Reason 107 why NOT to leg your dog in your bed

As if you need more than a few reasons.....don't get fooled by oh they are so cuddly and sweet...In reality they

- go out it middle of the night to pee and come back in with muddy wet paws (frequently)
- go out in the middle of the night and dig up a week old rawhide and bring back to bed (once a month)
- snore like a drunken sailor
- push your spouse the one who wanted the dog in the bed out of the bed and into the guest room
- roll over with all the covers and leave you with a corner of the sheet

BUT the creme de la creme is when your dog frolics in poison oak without telling you and dives in the bed and rolls around a few times and falls asleep with her poison oakey head on the pillow.  (this is all a presumption I must say)

And you fall into bed, sick with sinus infection banged up from racing and fall asleep.

Tuesday night at the theater (yes I go to the theater every 5 years) My right eye and cheek began to itch and soon my left arm.  Maybe something I ate....although we ate at Cafe Gratitude- vegan organic place.  Went to bed a bit worried and woke up in the dark, with the dog snoring, and I was raking my skin.

Poison Oak feels like 1000's of red ants marching on your skin and taking tiny bites.  Seriously.  I stumbled in the bathroom and could literally see it creeping out.  2 benadryl and an antihistamine and I went to sleep or into a drug coma and woke up looking horrific. Swollen eye and red agry rash on face, left arm, chest, right forearm, right thigh, few patches on my back, left shin, nect....   With my history I knew I needed a Dr.

By 4pm I was crawling out of my skin.  Giant shot of steroids and some drugs for my sinus's.  I was armed for a good night.  Not so much by 11pm I was scratching ....so much so that I remembered the magic pills that finally helped Zen with his itchy scratchy skin.   Dosage said 3 per day, he was 70 lbs, okay I'll take 4 to error on the safe side.  Seemed rational at 11pm.... Luckily the pills are a human drug and I was itch free for a few hours.

So here we are on Friday and it is NOT gone.  I have more drugs, have used  Zanfel , which helped tremendously. But I warn you it is $42 a tube, so expensive they have it in the glass case. But if you are itching like I am you would pay $500 and punch a person if they took the last tube.     Seems Poison Oak loves me so much it is now systemic, in my blood, so it can come out again  Seriously.  I have been to this rodeo.... it will pass but really ?

The Dr says..."if  you thoroughly wash with a washcloth or exfoliating scrub when you get in the PO you can avoid this"  NO kidding genius but I DID not know I was crawling into a poison oak nest.

I will also say that it seems 1/2 bottle of wine also helps..... I know, I know.... come Monday it will be all right (that is a song you know) But really next week- back in training mode- Pelligrino it is but for now.... William Hill Chardonnay + antihistamine + Zen's pills.   Go ahead judge.....

PS no pictures....  becase they are grosser than my blister and rub spot in my last post.