Story Time :: The Sunburn Situation…

Last updated on 5 May 2016

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Living in New Zealand means that since we were all born, it has been drilled into our infant minds that we live under a hole in the ozone layer. ‘Cheers, ozone layer. You’re really making summer easy for us,’ said no Kiwi ever. I wouldn’t be surprised if New Zealand were the biggest users of sunscreen in the world. ‘Slip slop slap and wrap’ is the sunscreen motto for our little island, because if you don’t use it, you will end up looking like a lobster.

The other day we were at the beach. And I didn’t put sunscreen on. And days later I was paying the price. I was wearing a singlet/tank top thing with no sleeves, and the sun burnt it’s harsh rays into my poor white skin…but it decided it was only going to burn the tops of my arms, shoulders, a bit of my back (where you neck connects to your back…what do you even call that?), and then the back of my arms. The first night was fine and dandy, barely noticed a thing… but the second night?

Being where it was, my sunburn meant that I had only about 3 hours sleep in total that night. I started off in a loose singlet top, thinking that that was probably best for my arms – as little fabric as possible – and just my usual pillows and duvet. I couldn’t get to sleep. I usually sleep on my sides, and find it really hard to get to sleep on my back. But of course my arms were burnt to a crisp (I am still surprised my sheets didn’t catch alight), so that was not a comfortable thing. I couldn’t sleep on my stomach either because I couldn’t move my arms in a way that is needed when stomach-sleeping, because it stung with pain. It was hours before I eventually got to sleep, but then I woke up at 4 in pain and so uncomfortable I might as well have not been in a soft cosy bed.

Frustrated that I was in pain and couldn’t get back to sleep, even on my back, I sat up and thought about my options. My first thought was that I had to sleep sitting up. If my arms weren’t touching anything, then it would be fine. But then I would fall off my bed, or into the bookcase, and probably end up hurting myself even more. I did contemplate making a soft barrier against the wall and just lean-sleeping. But the thought of a sore neck the next day meant that this did not happened. Then I thought that my shoulders needed cooling down. So I got up and went to the bathroom where I found two flannels (face cloths), wet them and rung them out, and gently put them on my shoulders. This was fine for a while until I released it was 4am I still needed sleep.

Taking my flannels back to my room, I thought about lying in bed with the flannels still on my shoulders, and while I knew that this would get my bed wet, it was a minor detail that I was willing to cope with. Lying down again, flannels carefully placed on burning joints, I tried to sleep again. Still nothing. The rough flannels were making my burn sting, and nothing was happy. I got rid of the flannels, put cream on my burns and thought of other options.

I changed my top. I released that the lace on my singlet wasn’t helping the sunburn situation, so I swapped it out for a super light-weight t shirt, hopefully that this would also keep the cream on for longer.

I then decided that I probably needed to be elevated a bit more, so that my shoulders weren’t hard against any of the fabric of my bed. I needed to make a bit of a pillow ramp. I grabbed another pillow and made an incline at the head of my bed, and tried that. It was better, but the fabric of my pillow just wasn’t soft enough. What I needed was something that was so soft it made a puppy feel like sandpaper. And then I realised that I had the most wonderful blanket in the world and that that would be perfect. Only the problem was that I couldn’t just roll up an entire thick blanket to sleep on because it was a summer night and it was hot. But then I remembered that the blanket had come with a pillow case! Perfect! So I rummaged around in my room until I found it, and placed it on my pillow-incline. I turned off my light, and slowly lay back against the pillows. It was actually perfect (well as perfect as it could be with burns like I had).

Finally sleep arrived, and I woke up at 7am with my alarm, in the exact same position that I had left myself in. This night time adventure took place at 4am…and I was half asleep. I think that that is problem solving at it’s finest.

Moral: Wear sunscreen.