, I started the skin maintenance (or beauty) regimen recommended at the Derma Clinic. I, now, wash my face, apply toner, followed by clarifying lotion and sunblock (in the am) or pore cleanser (in the pm) on my face. Hopefully, this will keep my facial skin in good shape til the next decade or so. For my Vitiligo spots, I also brought home some breastfeeding-friendly meds (That's until I completely weaned Polo off breastfeeding. Most of the serious meds for Vitiligo can only be used when I'm no longer nursing).

Now that I'm in my thirties, I take heed to Baz Luhrmann's advice in the song "Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen" -- "If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked…."

Pah-Cuhn!

Pah-Cuhn - That's how Polo pronounces popcorn, our little family's favorite midnight snack. Be it in plain, kettle corn, butter or cheese flavor, this snack turns him up & about!

One midnight, Marvin cooked microwavable popcorn. He was shaking the container to wake me up and join him (it's not fun to eat popcorn by yourself, he thought). I woke up and munched on the popcorn as well. I think that the happy sound of our midnight munching was loud for bedtime that it woke Polo up.

Without flinching or thinking twice, he sat up and smiled at the sight and smell (!) of the popcorn. It almost seemed instinctive. He dug into the plastic container and joined in the midnight snack fun.

The other evening, we had popcorn for dessert. When the plastic container was close to being empty, Marvin told Polo that we finished the whole pack already. Polo moved towards us and was extremely delighted when Marvin brought out the microwavable popcorn pack and poured more popcorn into the plastic container. Polo said, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaw," (Polo's version of "Wow!") while marching in place and swaying left to right.

Aside from Pah-Cuhn, here are the common things that he says:

Word (Polo's pronunciation -- his own version)
Bath (Bah-t)
Feet (Fith)
Teeth (Tith)
Door (Douh)
Light (Layht)
Lola (Luh-Lah)
Lolo (Ugh-Ugh) - hehehe!
Lolo Dante (Ugh-Ugh 'Te or O'Te) - Hehehe! We often tease my dad about this.
Tita (Tah-Tah)
Tita Jaz (Tah-Jaz)
Tita Chi-Chi (Ta-Chi or 'Chi-Chi) - Chi prefers the 2nd option, of course
Comb - (Cuhm)
Brush - (Bah-sh)
Angry - ('Gree)
Yaya - (Yah-Yah)
Yaya Erlyn - (Yah-Yah Eh-Leehn or Yah Leehn)
Angel - (Nh-Gehl)
Diaper - (Purr)
Star - (Stah)
High - (Hahy)
Guard - (Gahd)
Amen - (Ey-men or 'Men)

He can also fill in the blanks of these statements:
Brush your ____ (teeth)
Comb your ____ (hair)
Change your ____ (diaper)

He can also fill in the blanks of the ff nursery rhymes:
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Itsy-Bitsy Spider
Rain, Rain Go Away

Just last Saturday (Aug 30, 2008), I discovered that he learns how to count from 1 to 10! Yey!

He also knows how to march on command

Our Polliepoe is one year, six months and 11 days old and he's learning fast.