Guest Post: Famous Last Words "I've Never Been Allergic!"

My last guest post of the week comes from my good friend, Heather from Follow Linus.

Our hubbies work together so that’s how we met. I talk to this chica nearly every day, multiple times a day. She’s crazy hilarious and was the friend who initiated Operation Big Roo when I went into labor with the little guy. A true friend in every sense of the word.

***

I was very excited when my sweet friend, Mel, asked me to do a guest blog post for her.  She and I share so many similarities – it’s almost scary.  However, I will say that her love for the outdoors is much greater than mine.  I wouldn’t have said this only a few short months ago.  The outdoors has been working against me.

Seriously, people.  Let me explain.  (It’s a bit long, so I won’t blame you if you don’t finish reading this saga.)

We bought a new house and moved-in in May.  Boy was I excited!  We have this huge, gorgeous yard with SO much potential.  Yes, potential.  It is completely overgrown with amazing plants and trees.  Once we cut it back and grow some grass, it’ll be fabulous.  Well, easier said than done.

Memorial Day weekend.  It was one we would never forget.  A great cookout with friends, relaxing, shopping, and yard work.   Yard work – that’s what I’m here to tell you about.  My husband, my son, and I were out in the front workin’ our tails off – our goal was to make some progress in getting rid of those weeds.  I was determined  to show my husband that I could really do some great work.  I pulled, yanked, cut, and wrestled with all types of foliage.

As a safety precaution, we all took showers after our morning outside.  After all that digging and sweating – we wanted to all get back to our sweet-smellin’ selves.  I will say, nothing is better than being freshly showered, having on clean clothes, and sipping a tall glass of lemonade after working in the yard.
Those sweet, fun memories came to a screeching halt.  What was that itchy, rash on my finger?  I don’t get poison ivy.  I’ve never had poison ivy.  Did you hear that?…  I’M NOT ALLERGIC TO POISON IVY!

One week went by, just a little itchy.  No big deal.  I had my college reunion in Boston and was glad I just had a little patch of poison.  It was a little itchy, but nothing I couldn’t handle.  Sunday morning I took a flight back to Raleigh and was feeling not so great by the time I arrived at RDU airport.  I made a quick pit-stop in the ladies room only to discover that I was beginning to be COVERED in poison.

This is when the memories of Memorial Day weekend came back to haunt me.  I can close my eyes and picture all the IVY I was digging up and wrapping around my neck to carry to the trash can.  When I say wrapping around my neck, I mean it literally.   Wow.  How stupid can I be?  (No need to comment on that.)

For SIX weeks, I was in agony.  I couldn’t believe this type of thing could happen.  I was covered head to toe in poison.   I tried everything to help the pain go away.  I took the Aveno bath, I took Benedryl, I washed everything I touched in hot water, I tried not to scratch, I took steroids, I put steroid cream on. My husband and I even slept in separate beds for about a month, so I didn’t wake him while scratching.

Waking up and scratching for 2-3 hours in the middle of the night for weeks straight was not my idea of a good time.

Nothing was able to give me relief.  The doctor even said it was one of the worst cases she has seen in a long time.  The only positive thing she had to say was that I was lucky it wasn’t in my eyes.  Seriously?

It’s been about 9 weeks since I was infected.  I still have scars and, at my most recent doctor’s appointment, I was told it would take about a year for them to disappear.  What I thought was a silly thing to be worried about turned out to be the worst kick-off to the summer.

Now, believe it or not, I’m dealing with an infected bug bite that gave me flu-like symptoms and a fever of 100!  My entire stomach is itchy and red.  Even though it’s itching, it is nothing in comparison to the poison.  Just annoying.

I’ve decided to give up on Summer 2010 and hope for better luck next summer.

My advice:  don’t assume you are not allergic to any type of poison – ivy, oak, and/or sumac – everyone can be allergic at some point in their life.

If anyone knows of a bubble-suit I can wear for the rest of the summer, please let me know.

Tagged as: allergic, follow linus, omg poison ivy blows, poison ivy