Itchy

Last week started hot and humid.  I don't mind the humidity as long as it comes with high temperatures and sunshine.

Since rain was predicted later in the week, Monday was the time to tackle some much neglected outdoor chores.  I worked awhile.  Then I washed up good before I walked down to the road to get the mail.  On the way I pulled a few weeds from the lower flowerbed, a spot that has been turned over and fertilized so many times that now flowers and weeds share equal real estate.

Once back inside I took a long shower, proud of what I had accomplished and sure I'd get back outside in a day or two to finish weeding.  I had a good crop of mosquito bites but that's par for the course.

It was all the washing up that saved me.

By Tuesday afternoon I realized that the welts on my right wrist and hand were not bug bites but the result of a run-in with poison ivy.  Through years of camping and yardwork I've never had poison ivy, but my daughter confirmed my suspicion that evening.  The secret was not to scratch, which spreads the rash.

That night I started soaping up with Fels-Naptha soap, which I happened to have in the laundry room.  I slathered soothing cream on any spot with a hint of rash and wore socks on my hands to sleep.  I was able to sleep until the early morning hours when I got up to rinse and repeat. 

Wednesday I made a baking soda poultice, held in place with plastic wrap and rubber bands, and that offered more relief.  I was able to sew and iron with a sock on my right hand.  What a sight I must have been.  There was baking soda dust throughout the house as the paste dried, but that was a small price to pay.

Thursday I mixed vinegar with water and kept it in the refrigerator.  I soaked paper towels with the mixture and applied it to the rash, which was thankfully beginning to look better.  I was lucky that I realized what I had gotten into before the rash spread and I was covered in itchy welts.

Saturday night was the first night I slept through without waking with the urge to scratch.  Today I feel almost back to normal.  I had acupuncture this morning, and she gave me herbs which will further speed along the healing.

A quick look from a distance tells me that there's more poison ivy in the flower bed, which I can identify now that I know what to look for.  Seeds must have blown in from elsewhere because this is a new problem close to the house.  I need to get that poison out of there before it spreads or anyone else gets exposed.  Showers are predicted over the next few days and that may be the best time to get that job done.

If you're looking for me, I'm the one covered from head to toe in protective clothing, hat, gloves, glasses....