Dryness

I said a while ago that I don't experience much in the way of dry mouth and dry eyes. Lately those, along with my skin, have been proving me wrong.

I've been using eye-drops almost daily because my eyes feel itchy and don't water when I rub at them. This would be somewhat normal if I was around my cats, because I'm allergic to cats, but I haven't been around them much, and not at all since US Thanksgiving.

I've also increasingly noticed that I go for wet food at the cafeteria. I might start out with dry food like a burger and french fries (like today's lunch) but I need to drink a lot in between bites, and then I end up getting ice cream for dessert to moisten my mouth. I particularly like green mint chip (what I otherwise call mint chocolate chip ice cream; green mint chip is the cafeteria's label) because the mint feels really cool in my mouth. Flavors like chocolate also do well, but I tend to avoid thicker, creamier ice cream like cookies and cream. I also haven't been eating as many dry baked deserts unless they're really moist.

As far as my skin goes, it's just really flaky in some places and oily in others; this is fairly normal for me in the winter, although I feel like I don't usually have flaky skin in my ears and around my mouth; it's usually just around my nose and eyebrows. On the other hand, the doctor said this is fairly common in people of Irish descent. My mother's side is Irish (+quite a few generations since immigration, but still; the genetics are there if slightly diluted).

And last but most certainly not least, I've been sleeping with a humidifier going in my room. The weirdest thing last night--I found the spout coated with some kind of red substance I couldn't identify. I cleaned it out, but still, it was strange. It's not like I dumped make-up in it or something, not that I wear make-up often in the first place.

At any rate, I'm thinking about asking for a new eye-drop prescription for dry-eyes instead of allergies, which is what my current one is for. Or at least, I would like a suggestion of what kind of eye-drops I need, given the sheer variety on the OTC shelves. I will address everything else next semester, so that I can continue with the health center doctor. I much prefer having one doctor keep track of all these things than to have me keep track of two or three different doctors' suggestions and what I've told to whom.