Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[frustratedearthmother]

Thanks! So far the temp is holding steady. Fingers crossed that I have fertile eggs.

I'm having a definite crisis of the skin - argh! I've tried every poison ivy remedy that I could find. I've used dawn dishwashing soap, Clorox, cider vinegar, cortisone cream, Benadryl, Benadryl based creams, tea, tea bags.... Last night around 3:15 I woke up clawing my neck and chin. Came downstairs and went outside and plucked an aloe vera leaf and used that. It helps probably more than anything I'd used up to that time. Also, Motrin seems to help relieve the inflammation more than Benadryl. Now I'm working on a concoction of coconut oil and tea tree oil. DH - the consummate nurse - is imploring me to go to Urgent Care and get a steroid shot. I'm not giving in - yet. Hot showers - seems counterintuitive to me - but hot showers (while uncomfortable at the time) seem to help the itching for awhile. I can't believe my poor son who is ultra sensitive to the poison plants has lived with outbreaks like this all his life.

Oh well - gotta buck up and get something accomplished. I'm still working on getting a bunch of lemon juice canned. Guess I'd better get to it.

 

[flowerbug]

...
I can't believe my poor son who is ultra sensitive to the poison plants has lived with outbreaks like this all his life.

Oh well - gotta buck up and get something accomplished. I'm still working on getting a bunch of lemon juice canned. Guess I'd better get to it.

it's tough to get through for a few weeks. the problem is that you can't see the oil on your skin so you can't know where it is and then it gets spread around to other things too like the handles of tools or door knobs or ...

when Mom gets a start of it we make sure that we wipe down everything she's been using and scrubs down with naptha soap.

some times she has gone to the ready med for some prednisone prescription to help with the itching. none of the anti-itch creams do that great. the light hydrocortizone creams help for me but i have to put them on often until they seem to kick in.

the best defense and treatment overall is to learn how to spot them and avoid them as much as possible. if you do have to handle them i wrap the plant in newspaper before pulling and put it straight into the bottom of the trash bag. all clothes get washed. also notice what you are walking on as you can spread things via the bottoms of shoes, walk on a plant, walk on the grass, a few days later come back through with different shoes, take the shoes off with bare hands and then several days later wonder where you got it from... that's happened here.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Since this is my first experience with it - I'm learning some things the hard way. I've been washing everything that I've worn sat on or slept in, on, or under in hot water. I really think I may have put my "poisoned" clothes back on for another round and re-infected myself again a few days later. None of the over-the counter products have worked - but I have to extol the virtues of a shower in the hottest water you can stand for as long as you can stand it. I actually used Selsun Blue shampoo on my head because I had it in my hair - and then let it wash down over the rest of myself. That stuff stings like the dickens - but it helps. Weird! Strongly brewed black tea - cooled down and dabbed on with a cotton ball helps. There's something to the "old wives tale" type of relief. I will definitely need to learn what these plants look like. All I saw and worked on were tons of vines that were wrapped around a rotting tree... No leaves anywhere to identify anything with. I guess I should have known... Next shower I'll use the Fels Naptha….think I have some in the laundry room.

Yesterday was the worst day, but today is much better...maybe I'm on the downhill side of it finally

Thanks!

 

[flowerbug]

Since this is my first experience with it - I'm learning some things the hard way. I've been washing everything that I've worn sat on or slept in, on, or under in hot water. I really think I may have put my "poisoned" clothes back on for another round and re-infected myself again a few days later. None of the over-the counter products have worked - but I have to extol the virtues of a shower in the hottest water you can stand for as long as you can stand it. I actually used Selsun Blue shampoo on my head because I had it in my hair - and then let it wash down over the rest of myself. That stuff stings like the dickens - but it helps. Weird! Strongly brewed black tea - cooled down and dabbed on with a cotton ball helps. There's something to the "old wives tale" type of relief. I will definitely need to learn what these plants look like. All I saw and worked on were tons of vines that were wrapped around a rotting tree... No leaves anywhere to identify anything with. I guess I should have known... Next shower I'll use the Fels Naptha….think I have some in the laundry room.

Yesterday was the worst day, but today is much better...maybe I'm on the downhill side of it finally

Thanks!

watch this

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Thanks - @flowerbug -I will definitely remember that now!

The best cure for the PI doldrums - a winning football team! WHOOP!!!!! Texans pulled out an overtime win against the Bills tonight. We went to DS's to watch the game . First half we wondered where our team was? Who were these loser imposters? But - second half - look out! JJ Watt (player extraordinaire!) who has been out most of the season came back tonight. When I say this guy turned the game around - he turned the game around! OMG! So stressful and such an exhilarating win!

Hi @baymule Whatta game!!!!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Slept until almost 9am this morning. Two bedtime Benadryl helped with that. It's an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day today - full of sunshine and going up to a high in the low 70's. Typical January weather, lol. NOT! I hope to get outside and accomplish something. I'm tired of being inside. Depends on my tolerance to outerwear I suppose...sigh.

I've got seed starting on the brain. I think the seed starting area in the garage is cleaned up and useable. I like to start seeds on top of the brooder...especially if it's running. It's like using a heat mat under the seeds. I have some fluorescent lights on chains that I can lower and/or raise as needed. It usually works out pretty well. I want to get some cabbage and more broccoli going. My stupid chickens literally decimated my cabbage.

Our weather has been so weird I don't know if I'll get cabbage this year or not. If we continue on this trend it'll be 90 degrees next month, lol! But, more likely will be that we'll get some serious cold weather in April just after we've got all the tenders planted. Sigh.... Mulberry shrubs are sending out baby leaves. They're confused by the weather too. Learning to garden in this changing weather is a challenge. Fingers crossed and hope for the best. But isn't that how we approach every garden year?

Up and at'em.

Happy Sunday ya'll

 

[flowerbug]

quiet day here, ok with me. a little snow for a change. we could use more.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

We haven't had any snow here for awhile. It's pretty rare when it does happen. Last time was winter 2017. I love the little bit that we get. It's really pretty for a day and then it's gone. No muss - no fuss.

We hit 75 today! It was an absolutely, drop-dead gorgeous day! I wanted to spend all day outside - but that didn't happen. Sunshine was not my friend today so I canned a gallon of lemon juice.

Later today when the sun wasn't as strong I moved some goats around. I took all of Conan's daughters and moved them to a new pen - then turned Conan out to do clean-up. He immediately bred English Toffee. I'm not really fond of summer babies - but it is what it is this year.

Didn't get to seed starting yet. It's still on the list - not really in a hurry. DH was busy today. He got the lights set up on the quail so maybe them little gals will pick up their laying. They're really not doing bad but they've dropped off some. But, we had enough for some scrambled quail eggs for breakfast this morning - yay!

 

[FarmerJamie]

@frustratedearthmother as someone chronically allergic to poison ivy as a kid, we tried everything...calamine lotion, lots of lotions, steroid pills made by an old school pharmacist (these worked!), and Clorox. I ended up getting some four treatment shot vaccine thing that helped.

The best thing?

Potassium permanganate - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Mom worked for the village water and sewer office, and the guys at the water plant swore by it. She would get little vials of liquid for me to use. 100% effective in a day or two

 

[baymule]

I raised quail many moons ago...… the eggs were great fried. I cracked the eggs into a measuring cup, then poured in a skillet to fry. There was an egg yolk in every bite.

That was a great game! A real nail biter at the end on overtime!

Aloe vera gel with lidocaine would probably kill the itch. Find it in the sunburn department. It sure works for bug bites!