Okay, I know there is considerable medical knowledge out there in LCT-land....and yes, I am a big baby (that was my disclaimer)...

I worked all day in my yard yesterday, mostly trimming shrubs and hedges...then, of course, I sneezed and wheezed and had itchy eyes all night..however, today I get home from work and change into a tank top...I proceed to scratch what I think is a bug bite on my shoulder...this turned into a mad scratch-fest (am I wow-ing you with my considerable medical terminology?)...all over my shoulder are bumps....EXTREMELY itchy bumps (maybe 100-150 of them)...it is driving me out of my teeny weeny little brain...so I do the calamine lotion thing...then I take a benedryl....it just got worse, so I took a second pill...I have never taken 2 because they knock me out cold with just one.

Anyway...does this sound like hives?? I wasn't aware you could get hives in such a localized area. Or does it just soumd like one bad bug got in and chewed my shoulder up??? Either way, did I do the right thing? Any other ideas to keep me sane and keep me from ripping the skin off my shoulder????? :eek: :mad:

Oh Sheri sounds awful - I have No idea maybe someone with similar experience will chime in (I have had allergic, I guess that's what it is, reactions to certain suntan lotions and felt I could itch skin off my legs and arms) - guess with second pill we won't hear much from you tonight? Hope you feel better soon :eek: :eek: :eek:

Thanks Joanna! I feel like a twit complaining about such a relatively minor problem, but it really is awful! I AM starting to feel a tad woozy!!! :eek:

Sheri
It sounds like it may be chiggers. Don't freak out but they are a microscopic bug I don't know how to post a link on here (still a neophyte with many things with computer) But just do a search under chiggers and you will find alot of info. Could also be poison oak or ivy. Either way I would probably go to the doctor , if for nothing else , to get something for itch. I got chiggers once on my feet after being in a grassy area in the spring. There may be some answers on the websites on what to do for the itch.
Sandra

fading fast...but I thought about poison ivy/oak....even though it doesn't look anything like a case I had before, I went and looked at the places I was working...I didn't see any...that still doesn't mean anything...I just can't imagine that it didn't get me anywhere but one shoulder. my face, neck, arms, legs and feet were all exposed exactly the same...

but chiggers??....are they like sand fleas or no seeums?? That is possible...I will go look them up...but if this keeps up, I will have no choice but to go into the doctor! I just feel like an idiot calling the doctor because "I am itchy!" :ohmy: :D

Call the doctor and make appt!!!!!!!

Our board Mom is right....go to the doctor.
And don't scratch - you could get a secondary infection.

Yes, make an appt. Chiggers, in my experience, are very localized and do drive you out of your mind. Sounds more like poison "oak,ivy,sumac" or who knows? I'm with you, 1 Benadryl puts me out!

Kathy: I hope BOARD MOM doesn't infer I am OLD - one of my children called from college said they thought they had strep throat - told me of symtoms - I said go to doctor - don't call long distance for diagnosis

Sheri, do you have any Benadryl cream or gel? That could help with the itch.

Sheri, you really need to have a Dr. look at that to determine exactly what you've got.

Another remedy for itching, is a warm bath with cornstarch or oatmeal added to the bathwater.

I hope you're better very soon! Itching is miserable!!

Pam, I completely forgot about Benadryl spray - marvelous stuff! I got into who knows what? vegetation and was scratching myself crazy! Found SPRAY Benadryl and it was a lifesaver!

Nope, age has nothing to do with it - it's all about Attitude - love it!!!!!

Sheri, it sounds like poison ivy to me. I don't think we have chiggers way up here!! I would make a trip to the Dr. to find out for sure what it is.
Last summer, I got something on my legs after hiking through the woods. I baffled my Dr. who couldn't figure out what it was and it itched for a month!!

get thee to a doctor. Could be some sort of bug or poison ivy. if you brushed against a tree or something. when I'm itching like that, I found the best thing is a product called tecnu...they have a wash if you come in contact with poison ivy, but they also have a gel to relieve itching. I found it worked better then the benedryl cream or spray. Another thing that worked once when I was desperate was kyro gel...or icy hot.

All good suggestions ... but the best is still, GO SEE THE DOCTOR. :) Sheri! Are you listening!?? (could be hives, bug bites, poison ivy, etc. etc.)

Masaki

I don't know what you've got, but last summer, I put shea butter on mosquito bites and it made the itch completely disappear.

Good morning everyone!

Well, as suspected I basically passed out last night. The benadryl did bring the swelling down and cut way back on the itch...but then it wore off at exactly 1:13 a.m. and I had to take another. Coffee is my best friend this morning!

I also dug out a can of Solarcaine, which has never worked on bug bites, but really did help with my shoulder...so I am thinking that means these aren't bug bites...

Shea butter helped your bites?? I have never heard that!

I am going to see how it progresses in the next few days, and if it doesn't improve substantially, I promise to bite the bullet and go see the doctor.

Thanks for all your support and advice!! :)

It's good to hear from you again this morning, Sheri. I read the thread earlier and just checked back with the hope that you reported back in.

I might be wrong, but if you have something like poison ivy (you can get that without actually coming into direct contact with the plant) I think there is a shot that the doctor can give you to help clear it up quicker. If I were in your place I would see the doctor sooner rather than later.

The swelling and itching was actually down this morning, but about an hour ago it all started again...I am shaky and sick at my stomach. I don't know if the 2 are related or not, but I am calling the doctor now! :ohmy:

Oh Sheri this sounds really uncomfortable. I hope your doctor can identify your problem and get you on the road to recovery pronto.

