Friday, May 23, 2008

Leaves of three, leave them be.

...or, It use to be a lot easier to score drugs!


For over a week I have been battling a case of poison ivy. At first I thought it was a spider bite. That should have been my first clue. I actually blamed it on the apartment outside Memphis. I just know it has spiders! I should have known.

Two days later in horror I am watching it spread! I am naturally scratching it and complaining. My brother, N., takes one look at it and says those dreaded words, "That's poison ivy."

Oh hell no!! Please, hell no! The last time I had it I had spread it into my ear and had to call in to work because my face was so disfigured!

Immediately I began to be advised on what to do.

"Pour Clorex on it, that works. No, really, it works! I swear."

I can't imagine.

Next was Joe, "Once I had it on my back...." then I hear the whole story about how he and a friend rolled around in it while playing and ....." Baa, (his grandma, really, her name was Baa) told Mama to crush up some aspirin and mix it with alcohol and rub it on my back. It worked. Mama didn't grind up the aspirin very well and I had chunks of white stuck to my back, but it worked pretty well."

This sounded like a much better option. I bought BC powder (less grinding and chunk problems) and mixed it with rubbing alcohol. Oh sweet relief!! Joe took a basting brush and helped me get to those areas on my back.

Guess what? I spread it some more. Oh but that cold alcohol sure felt good on that burning rash.

So, off to the health store where I searched high and low for some Jewel-weed spray or dried herbs. They had not heard of it. Or course by that time I was close to pulling my skin off and was calling it Jewel-root. Finally I located a bar of Bert's Bees Poison Ivy Soap which contained (as the very last listed ingredient) "garden balsam leaf" aka jewelweed. But first I had to endure every horror story they had to tell about poison ivy.

"I had it for three and one half months."

Sweet Lord!!

Yesterday found me in the doctors office showing off my revolting skin. I could wait no longer. At least he did not recoil like the nurse did the last time I had it.

Like I said, it use to be easier to score drugs!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

It sure was easier all those years ago, when we had all the right connections.  Hehehe.  So sorry you've been suffering.  Here we head to the ocean and dunk the offended body part (sometimes the entire body) into the salt water.  Sweet relief!  And something of a cure.  

After that we continue with the calamine lotion between trips to the beach.

Such a run a round!

Feel better.  Soon.  

Anonymous said...

I happen to be(it seems) immune to poison ivy, but I've known people to alternate salt water & Clorox with better results than trad medication.  I cannot imagine the emotional catastrophy of having it IN EAR. Yikes, really hoping that does not happen this time. As in, MARY DON'T EVEN TOUCH YOUR EARS. ~Mary

Anonymous said...

    Good luck to you and yours. I'm scratching thinking about it.
Jude
http://journals.aol.com/jmorancoyle/MyWay

Anonymous said...

I am highly allergic and as a kid had some horror experiences. As an adult once I start getting a bad case I head right to the doctor's. Steroids help and benadryl and calamine lotion. I remember once an oatmeal bath helped too. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I know your going to think I'm insane....that's ok most people do. Mud plain and simple it cools and draws out the infection from the poison ivy. When you can't see yourself caked in mud. Oatmeal is the best alternative. Hey what can I say I'm a country girl and a native to boot. We had unconventional ways of dealing with things. Hope the dr. was able to give you something for some relief. (Hugs) Indigo

Anonymous said...

I hope by now you are healing and feeling relief.

I don't get it bad but just a little string of the blisters drive me nuts.  I really can't imagine the misery of being covered in it.

I had a neighbor who swore by the Clorox treatment.  I don't think it was an instantanious cure though.....

Anonymous said...

so what did the doc do for it?
Knocking on wood as I say this...as much time as i spend in the woods, I've never had poison ivy.Ill probably be covered in it tomorrow since I said that.
Marti.