Friday from Hell

Yesterday was bad. Very bad!!

On Wednesday I went to the urgent care for the poison ivy. I couldn't take it any longer, the itching was too much. They gave me a topical steroid and oral steroid. I used the cream, not the pills because in the past, when I've used oral steroids, it makes me hot, sweaty, mean, all of which is normal for taking that medication, I just didn't want to deal with it. So the cream was going to be all I needed. Yeah right! So Thursday I didn't go to work because even thought my poison ivy wasn't open or oozy, I didn't want to deal with the kids seeing it and all that drama, so I called in. And at home, it bother me a little, the itching and hotness, but I kept thinking that the steroids would take effect soon and I would be fine. I woke up Friday morning and got ready for work (we had professional development, so no kids) and realized the shit had spread. It was now not only on my wrist, but my other arm in a couple spots, my ankle, behind my ear (I wear headbands often and somehow I think that didn't help) and the spots on my neck had grown. Oh yeah, on my stomach, right above the underwear line, where I had scratched a mosquito bite. Lovely, eh? So I was VERY concerned and uncomfortable. So I lathered up in the steroids cream again and went to work. As soon as I got there and get into some meetings, I was in hell. The itching was so incredibly bad that I couldn't concentrate and of course I wasn't scratching it, but what could I do? I called my doctor friend and started crying because I couldn't take it anymore...the itching was making me crazy and batty and I couldn't think straight. She said to go the ER and get the shot, whatever that it, and it would be better VERY soon. The shot is like the oral steroids, only it works almost immediatly. I called my own doc, couldn't get in, called the urgent care, they didn't give those shots (that's bullshit by the way) and I was trying to think of any way to avoid going and waiting in an ER. There were no other options. I somehow made it though the day and when N and I left work, she drove me straight the ER. 3hours later I had the shot and was woozy on benedryl. HAPPILY woozy, content to not be in itchy hell anymore. I won't bore you with the ER details except to tell you that I normally have low BP, and when I got there it was 145/90.....which isn't good compared to what mine usually is. I was so jittery and shaky and bouncy from the itchiness that I couldn't sit still and that's why my BP was bad. They took it again before I left to make sure it had come down, which it had. Thank goodness! I got home and was out like a light. And this morning (of course it's Saturday morning and I was up at430am because that's when I'm usually up anyway and now the puppy is programmed to get up at that time) I feel a little woozy from the benedryl, however, the poison ivy is noticeably better (a lot!!!) and I'm not itchy at all. I do have oral steroids I have to take for about 5 days, but at this point, I'll deal with the side effects, anything to not feel that awful itchiness again. ANYTHING is better than that!! Just for the record....I never scratched it-talk about will power! And Kenny got rid of all the poison ivy in the backyard for now, I think we'll have to treat the area with chemicals or something later on, but for now, me or the puppy can't get into it again. Fun stuff, eh?? Hopefully by the time Monday rolls around I'll still be nice and calm and relaxed and the poison ivy will be almost gone!!