Poor Me post 2

So it is Tuesday morning and I am using my oh so not useful meditating skills to try to keep from scratching my arms, legs, torso. This is day 11 of the Poison Ivy fiasco of 09. I thought last week, I could not be anymore miserable...that will teach me to make a challenge to the misery monsters! Saturday I was so frustrated because I was seemingly becoming one large patch of poison ivy itchiness. So I called around to a few friends who have experienced this lovely itchiness and took suggestions for topical creams to help....as I discovered last week hydrocordisone and calamine--not helpful. So I got Benadryl cream and a neat little menthol enhanced number called stop ivy or some other clever name. I decided to try the stop ivy first. It said it worked on contact. If working on contact means that you smell as if you took a bath in Vick's vaper rub and that your arms would feel like they stop itching only because they were now burning...then well it worked. However, if you were looking for something to sooth the itch...not so much. Wait three hours. Now I am going to try the Benadryl cream. I ooze it out and onto my arms. Feels good. But what is this? My arms, fingers, hands, and ears are swelling and burning. I am now covered from head to toe is hives (which are causing my itching to itch.) My wrists are so swolen my hands look like barbie hands attached to Cabbage Patch Kid arms. You know how if your skin gets stretched really far out, it sort of itches. It is the triple whammy of poison ivy, stretch swolen skin and hives!! Sunday morning I insist Nate take me to urgent care. I am the fifth person in that morning with Poison Ivy issues (it is 9:00 a.m.)

When I finally get back to see the doctor she states, you have the worst case of poison ivy I have seen all year--me and my overacheiving ways!--and thinks that I not only am having an allergic reaction (she is not sure if it is to the antihistamine creams or the toxins of the ivy), but that I have earned a notable infection in all this mess. So one shot in the buttocks, a rx for an antihistamine, a steroid treatment, and amoxicillan and I am out the door. Nate brings me home and then is off to the pharmacy and Walmart to get replacement pillows (Could have ivy oil on them--not taking chances!) and the rx. Once he is home I pop all the pills one at a time in 15 minute increments. I am still a bit worried about antihistamine being the reason for the allergy break out. I start with the rx antihistamine...sure enough within 20 minutes I am swollen even more, my face is a lovely purple color, I am covered with even more hives and I am ready to just peel off my own skin.

After a call to the doctor, I am advised not to take anymore antihistamine (ya think?) and to just stick with the steroids and the antibiotic.

So there you go...a happy memorial day weekend! I am feeling about 80% better today. Not having the hives and swelling gets me back to what I thought was jusy plain miserable last week, the ivy itching. THe steroids are drying out the patches so I feel like I am going to be back to normal in the next few days.

I asked Nate if I could get a pass on all things yardwork for the rest of the year? He just laughed and said, "Yeah right." I am taking that as a NO.

Leaves of three.....let it be.....may that be your mantra!