About a week and a half ago, I was sitting in the basement chatting with Hubs via Skype. He was in Singapore on business at the time. As I was chatting with him, my lower legs started itching. When I looked down, I had several small pinprick looking areas on my legs. Since I had killed a couple of spiders (ugh) in the basement, I thought perhaps I had been bitten by a spider. So, I told Hubs that we needed to spray the basement. He said okay, and we moved on to other topics… like how much we missed each other.
Over the following week or so, my lower legs would start to itch at bizarre times, and especially at night. And the spots seemed to get angrier.
A lot of things went through my mind…
My aunt gets shingles, so I wondered if it could be that. I quickly ruled it out, though, as shingles is usually one-sided pain, tingling, or burning. And the spots were on both legs.
We had visited my great aunt recently, and she had previously been treated for MRSA. Could I have contracted a topical bug somehow? I ruled that out, though, cause what I had did not look anything like the pictures I found on Dr. Google.
Could my husband have brought home bed bugs on his recent trip to Saudi Arabia? Again, Dr Google’s pictures didn’t look anything like my legs, and I launder our sheets like I should, and there hadn’t been any tale tell signs of bedbugs on our mattress cover.
Could I have been exposed to scabies somehow? The spots on my legs didn’t have the typical track marks of scabies, though, so I ruled that out as well.
That’s it, I decided, I must have contracted some funky virus that Dr. Google knew nothing about.
So, since my home remedies for itching had proved ineffective against the itch, I scheduled an appointment with a real doctor.
As I was telling the doctor all the things I thought, he chuckled, and commented that it was apparent that I practices as a nurse for many years prior to having children, because I think too much. LOL.
His diagnosis? Contact dermatitis likely from poison ivy exposure.
Poison Ivy—Really?
I am nearly 35 years old. I have NEVER had poison ivy! Which would explain why I hadn’t thought about it!
But, it makes sense… as I had visited our property in southern Illinois. We contracted to get it cleaned up as it is beyond overgrown from disuse.
So, now I am on a Medrol Dose Pack, and hoping it works. I hate taking steroids, but since the oral Benadryl, Benadryl Cream, Hydrocortisone Cream, and Calamine didn’t work… well, I guess I have to take them.
Note to self- don’t wear capri’s when walking around in overgrown brush!
Have you ever had poison ivy? How did you treat it?
dramaqueensmum says
Poison ivy is horrible. I’m 40 & have never had it. My hubby is 41 & never had it till this Summer. He was helping our friend clean up his yard. The doc gave him a few different things. He had it for about 3 weeks. He had huge blisters on his arms. This is the link to my post about his poison ivy. Check out the pic of his blisters.
http://therantingsofadramaqueensmum.blogspot.com/2010/06/poison-ivy-is-no-fun.html
I hope you don’t get it that bad. He had a hard time sleeping & trying not to pop them & our 3 year old would bump him & pop them too.
admin says
I just went and checked out your post. Oh my WOW! Am I ever glad mine didn’t do that! Comparitively speaking, I guess mine is pretty minor, but it still itches like crazy!
Cindi says
Ugh! I’m severely allergic to poison Ivy and when I was 9 attended the Worlds Fair in Flushing, NY (NYC) and it was in July and I was miserable because I was covered in it.
The last severe case I had was when I asked DH to stop the car so I could dig up wild day lillies along the road. I ended up covered with poison ivy. I have to take steriods it’s so bad!
Hope you feel better!
Rob says
I don’t think I have ever had poison ivy so I wouldn;t know whagt it looked like either. Good luck. Hopefully it will go away soon.
Stefani says
I have never had poison ivy and I hope to never get it!
Not So Average Mama says
Awww, that sucks! I have never had it, but my oldest daughter is severely allergic to it.