Fizzy cryogenics

[gfish]

Odd memory: At one point, when I was maybe 8, my mom took me into the doctor to have some weird spots that had been appearing on my arm looked at. I now realize she was concerned about leukemia or something equally scary. The doctor couldn't figure it out, and eventually they went away. What I don't think I told anyone until this day is that I knew exactly what they were, but was too afraid of getting in trouble to say: they were frostbite. I had found that spray-on deoderant builds up a thick layer of intriguing, fizzing goop if your target is very close to the nozzle. It is also very cold. (It also contains propane as an accelerant, but I didn't discover THAT goody until 4 or 5 years later.) The spots were simply the areas I had done this, using my arm as a target.

Two reactions now that I think it over: I can't blame that poor doctor for failing to diagnose highly localized spots of frostbite on an 8 year old. And once again I feel rather guilty for what I put my parents through unknowingly.

(Wikipedia tells me the medical term for frostbite is congelatio. I sure hope that isn't ever actually used. We keep losing toothy old anglo-saxon terms {sucking chest wound} for much more anemic alternatives {pneumothorax}. "Congelatio" sounds like a dessert, while "frostbite" is some kind of evil imp, or at least a prog metal band. The choice is obvious.)

Comments

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think "congelatio" sounds more like a form of oral sex involving Italian ice cream, but I'm not the most knowledgeable about such things.

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

That was my first thought too.

[pielology.livejournal.com]

Me three.

[adularia.livejournal.com]

Yup.

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's where I went too. Either that or a venereal disease that you get from sharing ice cream with contraltos.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Frostbite is my new progfilk band name. :)

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

I'd join that. I can sing...

[ashley-y.livejournal.com]

Sucking Chest Wound sounds like an experimental neo-industrial band.

Propane frostbite

[bigbumble.livejournal.com]

The last time I had a planter's wart removed the physicians assistant used a can of cryogen that was a mixture of propane and dimethyl ether. So now they use propane deliberately to create frostbite to remove warts.

[adularia.livejournal.com]

What do they look like? Whitish, I'm guessing?

... this, having been fortunate not to ever see frostbite.