I knew the moment that Jim's doctor told us his dx, that my heart would be forever broken. Soon after the idea of a tatoo popped into my head. I AM NOT a tattoo person, so this was an interesting idea to entertain. My son offered to pay for the tattoo for me as a Mother's Day Gift. So off we went yesterday to get my tattoo. I have to say, I was scared, and then I thought "I've given birth, I am a CareGiver," I can do this. It was easier than going to the dentist. So now as I have my Purple Heart. It is soft shades of purple surrounded by a pink hue, with one blue tear. It is small, elegent and discreet. It was suggested to me that WE ALL, AS CAREGIVERS, have EARNED OUR PURPLE HEARTS! I chose purple because it is the color chosen to represent Alz and all Demential Illnesses. Then someone said to me that "All caregivers who do battle with this incideous disease, deserve a Purple Heart. WOW, I had not looked at it that way. So MY FELLOW CAREGIVERS, I AM SENDING YOU EACH A CYBER PURPLE HEART. YOU'VE EARNED IT.
i'm a chicken for needles but i may consider this purple heart with a tear in it after all is said and done. DH will be a part of me forever and that will be my validation. divvi thanks for the idea, it is a worthy cause.
Vickie The Key West kiosk offered henna tattoos. My daughters got them when we docked there on our cruise together. Their husbands had fits..until they were told they washed off.
I am a chicken about tattoos. One of my friends actually got her eyeliner tattoo'd. She came very close to quit after having only one eye done..it hurt so much! Can you imagine how that would feel...needles around your eyelids?? yikes.
I've seen eye make up, brow color and lip liner advertised. I have the palest eyebrows in the world. No color whatsoever. My hairdresser occasionally remembers to tint them. The tint doesn't last long, but it's painless.
If Susan sends me a picture via e-mail, I can post it on the home page, but not here. The software doesn't let me post pictures in the messages. But she can post it in the profile section of the message boards like Jules and Shoegirl's pictures are above. I have NO IDEA how to do it. There is a discussion topic here about how to do it - "Nikki - I have a question for you - posting pictures in the profile" . Here is the link: http://thealzheimerspouse.com/vanillaforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=960
It really DID NOT HURT that much, it was more like a stinging, slight burn. Felt nothing like a needle. I have it placed under the top part of my bra. It might show with a sexy low cut bra, which for obvious reasons, I no longer have reason to wear. Also on a new diet, trying the low carb thing, new for me. I want to look good for the wedding and when I go dancing with Gchipper and Phranque, lol!
I once had permanent eye liner done by a plastic surgeon. Even with tons of Novocaine which hurt during administration the actual procedure was very painful. Doc said he would keep the remainder of my pot of color so I could come back for a touch-up. No way was I going through that pain again. To ad insult to injury-it wasn't even permanent-all gone now.
I would love to have my eyebrows done but not eyeliner. I have chronic dry eyes and enough problem with them and I no longer use eyeliner or mascara. I am still considering the eyebrows. Anyone else had eyebrows done?
Imohr, Yes, it's a product called ( JUST FOR MEN) It says not to use on brows but it's very thick and I've used it a long time and never had a problem with it.
susan - how cool!! luv it! it looks like 2 embryos..awww... i may get one at some point later---a very tiny one.. on my hip? my DH wasnt into 'boob man' hahah. but uh--- well... ok, nuff said. divvi
The tatoo looks great! I have a few myself...I got a shooting star on my ankle when my Dad died. It reminds me of him, of the brevity of life and to reach for the stars. When B. started getting sick I got a tatoo on my lower back, it has symbols of luck--cherries and shamrocks and a banner that says Life, Luck, Love. It reminds me of what is important to me and that I am still alive and have a life to live!
So good for you Susan, I think that you are taking some life-affirming action. Love it!
I'm still waiting for my eyebrows. Going to try the "Just for Men" first. If it will last 2 months that sounds good to me. I had my beautitian do my eyebrows when she tinted my hair the last time but it didn't last, also my eyebrows are pretty thin. Ann, Do I put it on the skin as well as my eyebrows?
Now aren't we just a bunch of "women". I have been away from the computer for a few hours and had to laugh that there were 24 messages unread on the Tattoo site. Talk about "jumping on a subject"!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I agree, I would consider the eyebrow tattoo seriously, I agree the tints do not last, and I absolutely agree that from what my friend said, I would NEVER EVER have eyeliner tattooed. To make matters worse, she is an airline attendant, had her eyes done by someone she didn't even know on a turn-around to Rio de Janeiro, and had to fly back (working, of course) with swollen red eyes. She said that it was by far the absolute worse thing she ever did to herself.
