Lesson learned. I walked down the back yard to harvest some rhubarb from what remains of the original patch. I had moved a good chuck of it up to the main yard the second year I was here, but left a bit behind. This little neglected patch comes up every year and does quite well for itself.
Was I really thinking about what I was doing? Going down there in deck shoes with no socks on? Well, yes, to be honest. It crossed my mind to be warry of poison ivy; I was bit by it once before in my Brooklyn back yard. So I looked around and saw some suspicious vining foliage and steered clear of it. Sneaky thing bit me anyway. That is, this is my best guess as to what happened... even though I didn't realize it at the time. That was Sunday afternoon.
On Monday afternoon, I noticed an intense itch on my lower left calf. A bug bite probably, a black fly--they pack quite punch for being so small. As it got worse I had a look and found a large red patch with what appeared to be a quite severe bug bite in the top part of the rash.
At the time, I attributed the rash to the bite and thought to myself that it must have been something bigger than a black fly. A bee, maybe, or a spider. I sprayed it with Bactine which helped alleviate the itchiness. It was a nuisance the rest of the day and evening and night.
When I looked at it Tuesday morning the rash was much more intense and it was deepening in color to the point of being almost maroon/purple in one area. The itchiness is what caused me to wonder if I'd brushed against some poison ivy or poison oak. Was the rash due to the bug bite or poison ivy? Why was the rash intensifying? Is the bug bite a coincidence? By evening time, I knew it wasn't an ordinary bug bite or rash. Standing at the kitchen counter I felt a hot streak shoot up my leg.
Googling led to me cellulitis, which I've heard of before and knew it could develop into a serious situation if not attended to. By this time it was 10:30 pm and I was feeling anxious after realizing that I might have something that could lead to sepsis. There are a couple clinics nearby that I could go to in the morning but I knew I wouldn't get any sleep if I waited. And I don't usually get to bed before 1 a.m., so I drove myself to the emergency room. I took my sewing with me because I knew there was a strong likelihood I'd be waiting for long stretches of time.
There was only one other case in the ER; appeared to be related to a motorcycle incident which makes sense because it's motorcycle week here in NH. I got a goodly amount of sewing in. I wonder how many ER walk-ins come in carrying a hat box of sewing with them? But hey, I wasn't going to waste all that time while waiting for the doctor. An ultra-sound test confirmed cellulitis and I was given a prescription for antibiotics.
Yesterday was rough, so very itchy almost to the point of pain. Nearest I can figure is I indeed got poison ivy. In fact, a rash subsequently appeared on the right side of the same calf. One reason I feel pretty certain about this is that I haven't read of itchiness being a symptom of cellulitis, and the bar of poison ivy soap I bought a few years ago is working wonders on it. That soap with a follow up spray of Bactine makes it quite bearable. It's also clear that I got a bad bug bite. Which is responsible for the cellulitis? I don't know. But there it is, a trifecta of bug bite, poison ivy, and cellulitis.
It's much better today. The antibiotic is doing it's job.
It's Iris season at the minute! Lot's of purples and whites and a few yellows, including a Flag that popped up on it's own. Well, I certainly don't remember planting it!
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