Still Itchy

Three weeks ago I had my first itchy patch...it started innocently enough, behind my right knee. I thought it was a bug bite that had gotten out of hand. As I wrote in my previous post, I finally broke down and saw my GP who gave me an assortment of pricey medications to quell my itchiness. And it worked. For a while, at least.

The initial rashy patches have all but faded away and yet, I am still itching! Two new big patches appeared last week...smack dab in the middle of my chest and on my left shoulder and near my neck. Smaller spots appeared on my abdomen and lower back. What.is.this?! I was worried that it was some pregnancy-related rash (some women's skin goes into overdrive when their pregnant and develop hormone-related rashes) and feared this would be my fate for the next 7.5 months!

Well, my fears have been set aside since my mom has turned up with the same rashy patches. It turns out that our backyard is covered in Poison Ivy! My husband finally got out there, under the trees by our back fence and discovered it all. I have not been in the yard at all, but my furbabies have! They LOVE to run along the back fence and bark at the neighbor's little dogs. Then they come inside, all happy, and prance all over our sofa, chaise and other furniture. Each night, they snuggle under the covers with us in bed...wedging themselves between my legs and next to the small of my back. Explains my itching!

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Mr. Divasaur has some crazy immunity to the Urushiol (the poisonous sap of the plant) and got out there and hacked away and it and doused it with RoundUp (which we hate to use, but were told it'd be our best bet at ridding ourselves of the plant). The dogs have been on lock down in the house after getting baths in Dawn Liquid Soap and Doggie Coat Conditioner. We take them on potty breaks in the front yard, where there's no fence, but no poison ivy either. I am treating my outbreak with OTC topical Cortaid cream, calamine lotion, colloidal oatmeal baths and oral Benadryl. The itchiness is subsiding, somewhat. I hope in a few more days it will be gone. I haven't had a good night's sleep because of it. Not too mention the Benadryl makes me feel foggy. Being itchy has made me b*tchy! My poor hubby. I am grateful though that he discovered and removed the culprit and that I am not desitined to an entire pregnancy with a mysterious rash.