Small Girl, Big Life

I don't know what the hell f*ck is wrong with me, but I've broken out in horrible itchy swollen rashes all over.

It wasn't that bad this morning - only a couple of places on my arms, but it's been spreading at a steady pace all day. My hands are now so swollen and red, I can't put my fingers together, my forearms are each just one huge pink puffy itchy mess. It was splotchy, but now it just -looks- like they're pink and that's normal. There's no white left.

There's spots on the backs of my thighs also, and my knees and the front sides of my legs are starting to look like my arms.

We've pretty much chalked it up to an allergic reaction or contact dermatitis - whatever.

Because, Publix had whole annatto seeds, so I decided to make tacos al pastor (it's a type of marinated pork). Annatto seeds are really hard, so you have to soak them in hot water for a while to soften them up. Naturally, I had to change the water out a few times.

The thing with annatto seeds - they're really heavily pigmented, so they get boiled and it leeches the color into the water to make a reddish-orange dye (it's used to color cheddar cheeses and other foods and drinks. The dye itself has no flavor really). Anywho, so. The pigment, of course, leeched into the water, and got all over my hands when I had to change it out. And that shit stains. I washed my hands and all that.

But my guess is that I had an allergic reaction to the pigment. I've eaten tacos al pastor 80 billion times, so I know it's not from eating it ('cuz I haven't eaten it yet) - it's only come into contact with my skin and it's just spread all over.

That's the only conclusion I can come to.

I'm worried this is gonna leave scarring or bruises of some sort.

I have pictures, but it looks completely disgusting.

I'm totes freaking out over this.