A Pause to Think About What's Going On

It's been a bit over a month since I posted an update, recent events prompt me to write another. PRP is an odd disease in the fact that at least in my particular case, it has been cyclical. I am the type of person who is acutely in tune with their body, I have been this way my entire life or at least as long as I can remember all the way back to my early childhood. This can be a good thing but as I have learned over time, that for me it has generally been a curse. It has created untold health anxieties and other emotional discontent, however I prevail. That being said, I have been keenly aware of each cycle of my PRP for the past 2 years. During the acute phase the cycles were anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 weeks apart and generally lasted from 7 to 10 days. During the weeks when things were bad, I referred to these as the "down" cycles, when things were better, I referred to these as the "up" cycles. Even though I have had significant healing, I have continued to have cycles, currently the cycles are between 8 and 10 weeks apart. One may ask when you are acute how would you know if you were in a down cycle? More flaking, shedding, skin being very sensitive and feeling burned, more red, more tired, more chills etc. When you begin to heal, you do not really flake or shed skin anymore and the skin returns back to a mostly normal color. So this past week I have gone through a flare or a "down" cycle. It started early on in the week with me being tired, really, really tired. Then I would get these random spots itching, then I would have what I refer to as heat pulses which are fluctuations in body temperature. Finally I realized, ok I am having a flare. But this one had more symptoms than what I have been experiencing, my scalp was really itchy and even flaky, the areas on my face just above by beard felt sensitive and burned. I was experiencing more symptoms than I have had in months. Once you have ever had PRP, you do not forget it, and what you have been through. I would be lying to say that I have not been scared this week, scared to go back to that dark awful place that PRP takes you to. After you come through the acute phase, you get really used to life being back to mostly normal, and you never want to return to where PRP took you, where you had no control over anything your body was doing. Truth is, do we ever really have that kind of control? We try to put ourselves in the best condition to stay healthy that we can, and that is really all we can control. PRP just shows up one day unexpectedly, none of us ever said, hey if I keep doing this I am going to get PRP. That is what is most scary. For now I feel that I am on the other side of the flare, I am not as tired, my skin is feeling better etc, so I will continue to hope that I am still on the 3 - 5 year track with PRP healing, I am at year 2 now. I will hope and I will pray that it is still going away.
I will continue to run, I will continue to eat well (cleaner than I have been, I am suspicious that this last flare has been worse due to my diet) and live life to the fullest extent possible. I have some wonderful things going on this summer and I intend to enjoy and appreciate them and to be grateful for each and every day of better health. Be well, and Be Healthy.

-Sean

P.S. I found some more pictures from June and July 2015 when I was just beginning to become familiar with PRP. Posting them below. Thanks for reading.