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You are here: Home / family / Scratch Scratch, Itch, Itch…

Scratch Scratch, Itch, Itch…

November 3, 2009 by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~ 13 Comments

That's the spot!
That's the spot!

Oh what a relief it isn’t.

I’m dying over here. I mean not literally dying but I had to see the doctor yesterday. My skin feels like a giant toad, but it’s all red like a Jila Monster or scaly like a shedding iguana.

Let me back up. That might be helpful.

Saturday morning I woke up with a few HIVES across the top of my thighs and my back. By Saturday afternoon my entire posterior had them, as well as the back of my legs from the knee up. Saturday night my feet were hot and itchy and otherwise kept me awake! I had to get up in the middle of the night to soak them in cold washcloths to get them to stop itching and burning. No hives just itchy. While in my state of itching sleeplessness, I read on the internet that Zytrec was good for helping these sorts of things. Score! I had some of that in my medicine cabinet. I’d already taken some vitamin C earlier that day (see I knew I needed an antihistamine!).

Wait, I might should back up even further.

Tuesday, remember we shipped calves for the neighbors? That evening I fought a bout of food poisoning and was up most of the night having trouble holding down even pepto or sprite.

Wednesday I was laid up on the couch, sore as you often are after hours of expunging every last ounce of matter in your stomach. Wednesday was a good day to have that problem as it was raining that day.

Thursday the underside of my left arm began hurting. Sort of across my left breast (when I’d move it a certain direction) and if I raised my arm it would go up my arm. It was sort of a dull throbbing pain and made me think I must have pulled my latissimus dorsi in all the commotion of being ill.

Friday I began to ice the muscle and it did sort of begin to feel better, but was still sore.

Which really puts as at the beginning of my current ailment.

Hives. And a lump under my armpit. Scary, I know.

By Sunday morning my lower back, my posterior, the back of my legs from the knee up, and the front of my legs from the knee up were covered in hives. The inside of my right arm was covered, and they were scattered down both arms and underneath both underarms. I had just a sprinkling on my belly. My arm was still hurting, but as I’d checked in the previous two days I couldn’t really pin point the cause of the pain. But that changed Sunday morning when I found it. A super painful lump in my armpit that sent me into immediate panic mode. Thank God for the level-headed Zach. He is always good at calming me. I heart him.

I made a call to the family doctor- literally the family doctor as she is Zach’s oldest sister- and she agreed to meet with me Monday after she got off work. She really thought that what I had under my arm might be something she could lance and we’d be pain free in short order. That theory definitely made me feel better.

By Sunday night my entire back ached, and the back of my neck was stiff. I really didn’t have any sort of appetite and was rather lethargic. That was again a sleepless night; itchy, hot feet and my hives swelled some more, despite taking more vitamin c and more Zyrtec and bathing myself in calamine lotion.

Yesterday I got up and took a tepid shower, but first I made the mistake of turning the water on hot so that I could steam up the bathroom so I wouldn’t freeze in the tepid water. Too cold and my hives itch. Too hot and they itch. You gotta keep your skin the right temperature, I tell you. And you must have some will-power, and mine is weakening with each passing day! I cannot tell you how that steam made me itch and contort and want to scratch more than I currently desired to scratch. Oh. My. God. However, when I turned that water to just over cold (which here it’s really cold- because it comes out of the river that never gets above 65 degrees or something like that) and began to rub with the Aveeno oatmeal bar the relief was simply delicious.

I laid around the better part of yesterday (again with no appetite) and was itch free for about 3 hours after the shower. It was glorious.

On the way to see the Doc, a hive popped up on my tongue, and several on the inside of my bottom lip and my hand/in between my fingers! The good news with these is that they don’t itch! But the few that popped up on my hands do. And that, my friends is not so bueno.

When Dr. Ducheneaux looked at me yesterday and actually found the lump, I thought the world might end, so excruciating was the pain when she put pressure on it. Honestly the thought of it being touched made me squeamish because it hurt so bad. And then she was puzzled. Because the lump, while it is certainly a lump, isn’t hard. It’s soft and she has no idea what it is. But she’s sure that it’s related to the hives or the hives to it. So if, by the end of the week there is no improvement in my condition I am supposed to go get an ultrasound on it so that it can be further assessed.

In the meantime I’m on Prednisone, Zyrtec, and Zantac. Did you know Zantac has a histamine blocker in it too? It blocks H2 receptors, and Zyrtec blocks H1. How cool is that to know? She also gave me some melatonin to help me sleep, but last night I was so darn itchy that I was up a minimum of 6 times bathing myself in calamine lotion, once again. I think I went through half a bag of cotton balls and half a bottle of lotion.

