Empty Cereal Box

Views From Inside an Adoptee

June 02, 2006

My Raging Mess

I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific.--Lily Tomlin

Okay. I'm having kitchen issues. Well, food issues. I have cravings rather than real hunger. I'm told that unlike hunger, when everything looks good, cravings are when I see a lot of food in my fridge (because I happen to live in America) but none of it appeals to me. Instead I'm getting signals from outer space for ice cream or corn chips or fudge brownies or pork rinds or pizza...you know the story.

Well, yeah, but so what? Big deal. Who doesn't? It might not be an issue if R and I hadn't stayed in a particular motel on our way home from Oregon in Weed at the foot of Mt. Shasta. If you read my blog at the time, you'll recall I was blogging on the bedspread while R watched Christopher Nolan's Batman, 2005.

A day down the road I began to absent-mindedly scratch the top of my left foot as we drove. I thought nothing of it. A bug bite, probably. By the time we got home half of my foot was covered with red bumps, welts, and blisters. I knew what it was because I used to get the same reaction ever single stinking summer when I was a teenager because I'd ride horses or hike in the hills behind the town where I grew up. And every year it got worse and worse. Over time I had serious health issues as a result, and they landed me in the hospital more than once, even close to death.

But that's another story. It has to do with the mismanagement of my condition by conventional practitioners who call themselves physicians by giving me steroids.

Anyway, evidently some over-enthusiastic hiker had inadvertantly smeared poison oak oils over the bed in question via clothing or body parts or sleeping bag, or whatever and an under-enthusiastic motel cleaning person proved to me that management policies may be to change the sheets, but not the bedspreads when new guests arrive.

The upshot is that I haven't been able to wear a shoe since I got home. Even flip-flops irritate the skin and spread the oils. I won't gross you out with a photo. There are shelves of topical salves, sprays, and ointments on drug store shelves you can buy that address this, but I'm one of those crackpots who believes that if you can't eat it, it doesn't belong on your skin, since the skin is a membrane that absorbs substances just like the stomach does. In fact, I'm an avid herbalist (something I haven't blogged about yet). I have had tremendous results with herbs--some that grow wild, some that I have in my garden, and some that I buy from herb dealers--that I prepare in tincture or ointment form. Everyone in my family is also a walking testimonial to the efficacy of homeopathy and home remedies. We are among the millions of Americans who can't afford health insurance anyway, so over the years we've developed strategies of self sufficiency. Barring accident and traumatic injury, so far we've fared well (knock on wood.)

Once when I had poison oak in Boulder, an herbalist told me to drink white oak bark tea and pour some with bleach in a bath and soak. It worked. Now I'm lazy and just daub straight bleach on the blisters. It sounds worse than it is. Actually bleach provides a gratifying sting that takes the itch away and dries up the oils. I also have been taking Rhus Tox 30c, poison oak in homeopathic preparation. The spreading has subsided and the leisons have begun to scab over.

Yeah.

But in the meantime, getting back to kitchen/food issues, I haven't been able to walk without shoes, so I tend to visit the fridge more often (I have NO sense of self discipline whatsoever) and feel sorry for myself because I can't go on hikes with our dog. Good excuse. And on top of that, we had a lot of people crammed into our little kitchen last night and every dish, pot, pan, bowl, knife, fork, spoon, and plastic container got used and piled everywhere anything can balance. Now everyone is off to work or sleeping it off and this afternoon George the real estate agent is coming over to take photos of our kitchen because we're putting our house on the market next week. And I sit here with my scabby foot blogging my lazy ass off and thinking about sour dough bread slathered with butter (which goes right to my hips and thighs, so I won't have it in my house).


10 Comments:

Blogger Marie said...

Well, um, it's not exactly foot fungus, but I am a nervous wreck, especially now that I have to have this house spiffed up and be gone every time lookie loos drop in to see the house. Gah.

2.6.06  
Blogger HeatherRainbow said...

I wonder if vinegar or rubbing alchohol would work instead of bleach? I replaced all the cleaning chemicals in my house with natural stuff, and replaced bleach with vinegar.

I love homeopath and all natural remedies. I use them too. :)

2.6.06  
Blogger Laurie (formerly known as Momseekingpeace) said...

We do only natural medicine too. I love the stuff, I may have to ask you for suggestions at some point.

I hope your foot gets better soon.
MSP

2.6.06  
Blogger Amyadoptee said...

Is that a picture of poison oak? If it is you just gave me information that I need to know since I live in the country. I have never been exposed to it but now because of you I know what it looks like. My husband was going through cravings so guess what I have to make cookies and blueberry bars to keep him happy. what is a lookie loos anyway. Just curious. Letting you know that I am here to support ya.

3.6.06  
Blogger Andromeda Jazmon said...

I was reading along thinking "I should tell her to put bleach on it cause it always works for my posion ivy, but then it's not herbal or homeopathic.... so she won't want to hear about it..." and then I kept reading and by george you already knew about it! You clever girl! Sorry about all the cleaning work. That makes me hungry too!

3.6.06  
Blogger Marie said...

omigod. i will answer each and every comment but probably not until this screaming craziness at my house calms down after the weekend. we have real estate agents coming to look at the place plus i'm trying to sell everything i own at a flea market tomorrow and people keep stopping in and phoning, etc. etc. i don't want to forget my blog buddies, though. so bear with me and i can't wait to get back to talking with you all. {hugs to everyone}

3.6.06  
Blogger Marie said...

heatherrainbow-i'm not sure about vineagar or rubbing alchohol. i suspect vineagar would neutralize acids but i doubt it would dry the oils; and i've read that rubbing alcholol is carcinogenic, so i try not to use that. but if there were a safer product than bleach, i'd use it, believe me. bleach is harsh, but very effective, and in the amounts used, i think i'd rather have that on my skin than poison oak oils! ;)

5.6.06  
Blogger Marie said...

msp-thanks! the blisters and rash have scabbed over, don't itch anymore, and are on the road to healing. i'll be blogging about natural remedies soon. i'm can't suggest remedies for anyone else, but i want to record some of my own personal successes on my blog.

5.6.06  
Blogger Marie said...

adopteeamy-you're a sweetheart. thank you for your support. yes, that's a photo of poison oak all right. look for the three scalloped shiny leaves that turn red or yellow in the fall. really toxic to sensitive people like myself. i don't even have to come into contact with the plant. i can get it second hand on clothing, bedding, or from animals fur--whatever picks up the oils. yeesh. be careful with this stuff!

5.6.06  
Blogger Marie said...

cloudscome-thank you so much for stopping in to read my blog and leaving comments! so happy to see new people. where did you learn about the bleach therapy? it's saved my life many times.

5.6.06  

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