 An idle recollection/current comment
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Sep. 30th, 2010 @ 09:40 am 
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I was just examining a mark on the back of my left hand. It looks odd, you see - red, but with different qualities of shininess and paleness. (And two tiny marks where the fangs went in.) It's been there a few days. It's a spider bite, they often heal slowly.
For some reason it reminded me of an examination I received from a doctor on behalf of the insurance people, checking on my ongoing shoulder injury. He poked and prodded, and then, to my mixed bemusement and offence, suggested that it was all painful because I'd been messing with it in the waiting room, clearly - deliberately aggravating it.
His evidence? The skin was all reddened and abused-looking.
Me, put out because the process really hurt: "... That's because you've just been poking it."
Him: "I wasn't doing it hard enough to cause that."
Me: "Yes you were. It doesn't take that much."
In demonstration, I held out my forearm and ran my finger along it with mild pressure.
A red line formed behind it.
Him: "Oh."
My skin is more chromatic than most, I know, but I still wonder how a doctor could be in his position and not even know of the concept. (And also that he could say such a thing when he had not, apparently, looked at the colour of my skin before he started poking it.)
I find myself wondering how this sort of thing works on other people, with different skin tones from mine, but it's not really a socially acceptable question to ask, even of your friends. "Hey, can I poke you so I can see what colour your skin goes and how much poking it takes to cause that?"
Feel free to volunteer answers in comments, though! (Mum, I already know your answer - "exactly like mine" I believe.)
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| From: | ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png) rainbow |
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September 30th, 2010 02:01 am (UTC) |
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does yours just turn red, or is it dermographia? (one of my friends has dermographia, and it's surprising the number of drs who aren't familiar with it.)
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| From: | sami |
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September 30th, 2010 02:04 am (UTC) |
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If it's dermographia, it's pretty borderline - it doesn't cause itching, or anything, it just just goes red and then it fades.
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| From: | eisen |
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September 30th, 2010 02:19 am (UTC) |
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I have fairly thick skin (unfortunately this is not in the metaphorical sense), so it takes a lot of pressure to leave more than a barely-visible redness behind, and you can even punch me in the arm hard enough to leave me teary-eyed and it won't leave an actual bruise no matter how much it feels like it ought to be leaving one, just a really angry red mark for a while. (I know this from experience.)
I have no idea if this is outside the bounds of normal skin behavior; I've never asked! But none of the doctors I've ever been to see have ever remarked on it, so I suppose it can't be that weird.
Yes - when I was a kid my doctor used to draw on me when he was examining me, just for fun. He called it a dermographic condition, as I recall.
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| From: | sami |
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September 30th, 2010 06:52 pm (UTC) |
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Re: Skin
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I'm sure it wasn't nearly as creepy as it sounds...
By the way, before I forget: I'd really like to visit with you and Dad some time soon, I haven't seen either of you in ages. Some time next week?
I was vaguely aiming for this weekend, BUT I've ordered a game I thought we'd enjoy playing together, and it probably won't arrive until Monday. I expected it much sooner, but sadly, my order was despatched from Sydney instead of Brisbane, and so obviously it's going to take several days longer to get here, because New South Wales and Victoria are collectively incompetent at everything.
I really think you'll like it, though.
| From: | nellie_meg |
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October 2nd, 2010 02:47 am (UTC) |
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Re: Skin
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I don't think we have anything on, so welcome any time!
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