October 8, 2004
I have a bone to pick with Nature
At some point in the last few days I managed to get into something that has given me a horrible, itchy rash. It is red, angry, on the side of my leg and stomach...and have I mentioned the unholy itching? OH GOD, THE ITCHING.I visited the doctor's office yesterday and was told it is "contact dermatitis," which is a reaction to touching something your skin takes personal offense to, like poison oak or any number of other things. I was prescribed a pill purported to be "like Benadryl, but won't make you drowsy." Also a healthy dose of oral steroids, to be taken early because they might "cause me to have trouble sleeping."
I took the first dose yesterday afternoon. A couple hours later we went out to dinner, where I had to fight to keep from unceremoniously flopping, face-down, in my mashed potatoes. So much for not making me drowsy. By the time I got home I was feeling halfway between tipsy and exhausted -- like I could be happy if I wasn't too damned tired to do something about it.
So I don't know what the hell is in those things but, apparently, it's strong enough to counteract whatever's in the steroids that keeps a person up. I was driven from my bed by The Itching at 5 this morning. Since it wouldn't respond to any of the 8 (EIGHT) topical creams we have I decided to take my next dose of meds. After which I went back to bed and passed out cold until 10:45. I appear to have slept most of it off and I should be fairly alert by the time the baby gets up from his nap (Baby? Napping? At 10:30 in the morning? Did someone slip him a Benadryl while I wasn't looking? Must look into this...)
So this is why I steer clear of pumping myself full of drugs. I hate, hate, hate the bizarro side effects. In this case the side effects are preferable to the UNGODLY ITCHING but I am not enjoying it, not one little bit.
And, Nature? I've got a bone to pick with you. You don't play fair.
