'Skeeters...or ARE they??
Sunday, June 26, 2005 at 6:09PM 3 Comments Last weekend, after a hard day of working in the yard (quit laughing), I discovered within a few days that I had broken out in a huge rash of what looked like mosquito bites. Mosquitos are always a problem for me moreso than most, so I was used to it. What I wasn't used to was the fact that these bites turned really red. And spread! And itched like a straight pimpin mofo.
After a few days of sucking down Benadryl and sleeping really well while being immensely uncomfortable and getting weird looks from coworkers, I finally let Jen talk me into seeing a doctor. If I'm going to a doctor, it's a tacit admission on my part that I am miserable. I had thought these were 'skeeter bites, but the way the itch was spreading made me think I may have gotten into poison ivy, oak, sumac, or poison-neverheardofitbutit'sgonnakillme. This stuff got everywhere - even THERE. Especially there.
Friday afternoon I get an appointment at my doctor's office with whichever doctor can see me. When I get in to see the doctor, she's a hot young intelligent possibly-Indian doctor. I typically don't care whether a specialist doctor is male, female, hot, whatever. But my everyday turn-your-head-and-cough doctor best be an old guy. That's just how I like it.
In the course of telling her about my condition, showing my arms, leg, back, etc., I'm unable to mention the part where it's most severe. The best I could do was sit there in my boxers and murmur, "It's bad here, up against my inner thigh," and reveal as much as I tastefully could. She didn't pursue it much further, which made the situation more comfortable for me, considering I hadn't brought a bottle of wine or anything.
She prescribed two medications, a cream and Prednasone. Whatever, she knew what she was doing as that stuff blows the doors of Benadryl and hydrocortisone because I am on the way to recovery. The swelling's gone down, and in this case, that's a good thing. But we never really got to the bottom of what I'd gotten into. Either way, shows me not to do yard work.
I'm sure this post is some sort of major HIPAA violation.
Reader Comments (3)
In a way I feel responsible. In two ways, really - first because I encouraged you to do yardwork, and secondly because I refused to believe that it might be poison [insert caustic plant here] but have since come to think that's what it was. So you might have sought medical help sooner if you didn't think it was some kind of wussy bug bite. On the other hand, I guilted you into going to the doctor and she was hot and helped you so I get some credit back.
Sounds like you're allergic to yard work. I have the same problem. It's called couch-potato-itis!
I feel for you, man. Well, mostly for your boys. My friend Betty Lou(name has been changed to protect the embarassed) had a similar thing happen. She was doing yard work, and lo and behold she came down with a full blown rash. The doctors also didn't know what was wrong and she waited all summer to go to them. She got steroids and some sort of topical lotion. It cleared up, but not before we nick named her condition the hiv.