the ivy got me again

It happens every year...specifically every spring.  The. Poison. Ivy.  I have a history with this plant.  A long, treacherous, itchy, maddening history.  My skin absolutely cannot stand this plant or the wind it rode in on.  I've had hives, open & oozing sores (nice, right?), complete body rash, and the list goes on.  It seems not every reaction is quite like the last reaction, making me question every dang time whether or not the itchy spot is indeed THE IVY.  But, once properly diagnosed, I make the mad dash to the nearest doctor to beg for mercy, a cortizone shot, and a steroid pack. 

If you ask me, those things should be sold over the counter.  Along with antibiotics that cure ear infections-but that's just me.

Here's how it went down this year...

Yesterday, I FINALLY got my chance to play out in the yard, and I weeded, planted, and raked one of my flower beds out front.  I'm always VERY careful no matter what I'm doing in the yard on the off chance that a cell of THE IVY is in a 10 mile radius of me.  I try not to touch my actual skin to the dirt, always wearing gloves and capris or long pants.  I always double check what plant I touch and scan all overgrown areas before treading in.  But, somehow that dang devil plant, finds me every time.  I think the culprit yesterday was one small sprig out back in the used-to-be-poison-ivy-forest.  I check the area every spring for any new signs of the dark plant, and yesterday stomped out one such tiny sprig.  The tiny sprig of death.

I came in for dinner and started itching my face.  CRAP!  I asked Todd and he agreed with my diagnosis, wherein I immediately stripped and washed all signs of nature off my body.  I also immediately took a benadryl-more to calm my nerves than the ivy.  For some reason, once I think about the ivy, it's all I can think about, and the situation worsens by the minute.  Sadly, I was not in time with my treatment, and my cheek itched all dang day, and once the sun came out this evening, the rash immediately spread down my neck and to my chest.  Within minutes.  It was crazy.  I jokingly texted Sharyn and Natalie asking if their husbands had an extra cortizone shot laying around-that I was headed to the clinic in town to fix this soon-to-be-crisis.  But, Natalie took me to heart, and texted immediately back that John would meet me at his office in 10 minutes.

AND HE DID!!

I felt so spoiled, and so completely grateful.  I explained my situation, and my disgust of the devil plant with him, and he also agreed with my diagnosis-gladly giving me the shot and prescription.  Sadly, he wouldn't give me a "to-go" shot just in case for the next time around.  But, literally within 15 minutes, my sanity was slowly returning and I could turn my attention to other things-like my children-whom I'd been ignoring all day answering all their questions with "I DON'T KNOW, DON'T YOU SEE THE ITCH ON MY FACE??"  That might have added one year of therapy for each of them.

I went ahead and took another benadryl tonight-just to seal the deal with this inflammation, so I might be a little high even as I type, but I'm so blissfully unitchy I don't care.  I love my friends, and their needles. 

Of course, I love my friends more than the needles.  :)