A Rose by Any Other Name.....

Or, should I say, "A vine by any other name...is still poison ivy." Read my last post about yard work. Suffice it to say, I am now reaping the rewards of my energetic attack on the hackberry trees. Yesterday the little bubbly blisters surfaced on my arms. Today, they are on my legs and tummy. I swear that I didn't see ANYTHING that even vaguely resembled poison ivy. I didn't SEE it, but apparently I TOUCHED it! My last battle with P.I. was ugly!!! I missed 11 days of work and the doctor threatened to put me in the hospital on a steroid drip. Yep, I took prednisone and every time they tried to lower the dose I freaked out. My blood pressure skyrocketed, my heart rate went to over 200 beats per minute and my poison ivy would resurface somewhere. I had a massive case of "roid rage" and slept for something like 7 minutes a night and was NEVER tired.

In an effort to head off this attack, I took a Zyrtek tablet last night. My allergist gave me this for an unspecific rash that sometimes breaks out on my neck..looks like a burn and itches like crazy. But I digress. Took the Zyrtek last night and it royally kicked my butt. I slept 13 hours last night, got up at 10 this morning to run some errands. Back home by noon. Lunch and then was soooo exhausted I lay down for a "short" nap. Slept another four hours!! Got up groggy and foggy headed. Oh, and the poison ivy is still spreading. Can't even take my weekly allergy shot because poison ivy is already an allergic reaction so to add another allergen to the mix is apparently not a smart thing to do. Only option is to make an appointment with Dr. Sandknop and get a decadron shot...or tough it out. Right now I am going for the "tough" route but by Monday I may be singing a totally different song!