I'm always game for something new and effective for the skin and face. On this subject, has anyone ever had a "SPRAY ON TAN" at a tanning salon? I don't want to lie in those coffin-like tanning beds - but the spray on tanning booth intrigues me.
imohr i would do it with a fine eyeliner type brush that is super thin. fill in where you want color-i would do skin and all if they are sparce-and dont leave on for long you can always redo. if its too dark you will look like groucho..haha. i had to scrub mine once with tide/toothbrush to get the dark off. the just of mens works well, we used on DH for a long time on his brows- he colored his hair brown for yrs. now its silver and much nicer. divvi
Nancy B, goes to show we are all frantic for some entertainment to overshadow our 24/7 job of caregiving. Sorry guys, you can just skip this thread although you might enjoy Susan's tatoo!!!!!
Divvi, you used TIDE???????????? You are so funny! But, turpentine* will get rid of a zit, so why not use Tide? (*I had a bump on my back just below my collarbone the day before my wedding, and I was devastated. Big red knot and sooooo sore. My grandmother put turpentine on it and I swear to you, it was GONE the next day!)
Vickie, I just clicked on Susan's name, presto there was the purple heart.
Nancy B, I done the Mystic spray tan once a few years ago, we were getting ready to go to Florida & I needed a little color. It lasted about a week. Now I use Jergens Natural Glow foaming daily moisturizer, it is the best self tan I have found. Dries in seconds & has a natural color.
The few times I colored my hair at home, there were sray patches of color where my hands had slipped. Once donbe with the coloriong process, a little Comet on a sponge cleaned it off with only a little rubbing. Did the eyebrows at the same time and it held up as long as the coloring did--until you had to do the roots.
Kadee, the Jergens Natural Glow foaming moisturizer didn't overlap and looked streaky??... I tried a tube of self tanner once and it was a disaster. My legs were so streaked it was awful. The Mystic tan doesn't sound so good coming from you. Only ONE week? That's nonsense. I think it costs $30.00 or more. I am certainly not going to "lay out" and get an aging tan. This Alzheimer's ages us enough. Wouldn't you think Alzheimers would at least age us and provide us with a golden tan at the same time?? Life is not fair!
I use various brands of sunless tanning stuff. All of it works well for me as long as I put it on after showering (and shaving!); and I just keep applying it until I get the right amount of tan. Then after about a week, I start the process over again. It always looks pretty good and natural. I think a lot of people use one that's too dark, then it looks streaky.
Nancy B, No streaks on my legs so far. As I said, this is the best self-tanning product I have found so far. Gradually creates the color, as Vickie mentioned some people use a color that is too dark. I have been using the Medium to Tan. $30.00 is too much for me to spend on a tan too, that's why I have only did it once.
Nancy--I've had the professional spray tan done two ways--by a person using an airbrush and in the booth. The airbrush was a better result--I did both before formal events. I can't see doing it on a continual basis--too costly. I agree on the Jergens Nat'l Glow--it's a great product. I have very fair skin, so most self tanners look too phony. But the Natural Glow comes in a Fair version that works well on me--just takes off the "glare".
Reading all the above comments makes me VERY glad DW has never used any makeup. I don't have the problem of trying to change the way she looks. I have always liked (loved) her with the "natural" look.
marsh, I'm sure she is a lovely woman but some of us really need a little makeup. No tatoo for me though. I agree we deserve a purple heart but I'd rather have mine as a pretty pin, necklace or earrings. The strangest tatoo I've ever seen was on a bald headed man who had "hair" tatooed all over his head!
Susan, I can't get the picture of your tatoo either. When I clicked on your name, it just showed your information and when I copied and pasted the address, it just said the page couldn't be found.
When my beard first started showing up white, I used to use Just for Men and it worked great. Nowadays of course I don't mind trying to look similar to Sean Connery (sp.?)...007.
what tickles me is the men who use heavy tan makeup when they go on tv... Romney and Boehner come to mind, but I'm sure there are democrats too. Spector used to dye his hair red.. and then the women I saw on TV this morning. Peggy Noonan (R) and Nancy Pelosi (D) both apparently have had eye jobs; they look enough alike to be sisters.
me, I try to remember to put on a little lipstick when I'm going to be out in public. Period.