[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Experiment

[Shaun Hately]

On 6 Nov 2003 at 9:40, Steve wrote:

> By the way, are the sock, shorts, and jumpers you are wearing made out
> of wool. I swear, I had to wear wool in the Army and it nearly killed
> me. My skin was rubbed so raw, it was close to bleeding. I've never
> been able to wear anything even remotely itchy like sweaters,
> regardless of whether they are acrylic or wool. Even cotton sweaters
> bother me sometimes. Wool sweaters even itch if I wear a shirt over
> them. Wool pants?! I'd rather you pushed bamboo under my fingernails
> than wear a pair of wool pants. Drives me completely mad.

This was our summer uniform at the junior (preparatory) school. The jumpers were 
wool, but we didn't normally where them in summer - this must have been an 
unusually cold day. The shirts, socks and shorts were of some sort of cotton blend 
- not wool - and were actually very comfortable.

However, our winter uniform included woollen trousers, and I can *really* relate to 
what you are talking about. I'm allergic to wool (well, I was then - today I'm mostly 
desensitised to it).  Every winter was agony - especially if we had warm weather 
(not that uncommon) so I sweated in the trousers. The thing was - the school was 
*rigid* on uniform, and I thought it was even more rigid than it was, so I just put up 
with it - never complained. Eventually, finally, after about three years of suffering 
a senior boy worked out something was seriously wrong and told the school 
matron.

With absolutely no respect for my privacy or modesty, she pounced while I was 
showering - she went nuts at me for not having revealed the suffering I was 
experiencing (then she went even more nuts when I suggested that it was none of 
her business! Hey, an audience was forming and this was embarassing!) Turns 
out if I'd complained, they could make a *very* rare uniform exemption for actual 
health reasons. It had never even occurred to me that that might be possible.

It was horrible - but fact is, it does seem to have had the effect of desensitising 
me to the allergy.

As for the photos... I will reveal who I am eventually (probably some time 
tomorrow). For the moment, I want to give people a little more time so I can get 
some more answers. And, the fact, that some people have seen an adult photo of 
me, shouldn't do too much harm - I had a hard time identifying myself in that 
school photo, and could largely do so only because I knew who everybody else 
was (-8.  


Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately | www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       | drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200 
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one
thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the 
facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be 
uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that 
need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who: The Face of Evil
Where am I: Frankston, Victoria, Australia