The Undiscovered Country

Itchy

Well, family’s gone, and much fun was had by all – mostly. The hunting was good, and would have been better if Dave and his brother Mark could shoot straight!

I can’t blame them entirely. The pheasant tended to flush early due to already being shot at multiple times, and it’s still too warm for geese and ducks. Rufus is turning into a great hunting dog. She still has her puppy enthusiasm and doesn’t listen all the time. She retrieved many a bird that would have been lost without her. Dave bought a shock collar for her, and that made a big difference – though she needed reminding once in a while. We wore the poor girl out, to the point we gave her a day off on Wednesday. She just wasn’t hunting as well, though she never wanted to quit. As soon as we got home, she found her bed and plopped down, dead asleep. We also had to slather Bag Balm (a thick moisturizer and antiseptic used originally for cow teats to help and prevent chapping during milking) on her foot pads. She balked at first, but once we started massaging her feet with it, she turned into a noodle.

I don’t know if it was the stress of guests in our house for a week, or I exposed myself to an allergen, but my lower legs are covered with eczema. It’s the worst flare up I’ve had in – ever. It’s maddening, the constant itch and pain. Dave last night asked what he could do for me (I haven’t been sleeping well because of it), and I said, “Cut off my legs?”

He refused.

The only relief I found so far is wrapping cold wet towels around my legs for about 10-15 minutes. That gives me a measure of relief for about two hours. Moisturizers also help. It makes the pain and itch a mere annoyance instead of insanity-inducing. I can’t scratch, because that only makes it worse – which only drives up the insanity meter, because I want to scratch so badly.

But like I told my sister-in-law, if that’s all I have to complain about, things are good.

In another two weeks or so, it’ll go away. These flare ups never last. I have but one little patch on my left ankle that refuses to go away, but it doesn’t itch all the time.

What helps also is distraction. While I’m at work, I don’t feel the itch so bad. It’s when I’m at home or in bed and I have time to think about it that it feels worse. I need to distract myself at home as well. Good thing nanowrimo starts soon!

I also have my next doctor’s appointment tomorrow, so I’ll ask him if there’s anything more I can do for relief. I don’t want to use any anti-itch cream or prescription medications until I know for certain it won’t harm Thomas. They’ll check me for gestational diabetes at this one. I’ll have to drink a small cup of super sweet drink, and get a blood test an hour later. I don’t anticipate any difficulties; I still feel really good.

Hee, hee. Slight change o’ subject. Dave’s parents also came up on Friday from Texas, because Dave’s cousin married on Saturday (more on that in my next entry). I had to give Lew (Dave’s dad) a hard time, because when we said goodbye he added, “Now take care of yourself until Thomas is born.”

I responded, “Does that mean after he’s born I can let myself go?”

He didn’t know whether or not to laugh at first.

Thomas is moving more and more – some days more than others. I can see my stomach twitch when he kicks hard now. He also likes to stretch upward, especially after I eat. After every meal, I have to lie down for a while until Thomas curls up again or moves lower. I think he enjoyed – or was very annoyed by – our guests, because he was super active whenever there was much conversation. I thought he wanted to jump out of my tummy a few times. Since everyone’s left, he’s not so rambunctious.