"You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion"
Copied from my LJ-7/13/05As I weeded the flower bed in front of my house last night, I must have gotten into some poison ivy/oak/sumac/something. When I first came inside, I noticed my hands were all tingly and swollen-feeling. (This happened to a much lesser degree the last time I weeded but I wrote it off as my imagination.) I washed them several times last evening but the feeling didn't go away. Then late last night, a pebbly, itchy rash appeared on the back of my neck, so itchy that it woke me up. Then I noticed I had fine, itchy bumps all over my fingers.
It's not a severe case (and believe me, I've had plenty) but it sure as hell looks like poison ivy to me. Possibly I spread some of the plant oils from my hand to my neck when I scratched, and I probably lessened the overall effect by hosing off my muddy hands several times while weeding and by washing immediately when I came inside. I need to do some research and find out what plant did the evil deed. I'll definitely be wearing gardening gloves to weed from now on.
It's odd that I just spent a whole weekend wandering the forest in shorts and sandals and never had a problem, but I got this right in my front yard. I haven't had the malady since I was a kid. We often got it traipsing around the woods near our house growing up. Usually you'd get a bit of a rash on your arms or legs, but once I had it so widespread that an eye was swollen shut. My aunt Linda would get a severe case like that nearly every summer. We'd go to our crusty old family doctor (one of the oldest practicing in the state) who dispensed prednisone like they were M&M's. I doubt you'd get steroids so easily these days but it sure cleared it up fast.
Music: Jamie Lidell-Multiply
Mood: Sleepy
posted by Sgt Howie @ 7:16 PM
Comments: 0