My under-arm feels better this morning- so far no dull, aching pain. A few of the hives might be smaller and less red so maybe I’m starting to get a handle on this thing. I hope so. The thought of actually wearing something other than yoga pants has me frightened, since blue jeans would make me really itch! I may have to suck it up tomorrow and get dressed anyway since we are supposed to be sorting off our steer pairs so we can ship on Friday or Saturday this week. Maybe if I can make the power of positive thinking work for me I will be better tomorrow and it won’t matter. We’ll see. Zach says the mind is most powerful tool we are blessed with.

I wouldn’t wish this misery on my worst enemy- well I might on suicide bomber. But then he’s going to kill himself anyway, so what would be the point?

Here’s to hoping everyone has an itch-free day!

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About ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western.

After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her mother, who told her she had to have a “real” job after graduating college), she finally took the leap and stepped away from a regular income; trading the business suit once and for all for cowgirl boots, a hat, and jeans. She has not looked back.

When Jenn first moved to The DX Ranch on the South Dakota plains, she never imagined she’d find herself behind a camera lens capturing an authentic perspective of ranching, and sharing it with others. Jenn has always been called to artistry, and uses music, writing, images, home improvement, and her first true love of horses to express her ranching passion.

Horses are the constant thread and much of her work centers around using her unique style of writing to share her horsemanship journey with others in publications such as CavvySavvy, the AQHA Ranching Blog, the West River Eagle, the family ranch website, and her own website.

Using photography to illustrate her stories has created other opportunities -- Jenn’s brand “The South Dakota Cowgirl” has grown to the level of social media “Influencer”. This notoriety has led to work with Duluth Trading Company, Budweiser, Wyoming Tourism, Vice, Circle Z Ranch and Art of the Cowgirl, to name a few. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Woodchuck USA, Arenus Equine Health, Triple Crown Feed and Just Strong fitness apparel. Her photography has been featured by Instagram, Apple, TIME Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Jenn’s work has been published internationally, has been seen in several books and has graced the covers of several magazines.

Jenn became a social media influencer by accident when she started to explore Instagram as a way to share her life on the ranch with folks that don’t get to experience it. It’s grown into an incredible platform that she uses to empower women, create an environment for self improvement and share life on the ranch.

When she’s not working, she loves to drink coffee, play with her naughty border collie named Copper, start ranch colts, and run about the country chasing cans. Her mother still thinks she doesn’t have a “real” job.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Slyde says

    November 3, 2009 at 4:04 pm

    ouch! that sounds quite uncomfortable. Hopefully you feel better soon…

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  2. Lacey Jo says

    November 3, 2009 at 4:19 pm

    Yikes that sounds miserable! Feel better soon girl!!

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  3. Kimberley says

    November 3, 2009 at 5:08 pm

    I am getting itchy just reading this! I sure hope it all clears up quickly for you.

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  4. Brenda@ **Dragonflys and Stars** says

    November 3, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    Oh my! That sounds so miserable and little bit scary. I sure hope it responds to the treatment. Please keep us posted on what is going on. Sending good thoughts your way!!

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  5. Bina says

    November 3, 2009 at 7:42 pm

    Jenn, that is horrible! And does she not know WHY you have them? How you got them? Not anything??? You poor, poor thing. One of the best things I have found for bug bite itching is Vicks Vapor Rub. That's right! But, if any of your hives are scratched open, it may burn. But seriously, try it on one or two, just rub it in and see. It couldn't hurt to try!

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  6. wcgillian says

    November 3, 2009 at 8:32 pm

    I am itching just because of your post. Hope everything works out.

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  7. ~ The Rockin MLB ~ says

    November 3, 2009 at 9:24 pm

    Just wear the yoga pants and boots tomorrow. I wear that quite often to exercise the horses.

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  8. The Wife says

    November 4, 2009 at 12:27 am

    Oh my word! That sounds horrible! I would rather be drown in things to do than calamine lotion due to hives!

    I'm with The Rocking MLB, where those yoga pants to sort!

    Get well soon!

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  9. ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~ says

    November 4, 2009 at 12:52 am

    Yeah, there won't be any riding in yoga pants either. Let's just say my thighs can't take any sort of bouncing around in the saddle.

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  10. Maureen@IslandRoar says

    November 4, 2009 at 1:24 am

    OMG, that sounds like Pure Torture!
    And maybe some horrific reaction to something. Did she rule out that the lump under your arm was a swollen gland? Sometimes they'll swell in response to a severe autoimmune reaction, which you were clearly having.
    I hope you figure out what it could be, so it doesn't happen again. The good news is, the first time you have a reaction like this is usually the worst. But I'd cover up every part if you're going to do anything you did the other day….
    Feel better!!

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  11. Toni says

    November 4, 2009 at 3:19 am

    Actually, I would suggest riding in breeches instead.

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  12. jpooh says

    November 4, 2009 at 2:06 pm

    Egads, girl – are you feeling any better today?

    Jan from the Sushi Bar

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