Glen Hill Farm: Medicated

Why does it make me so happy when all seven hens lay in one day?

Thank you, ladies!

It's March 2015, the middle of the snowiest winter in history and I am battling (wait for it).... poison ivy. Yes, somehow, in this snowy wasteland I was lucky enough to come into contact with poison ivy on my right hand. I think I first noticed it appear in December, and even after using my prescription topical ointments, it's just wouldn't go away. Instead, it would seem to subside and then flare up, becoming increasingly more intense. Three months later, I had to go see my doctor to beg for some help and I left with a prescription for Prednisone. I have a bad history of waiting months and months before I go to the doctor. I always hope that I can fix it on my own, and then by the time I admit that I need a doctor's help, I literally feel desperate for anything they can offer me.

This is my first time on Prednisone. While it is definitely helping to cure the poison ivy rash, it isn't working as fast as I would have liked. In fact, I take my last dose tomorrow, but my rash is not totally gone. We're 97% there, but not 100%. I'm scared that the rash is going to flare back up when I stop taking the medicine. On the other hand, I can't wait to finish it! Whew! That prednisone is powerful stuff! I feel like I've had 50 cups of coffee, all the time. (Not a good thing for me.) It definitely gets me jittery, I kind of want to jump out of my skin. Actually, now that I type this, I'm realizing that it's not all that different from the crazy panic feeling that the poison ivy rash gives me. Ironic. But at least it doesn't have the terrible itch. That's the thing about poison ivy, it's kind of like childbirth where when you aren't actually going through it, you remember in a general sense how bad it was, but you forget JUST HOW AWFUL it is until you are in the thick of it again. When it wakes you up in the middle of the night with an itch so bad that you can't stop scratching even though you're now bleeding. Ugh. Anyway, please say a prayer for me that this latest bout will heal by tomorrow. Thanks.

And as soon as all this snow melts, I need to call in a professional to help me fight this invisible monster in my yard. I know that I'm not touching the poison ivy myself, so it must be my animals who are rubbing up against it (even the leafless vines have the oil on them during the winter), and then I'm petting them. I know I need professional help (on many levels) because I'm at the point where I'm ready to kill every living plant from this land just to be free of it. Or move. We just might have to move. My doctor suggested wearing gloves. Um, okay, like literally all the time? Not sure that's practical. :)

In my desperate research (google), I learned that there is a company who is trying to create a vaccine for urushiol (the poison ivy oil that causes the reaction.) Sadly, it is still in the process of running clinical trials at this time. I need this vaccine. I need it a year ago.

Sorry for all the whining.

My poor puppy, Jess, is on medicine, too. She tested positive for a tick-related illness (not Lyme Disease, but something similar.) So she's on a 30 day antibiotic prescription. I can tell that she feels kind of blah on her meds. Her appetite is way down (and she never had a big appetite to begin with.) It's so awkward because I'm constantly trying to get her to eat a bit more, and she's not interested. Meanwhile Cooper (my foodie) can't understand why Jessie's being offered all this extra food and he's not. He doesn't understand that Jessie's being offered the same bowl of food that she never finished at breakfast. So out of guilt, I end up giving Cooper just a few bites more, and now he's getting chubby.

Looking forward to everyone being off-meds and healthy, and spring!