Saturday, July 11, 2009

Don't try this at home.

As I ran along the Mall during the noon hour on Wednesday, my left arm felt heavy. It also felt full, like it was under pressure. The skin was taut, and that I had Popeye forearms was undeniable. They were fiery red, and unbearably itchy.

I had a bad case of poison ivy. That'll teach me to clear out the underbrush behind the garage, which I did on Sunday.

My left arm was definitely swollen. The rash had started crawling up my forearms on Monday, and I was barely able to sleep on Tuesday night. The itching woke up at 2 a.m., 4 a.m., and 6 a.m., at which time I decided to get up.

I located some itch-relief medication under the sink, which told me that my last bad case of poison ivy was in August of 2002. The Ivy-Dry bottle was notated in my handwriting, "Works well, Eckerds, 8/02." On the Bio-Sentry Anti-Itch spray bottle I had noted, "Doesn't work any better than calamine lotion, 8/02."

The bottles of topical analgesics had expired half a decade ago so I figured it was time to use them up. I started with the Bio-Sentry, to finish it off and keep the good stuff in reserve. It didn't help my maddening discomfort much that night.

Wednesday I ran with my workgroup and, given the swollen nature of my left arm, I decided to go to the doctor. For poison ivy. Wimpy me. My arm was weeping big drops of amber fluid out of a blister at my elbow. (Does poison ivy make my arms look fat?)

At the doctor's office I received a steroid injection in the deep muscles of my buttock (the last time I was shot in the butt was 51 years ago!) and a 12 day prescription of prednisone tablets. I was getting juiced!

By yesterday the swelling was down and the itching was tolerable. Except for running with my workgroup (I lead the group), I didn't run at all during the entire workweek due to the frustrating condition. Wimpy me.

I think my arms are totally grossing people out.

15 comments:

jeanne said...

ewww! and, ouch!! does prednisone make you faster?? get better!

Sunshine said...

Oh oh oh, I know how that hurts. My wrists were so swollen...

Thanks for your wise-words comment. Monday I get the results of an MRI (finally!) from an excellent woman ortho knee specialist.

Unknown said...

I've never gotten poison ivy and I'm not sure if it is luck or some weird immunity...

peter said...

It's immunity. My mother was that way (curse you father). Apparently 20% of the pop don't get the rash.

DawnB said...

Well peter hope things are better now. I don't think I've ever gotten poison Ivy and from what you describe I'm gald!!

Anne said...

I suppose now you have a valid reason to replace the ancient medications with more potent ones that haven't expired. Sounds like you had a very bad case on top of drugs that don't work.

Dori said...

Oh, how awful! I hope you recover soon. Sounds like going to the doctor was the best thing to do. You are not a wimp!

A Plain Observer said...

I was going to ask the same question "does prednisone make you faster?"

You see what happens when you get all productive at home?
Hope you feel better

Petraruns said...

Ooow. That just sounds awful! Cant' believe you managed to carry on running! Hope you're better now?

Kelly said...

Ewww that looks gross and painful. Poison Ivy that seeps? Never heard of such a thing. Get better!

Don said...

Owww! Sunshine is SO sensitive to poison ivy. Strange coincidence: I bought a big old bucket of poison ivy spray just Saturday, with the intention of applying it some (soon) windless morning. We once had a lot of it, but now it's easily controlled by an annual spray.

I'm lucky - I've never had the rash.

Prednisone does not make you faster. Wrong steroid. But you'd fail the Tour de France drug test snyway.

ShirleyPerly said...

Oh my! I think I'm one of those folks who are immune too as I'm sure I've come into contact with it many times before while hiking. But, I'm not going to push my luck. Hope you're itch-free soon!

Irene said...

Ouch, and itchy!

I'm glad you're on the mend!

David said...

Sometimes you just have to step back and let the meds do the job.

Black Knight said...

Another enemy's trick. They don't succeed in winning with conventional weapons and use these coward systems but they will surrender.