Update - since I know you are all holding your breath and waiting on the edge of your seats to hear...the solarcaine seemed to be keeping it under control. I have never had an itch problem that went from 2 different extremes like this...from almost unnoticeable to unbearable...anyway, I was about to call for a doctor's appt when the solarcaine made the itch go away again...so then I left the solarcaine at work and I am scratching my skin off again...HA, that's what I get for being so darned stubborn...

I am actually very curious to know what caused this...not to mention wanting it to go away...so, yes, tomorrow to the doctor's office I go.

Sounds terrible. I got chiggers mowing the lawn one time. Painted the suckers with nail polish and they were gone.

One thing to keep in mind, I never got poision ivy until I was in my 20's. Had it really bad and got a shot for it. Your immune system changes as you age, things you weren't allergic to years ago you may become allergic to now.

That's my 2 cents.

KarenM

Sheri:
I do hope tomorrow provides some answers. Don't wait any longer to see the doctor. I've had some stupendous cases of poison ivy (from weeding around the trees or from spreading mulch -- J does the latter now -- won't let me near it). The doc has given me steroids -- that week long decreasing dose pack -- esp the time I got it on my face. It provides wonderful relief. Also insomnia and munchies (go for the box of cheerios, out of hand, and popcorn with no butter -- keep the weight gain under control -- it's only a week). Yikes. I'm itchy just thinking about it. Oh, yes, I've used the Benedryl spray and cream -- they help. I'm sure it's the anesthetic in the Solarcaine that works. You have to keep applying any of these. Like a cold, goes away in about the same amount of time no matter what, but this stuff helps control the itching nicely. Good luck. Keep us posted. At least with a benedryl pill, you'll get some rest. SIGH!

Good 2 cents - I am now highly allergic to bee stings due to immune system changing - good advice - Sheri is not taking the advice -

The above is my reply - not KarenM - I have never learned how to "quote" properly Joanna

Good advice, sja and Joanna!

Sheri...Get thee to the Dr.! Lots of free and good advice, but you need the Dr. to diagnose what's going on and the correct course of action.

All this talk is making me itch, too! Power of suggestion!

well???

Wellll...I DID pick up the phone yesterday to call for an appt, BUT the doctor's office is closed on Wenesdays, so in about 45 minutes I will again be calling for an appt...will let you know what he/she says later! It's still really ugly looking, but doesn't itch while I keep it sprayed. So I have not been really uncomfortable with it...still going to the doctor though! :)

Diagnosis? Poison ivy! I really didn't think so at first, but after she showed me pictures of reactions, I think she is right. She asked me if I wanted steroids (prednisone) and I decided not to. She said I really didn't have to, but if I decided later to take it, she would call it in. She did prescribe a (I think this is it) corticosteroid cream, and told me to continue with the solarcaine and ice packs for immediate relief...she also insisted on an antibiotic...personally I feel they are overprescribed, and I'm not sure that it is indicated in my case...but doc knows best!! :D

...and so ends the itch story saga....I am sure you are all VERY glad to be done with this thread!!!! <img border="0" alt="[vhappy]" title="" src="graemlins/icon_vhappy.gif" />

Thanks so much for all the advice, encouragement (prodding) and support!!! :D

Glad you are on trhe road to recovery, S!

Sheri, I'm so glad that you now have a diagnosis and a prescribed course of treatment. I had mentioned earlier that you could get poison ivy without coming into contact with the plant. One of the ways that could happen would be if someone in the area was burning brush and had some poison ivy vines in it. I've had outbreaks of poison ivy many times beginning in my childhood and now I must be very careful as I've become more sensitive to it. My father was one of those people who could handle it without a problem.

I think the antibiotic would be to head off any secondary infection from all the scratching you have been doing.

We're itchy just thinking about it.

Feel better quicky - no scratching allowed!
Karen, can you add music to this post? I keep singing "Poison Ivy"!

Pretty soon you guys are going to have me in gloves (or a straight jacket) and one of those elizabethan collars that dogs wear after surgery!!!! :banana: :D


........and THAT is BEFORE I got poison ivy!!!!!! hahahahahaha

Sheri,
The thought of you in one of those Elizabethian Collars is hysterical! Shall I decorate it with sequins and pearls?

Oh well, how about diamonds and pearls....enough to rival the Queen's jewels!!! <img border="0" alt="[naughty]" title="" src="graemlins/naughty.gif" />

Sheri, I am really glad to know you saw the doc and got a diagnosis. I hope your recovery is faster than fast!

Sheri So glad you went to Dr. and got it diagnosed. I am bad about going to the Dr. also. Last year I wound up with shingles ( after having 100's of people touring my home for a Parade of Remodeled Homes and various other pressing deadlines) Thought it was something minor and waited longer than I should have and now have a scar by my eye. I didn't know shingles show up when you are stressed, even when you don't know you are stressed. Lesson learned. So I always tell my family, do as I say, not as I do. Speedy recovery to you.

Sheri:

:ohmy:

Well, I'm sorry you've got P.I. but glad you got it diagnosed. Agree that the antibiotic probably is to avoid secondary infection. If things get hairy, like it's on your face or you get more and more and it's not going away, call for that prednisone Rx.

Next: Make sure every single thing you wore and touched is washed in warm/hot soapy water. This includes your shoes and shoelaces. You can get it from them next time you put them on. Shoelaces can go in the washer. Shoes. Sigh.

The critical point now is that you're sensitized and will need to avoid it in the future. I guess that means you delegate the yard work like what you just did. I know. You like to do it. Oh well, find something else to do! Just not around shrubs and trees and mulch. :eek:

Yay, a diagnosis! Hope you continue to get better quickly, Sheri!

Masaki