An Old Nemesis Returns

Leaves of three, let it be.

An old nemesis of mine is back again. It seems determined to win and cause me unceasing discomfort. And just when I think I know how to defend myself from it, it comes back again.

The weather this Spring has been such an incredible blessing. The flowers blooming so early and the birds returning in flocks have made for good moods and smiles all around. The best part for me is that I've been feeling better - I'm back on Weight Watchers and going to meetings again.

So the warm weather and my perceived improving health combined to get me outside and cleaning up flower beds that have been sadly neglected for years. And that's what lead to the poison ivy.

I was pretty sure it was there but I took unwarranted comfort in the fact that it was dormant. No leaves - no poisonous oil right? Wrong!

I just researched it and not only are the leaves poisonous but so are the vines and the roots. And anybody that knows me and how tenacious I can be especially when I'm on a mission, knows that I tore at those roots and vines with a vengeance.

From Wikipedia: Poison ivy vine with typical reddish "hairs" (like leaves, vines are extremely poisonous to humans)

It was warm so I wore short sleeves, shorts, and my new crocs with no socks. I did wear gloves though and for that I have Mr. Right to thank. Whenever he sees me working outside, he patiently finds a pair of garden gloves and brings them out to me. I love that. And especially now when I have poison ivy on my arms - pretty much scattered everywhere, on my chest, my ankles, and even my right foot - but not my hands.

Poison Ivy. Now I've researched it and I know a lot more about it and I'll be a lot more careful in the future. And I'll get rid of it no matter what - but this time hopefully Roundup or something similar will take care of it.

Wikipedia also informed me that even dead vines can remain poisonous for years so protection in the form of gloves and skin coverings will be important even after the Roundup has done it's duty. This isn't going to be easy.

I looked back here and here to see how I had dealt with it before and was chagrined to read about my determination to get rid of it forever and then to realize I'd failed and what that failure is costing me now.

But most of all, when I read that the outbreak lasts from one to two weeks in one article and from one to four weeks in another, I'll hope that the common denominator - one week - is the one that will apply to me. Because, honestly, I can hardly stand this itching.

Poison Ivy and My Doctor

The doctor gave me a shot of cortisone and a prescription for some skin cream that I applied once. It burned at first but then it gave me sweet relief. After that, the itching was never so bad that I had to do anything. The poison ivy patches are still there but they're not angry and red anymore just kind of dry and rough. And I've never even used the cream again.

My doctor told me some interesting things though. He said the poison ivy doesn't spread. I was afraid to take a shower for fear of covering my body, from my infected neck down, in poison ivy. He explained to me that new areas erupt because once the poison ivy is in the dermis, it's going to erupt. It just takes longer in some areas than in others depending on the thickness of the epidermis in any one area.

Oh, and you get infected with poison ivy anywhere that the oil of the plant touches. If you get it on your shoe string and don't wash it thoroughly, you can keep re-infecting yourself. The same holds true for your keyboard or your steering wheel. Anywhere that the oil touches stays capable of re-infecting you until it's either worn off or washed off. Once you've touched the oil on the plant, you can deposit it anywhere that you touch until you wash your hands thoroughly. But once your skin erupts in the dreaded poison ivy rash, you can't give it to anyone else. It's your own personal poison ivy and no one else can have it.

He also told me that I wouldn't spread it by scratching it. That was a huge relief because believe me, I scratched. I was so relieved to get the image of some living entity trying to force me to scratch as I feverishly tried to resist out of my head, that that alone soothed my skin. Of course, he said you shouldn't scratch because you're tearing up your skin but you aren't making the poison ivy worse by doing so.

Now I am SO motivated to thoroughly weed my sorely neglected back fence row beds that I can hardly wait to get them done BUT I'm terrified. I have identified at least three different plants back there with 'leaves of three'. You know the old adage, 'leaves of three, let it be' right? And I'm afraid to get anywhere near them. I'll do it though. I know I will. I'll wear turtle necks and gloves and whatever else it takes but I'll get them all. I am so mad at that poison ivy.

And I don't think it knew who it was messing with.

What Next?

As our lives started to return to normal and I was breathing sighs of relief and hopefulness, there was another curve up ahead. In the grand scheme of things it probably isn't such a big deal but I can say, with all candor, it's got my undivided attention.

It's probably poison ivy. About a week ago, I went outside and weeded for a few minutes. My goal was to do a little every day.

Three days ago I had two little itchy bumps on my neck. Mr. Right thought they looked like mosquito bites but Mr. Right was Mr. Wrong this time. The next day the whole side of my neck seemed to be affected. And yesterday it had traveled to the other side of my neck and up into my cheek.

You would not believe the itching. It's so distracting that when I went to the doctor today, I could hardly follow what he was saying because I was desperate to claw at my neck and scratch it until it bled. Last night I couldn't think of anything else. When I tried not to touch it, I felt like I was battling an unseen but living entity who was determined to win some perverse test of wills that would result in my scratching my neck. And guess what. That unseen but living entity won. I couldn't have slept at all had I not given in and the most unfair part of the whole thing is that scratching helped. It was a relief!

Not to gross anybody out but here's what I'm up against:

I couldn't get a really sharp picture and I'm not sure I wanted to because, you know, all those wrinkles and all. But you get the idea, right?

Now that I think about it, this could be the answer to my prayers. It's one of the few things that could distract me from the unceasing family worries and concerns. Yesterday sixteen people were killed about a quarter of a mile from one of my Army guys. He heard and felt the explosion. If this is the answer to my prayers, then I welcome it. Because this will go away. The doctor said so. And I've got a cortisone shot and a prescription cream to help me through it. So this I can bear. This is okay. It's just a bump in the road that might help me get through the other worrisome things going on. For them, I put my faith in God. I'm not in charge and the rash will keep me from trying to be. This rash might be just what I need.

You Capture - Up Close

Beth's You Capture subject this week was even more interesting than I thought it was going to be. I thought I'd head outside and look for something different to photograph. After all, I've done flowers and fish until you can almost smell them. (Which can be good for one of them but not so much for the other.)

Anyway the first thing I came across was this:


I liked it so much that I had to include it.

Then I came to this:

And this:

But what was so interesting to me is that those were just a part of these:


And I was surprised at what they really looked like "up close".

Then I got this but I have to warn you. Don't get too close or look too long. This one is very sinister. If you come back tomorrow I'll tell you a story that might make your blood run cold. At least it did mine.

So remember this close up:


Could be part of this: