The Fourteen Day Itch

I currently have a medical condition known as Urushiol-induced contact dermatitis, AKA, a Poison Ivy rash, and I am miserable right now.

We had an older flower bed in our front yard that had sort of grown over and was getting wild and Daleen wanted us to rehab it. The only kicker was that it was infested with poison ivy plants. For those of you who don't know, I am only allergic to one thing in this world and it is the poison ivy plant (known by botanists as "Toxicodendron Radicans"). To say that I am allergic to poison ivy is like saying the Pope is Catholic. It's an understatement. If I get anywhere near the stuff, I get it and I get it bad. Two years ago I brushed a plant with my arm and leg and after five weeks I was considering having both limbs amputated. Actually, the rash was so bad, I thought the limbs we just going to fall off on their own.

Daleen is not allergic to poison ivy so she sprayed the plants down with a brush killer and removed the plants. I envy her. She crawled around in the stuff and sort of got one little itchy spot that went away.

After removing the plants, I figured it was safe and got in the flower bed, tilled the soil, and prepared the flower bed for all the new bulbs Daleen was going to plant. I cut up some roots and raked up some additonal debris and hauled it out back. Nothing was very sinister looking there, but I wore gloves, tried to protect myself, and immediately jumped in the tub and scrubbed myself down. Everything seemed ok and there was no itching.

Then I woke up around midnight the night before last and itched like you wouldn't believe.... all over. Since then I have new rashes on both arms, one leg, my hands, my side, and I must have wiped my eyes at one point, because I even have some irritation and swelling on my eyelids. The eye thing bothers me the most because with the swelling, it looks like I haven't slept in a month.

I looked up my condition this morning and Wikipedia states the following abut my condition, "The toxic effects of urushiol are largely indirect, mediated by an induced autoimmune response. Urushiol chemically reacts with, binds to and changes the shape of integral membrane protiens on exposed skin cells. Affected proteins interfere with the immune system's ability to recognize these cells as normal parts of the body (perhaps causing the immune system to mistake them for invading parasites), causing a T-Cell mediated immune response, attacking the cells as if they were foreign bodies." So the bottom line is, I itch, and it is because my body isn't smart enough to know I only bumped into a plant.

I did find this fact interesting though: "In approximately 15% to 30% of people urushiol does not initiate an immune system response, while at least 25% of people have very strong immune responses resulting in severe symptoms. Since the skin reaction is an allergic one, people may develop progressively stronger reactions after repeated exposures, or show no immune response on their first exposure, but show sensitivity on following exposures.". So it gets worse, every time you are exposed to it. Which means, Daleen is not allergic to it now, but she probably will be one day.

Did you know that mangoes are actually a very close relative to the poison ivy plant and often people who are allergic to the ivy plant can also get a rash from the skin of the mango fruit? I love mangoes and fortunately, I don't have this problem.

As I said, I am in itchy agony. I'm treating it as best I can and scratching myself silly, but it's just going to have to run its course over the next two weeks or so. I will survive, but I can assure you it's not going to be pretty. So when you see me, don't worry, it's not leprosy and it's not contaigious, and I gladly accept all forms of sympathy.