Spreading Like Wildfire

My son's poison Oak is spreading like wildfire. I am just trying to get him through the weekend and will take him to the doctor tomorrow. Bless his heart he has been really good about it (considering it was my request he do some yard work for me.)

It is all over his stomach and chest...arms and legs too. He takes at least four Aveeno baths a day and has been through three tubes of cortisone. There is a low cost clinic near me that I can take him to ...and plan to be waiting when they open the doors. Thank the Lord he bites his nails ...in other words he doesn't have any nails. At least he hasn't been able to draw blood and all the rashes are closed. I need to remind him NOT to bite them now...Pete's sake, something ELSE to worry about! I already gave him the "Handwash really good BEFORE peeing or you'll REALLY be sorry."

I've been lucky since we lost our medical insurance. All my kids have been happy and healthy and God has kept them all safe from illness and harm.

Of course they find other ways to make money disappear...kids are good at that, but at least they've been well.

I feel bad because I am the cause of Zach's need for a doctor. He DID do a really good job in the yard though and when he came down with the rash I decided to pay him for his work. I also wanted to show him how much I appreciate him letting me try a dozen or two home remedies and wive's tales on him before taking him to a real doctor (bless his pea pickin' heart, I know he's been miserable.)

My sister tried banana peels for her poison ivy, my manager at work said bleach in his bath water...oatmeal and vinegar paste and a friend said on facebook to let him wash with Tide powder detergent.

A regular of mine came in to eat tonight. She is a pediatric nurse so I sat down and told her about my 'cherry' red boy. She immediately said I had to take him to the doctor for a shot , if it got in his blood stream he could end up in the hospital (something ELSE to worry about.) I told her all the home remedies I had tried and told her that a friend suggested him washing himself in powder Tide.

I wish you could have seen the look on her face.

It reminded me of the look I got from my pediatrician when she took off Massey's diaper during a routine physical and saw that I had a quarter taped over her belly button with a band aid. When I was at work, a sweet ole SOUTHERN mother of three was watching Massey in her own home, along with Zach and TJ . When I picked Massey up the first day the kids went to her, she commented that Massey had an "OUTY" and not an "INNY."

She told me that her mother's aunt's cousin always said to tape a quarter over the baby's belly button and it will make an "OUTY" an "INNY." So I stopped on the way home and bought some band aids and kept that quarter on her belly button just as faithfully as I kept the heart monitor strapped to her little four pound body.

When I took Massey in for a check up and the doctor saw the quarter taped over my infant's belly button...the look on her face was pretty impressive. I didn't know eye brows could go up that high!

She was very sweet to me. She's from India originally ...I absolutely love her to death and she has seen all three of my kids... Massey and Zach from the day they were born. She said " Oh Missus Cotton.. you really need to take that off of her belly button, Massey will be just fine without it ."

She was right. Massey turns fourteen next month and has a really cute belly button...and it's not an "OUTY."

I used to run to the doctor for every symptom with my kids. Then as they started to grow up and I realized how hearty and resilient they were..."Wive's tales and home remedies" started having an appeal.

I would NEVER endanger my children and have been through a couple of operations (tubes) for Massey's ears, a couple of bone breaks and always trips for stitches with the two boys.

It's kind of like the "Pacifier" evolution.

When you have your first baby and they drop their precious pass eee..you rush to boil water.With the second you run it in under hot water and with the third you stick it in your own mouth . Thank goodness I only have three kids... if I'd kept on like Octu Mom ... by now I would be letting one of the dogs lick what is obviously their own dog hair off and feeling it was a win win situation.

I know when to throw in the towel though and this is one of those times. At least when I take him and the doctor comes in, he won't have a quarter taped to his belly button... he will just most likely drop to his knees and say " Doctor, please help me ... FOR REAL."

Special thanks to my boy for at least letting me try...sorry it took me so long to give up.

I LOVE YOU, Mom