Campfires, Marshmallows...and Poison________

I think I've concluded that I have poison sumac festering all over my body. Really, it's mostly just arms and legs. I can't remember the last time I had poison ivy/oak/sumac, but let me tell you, it's affects are now vivid in my mind and it sucks. A week ago, I took the boys across the street to the park and we made a small fire (one of their favorite activities from trips to the lake/camping). We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, and apparently tromped through the small batch of undergrowth enough to come in contact with some hideous plant. Brennan got it on his face, and it swelled up pretty badly. We took him to the doctor and he took oral medication along with some type of healing cream. He has recovered very well. Aydan was least impacted of us all. Me, on the other hand, I toughed it out for a day or two, but the constant itching wore me down until one night, awaking at midnight with my skin on fire, I absolutely shredded my arms and legs--which did not help the situation.

The good news is that in the past couple of days, I have found some very helpful solutions for dealing with the itch and, hopefully, getting it to go away.

1) Scalding: Granted, this is a man's man solution. It is also the "I'm stubborn and don't want to spend the money to see a doctor" solution. When your skin itches, you absolutely cannot scratch, lest you spread the poison, so instead you blast your skin with ridiculously hot water. Ideally, you start mildly hot and work your way up to scalding. In all honesty, it is one of the most blissful sensations I have ever felt. It hurts like crazy, but it feels like your skin is being feverishly scratched, up to a point where you almost cannot bear it, and then the itch-sensor nerves burn out and die (for a few hours). It is glorious, especially when you've been itching for hours and hours at work and have been doing everything you can not to itch. Honestly, overheating the skin with hot water is the best anti-itch therapy I've found.

2) Fels Naptha: This is a laundry detergent in bar soap format. I guess it was designed to help lift grease stains out of fabrics. As such, it does a great job drying out your skin (which is necessary to suck out the poison and begin healing). I apply it right after the hot water treatment, lathering up a thick layer on the moist skin and letting it air dry. It leaves a caked on, yellowish-white film over your skin, and sometimes it flares up like a pin has been stuck on a certain area of your skin, and if you move a lot it can feel like your skin is cracking. Still, it seems to have been helping. I've applied it right before bed the past two nights, and I have slept soundly and undisturbed by itching.

I found out recently that there is an over-the-counter product called "Technu" which is supposed to help. I saw some pretty dramatic progress photos on a blog, so it's probably worth a shot. I might look for some today, but I think with around $10 of product (the Fels Naptha, which I found at Kroger's, and a small bottle of Technu, if it's available, at Walgreen's) I will have found a solution vastly superior to the $35 cream prescribed by the doctor for Brennan. I'll try to remember to update this with the results.

Also, I have the next few days off from school, so I'll try post a couple more times to catch up on everything.