Diagnosis for the month: Poison Oak

I never knew what terrible craziness a little plant would do to my life!!  So three weeks ago Tucker the infamous lab in the blog I wrote about gave me poison oak off of his skin.  It was a rather large patch on the back of my thigh.  It looked terrible and all my friends that I was brave enough to show them my funkiness said, "Go to the doctor."  But to myself I thought, "Who wants to waste that time, find a sitter/sweet Nanny and they can't really do anything anyway right?"  Well, I did what any veterinarian would do and I self medicated myself with Synotic.  Synotic is a strong anti-inflammatory that I like to use on acral lick granulomas.  Well it did give me some relief from the itching, but was short lived.  Well, 2 weeks after breaking out with the funk, my hands started itching like MAD and my whole body.  One night I laid in bed and might have gotten 2 hours of sleep because I couldn't help from scratching and thinking I had some terrible contagious mess from a dog or something that would spread to my girls and we would never get rid of it!!!  

Well, I finally go to a walk in clinic b/c my dermatologist can't get me in for days.  They give me a dex injection and a steroid pack and I think I am a new woman right??  

Well, as soon as the medrol pack stopped my hands blew up and out with the worst rash you have ever seen!!  Clients in rooms last week would literally stare at my hands and I would have to explain, "Not contagious, think it is a latex allergy from exam gloves."  

WELL, I finally get in  to see my dermatologist and guess what??  It is the lovely poison oak all over my hands!!!  She said that it can spread thru your body b/c your immune system responds to the crap in the oil from that STUPID plant!!!!  AND she said that short acting steroids will make it worse and come back much worse.  (sure wish they could have seen me 2 weeks ago)  So now I am on a steroid ointment that is $$$$$.  You got to love and wonder why God created poison oak!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

So, I have found out that I am HIGHLY allergic to the stuff and hope never to touch my black lab again, as I will not ever know if it is back on his fur!!!!!!!!!!  

Now, aren't you all happy you took the time to read this????