Thursday, July 9, 2009

Urushiol

I've been researching. It's a poison. It may last five years on the handle of a rake or in a pile of firewood. When you touch it, it makes blisters and an itchy, red, rash. It's driving me crazy. Never fear though, Turtle, the mighty defender, has rounded up the poison ivy and--hopefully--ended it's reign of terror on the front gate. I stayed inside, not trusting the air which carries such lethal stuff as urushiol(sounds a little like a fallen archangel). And yet... I'm much too self absorbed right now because the stuff has flared up on my neck and hands. Did I get re-infected, breathe in some of the toxic stuff? I've tried benadryl, which makes me groggy and grouchier, but doesn't stop the itch. Ach! Nothing helps more than a few minutes...except sea salt, which I rub into the red patches. For a few minutes they burn brilliantly, then...peace...no itching, no burning. It lasts a couple of hours anyway and brings more relief than the prescription cream. Anybody out there have any more ideas.

2 comments:

Carina said...

I wish I knew a good solution! I really hope you are able to enjoy the zoo and museum tomorrow!

aftergrace said...

Oh my goodness, this stuff is awful!