Photoshop

Photoshop is a beautiful thing. I use it every day. I love that it can perform the miracles that I ask of it sometimes.

But, sometimes I wish that I could use it in real life, on real bodies.

Miss Chloe has had a bad case of eczema since she was born. She would have flare ups here and there, mostly during the extreme heat of the summer. We have prescription creams that works wonders and has never let us down. About 6 months ago, I noticed a patch of what I thought was another eczema breakout. I used the creams. It didn't work.

I didn't think much of it, until a few weeks ago when we went for the kid's well checks. The doctor informed me that this patch of skin was not eczema. She told me that I needed to see a dermatologist ASAP.

When we saw the dermatologist, he diagnosed it and told us that he needed to order some special medication to cure it.

Beetle Juice.

Literally.

The juice from a beetle was what he decided to use.

We went on Monday to get the medicine applied to her arm. The doctor told me that there would be redness and it may cause the area to be itchy.

Understatement of the week.

Here are the pictures to prove it:

This is her arm about 6 hours after the beetle juice application

This is Chloe trying to sleep the first night. Every time a blister popped, she would sit up and scream in agony. The next morning she looked over at me and said, "Thanks mom for sleeping with me on the bunk bed (our sofa bed) last night."

This is her arm the following morning after the application

This is her arm last night

This is her arm this morning

She has been such a trooper. It has been a rough couple of days. The huge liquid-filled blisters have almost all popped, but now her skin is filled with lesions that just ooze all of the time...lovely, huh?

As a mom, I wish that it could have been me that had to have gone through this whole ordeal. As a photographer, I wish that I could just Photoshop her arm back to health with a click of my mouse...

For now, lollipops seem to do the trick!