Quick - I was pulling up quite normal looking weeds a few hours ago (which is all I can think of to blame!). No anti-histamine cream in the house and the fingers of my right hand are red, swollen, slightly blistered and itching like crazy!!!
Any ideas for any household substance that might help before I go nuts? Time for bed, but I bet it won`t let me sleep.
Pat P
Try putting an ice pack on it. That should take the inflammation away and stop the itching.
Do you have any sort of cortisone cream around? That helps too.
Thanks Brenda, that sounds like a good idea - I know it helps for bee stings! There was nothing in the least unusual in the weeds I was pulling up - that will teach me to put on a gardening glove, much as I hate them!
If I sleep tonight it will be thanks to you! If it had been earlier in the day I could have nipped down to the chemist.
Pat P
No - wish I did! I`ll make sure I get some tomorrow, anyway. Why do these things always happen when everything`s closed! I`ve never come across anything that affects me like this - two fingers are just like red bananas! LOL! I thought it was you people who had things like poison ivy etc! We have Giant Hogweed that can cause problems, but that`s huge - you don`t normally touch it by accident - it`s too big not to notice.
Pat P
I was going to suggest that baking soda paste too - hope it works, sounds horrible. Sure it wasn't some kind of a bug or snake bite??? But truthfully, I think it's just the devil comin' outta ya girl!! :-))
Sharon (N.B.)
That's what I would have suggested! hope we aren't too late for you Pat!
Cheryl
Something else that can help is an oatmeal paste.
Try pulling up a nearby weed, different to the ones you pulled up earlier. Nature seems to always provide a nearby antidote (e.g. docks and nettles)
No, the only "biting" snakes we have are adders and they mostly live on moorland! I SUPPOSE it could have been an insect, but unlikely - I didn`t feel anything at the time, anyway. The Baking soda worked quite well, and it`s a lot better today (Thanks, Brenda!). Still a bit swollen and itchy but definitely going down. Gloves on, in future, I think!
You sound like my mother! She always used to say that things like that were just the "bad coming out!"
Pat P
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Never heard of that one! That`s useful to know - thanks. I always have a few packets of Quaker oats (the instant microwaveable variety) in the cupboard - I suppose that would do just as well.
Pat P
OK in theory, but I don`t know which one did the damage - and I`m sure not going to experiment! ;-))
Strange how often Docks and nettles are found side by side, isn`t it? I had a horrible cousin who used to LOVE to wipe a nettle across my poor little legs when I was very small! Fortunately my Mum had taught me about dock leaves when I was even smaller!!!
Are you a member of the Richard III Society, by the way? ( Just noticed your email address!)
Pat P
No, but my wife IS an avid Ricardian and so is her friend who is visiting us for a few days next week. Over the last 20 years or so, living in Yorkshire & Gloucestershire, we must have visited just about every Ricardian-related site in England!
Ohh, what a shame your wife isn`t computer minded. I have long been a supporter of the much maligned Richard III for many years - and was a member of the Society for some time. I have been thinking of rejoining. Last time we went to Scotland I was much tempted when we saw the signs for Raby Castle (his mother`s ancestral home) as we headed for Carlisle from Scots corner!
Pat P
We visited Raby about 15 years ago. Very disappointing, internally it was mostly 18th and 19th century rebuilding. Maureen did not rejoin the Society because they seemed to be forever asking for money. However, she did attend one RIII "do" in the Merchant Venturers Hall in York. And we both dressed in medieval costume for Scarborough Festival and for the Tewkesbury Battle Re-enactment.
I wonder how I could have forgotten oatmeal. DD (who was not quite one year old at the time) had to bathe in Aveeno colloidal oatmeal when she had chickenpox and it calmed her right down. I don't know how one would do it with regular oatmeal, but I suppose it would work.
No not nettles - some kind of tiny dandelion looking flower on a long thin stem - or so I suspect. I gave my daughter my plant-book last week, so can`t identify it. I went to bed with the baking soda paste on - it was OK once it had dried and any that came off in the night went with a good shake of the duvet! LOL!
It`s not itching so much now - still red and swollen and blistered. I was going to get something from the chemist this afternoon, but we both fell asleep! LOL! It`s still hot and muggy here - even the dog is lying on her back with a fan blowing across her tummy. Looks like I`ll use the paste again - it really did help.
Pat P
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