I’ve always prided myself on the ability to quickly assess situations and judge whether it is a real emergency or not. My background in social services and teaching has further assisted me in those frenzied moments as a parent, ostensibly “the one in charge”, when I have to decide if we are grabbing a big cloth to mop up the blood or grabbing the big cloth AND racing to the emergency room. I have found that I am a master at keeping my mouth shut at those times, and rather than gasping and screaming, “Oh my Jesus!” I am able to remain calm and neutral as I inspect the head wound. Although I am good at these things, I have also learned that I tend to under-react. I am quick to say, “s/he will be FINE!” and “Buck up kiddo!” and slow to make the doctor’s appointment.
This last week Francis got poison oak…. badly. The kids like to play in a pretty spot of the woods at my parents’ house, right on the edge of our property and the neighbors’. Unfortunately, it is full of the stuff. I did see it, but as I seem to be immune from the stuff, it didn’t occur to me that it could hurt any of us. Wrong.
On Monday Francis had a rash on her face. I didn’t immediately think of how we had been through poison oak. By Tuesday it itched. Her school sent her home. While on a shopping trip at New Seasons, a nice man instantly diagnosed her rash in the shampoo aisle. ”Of course!” I thought, and bought the product he suggested (Tecnu).
I brought her back to school Wednesday with some calamine lotion slapped on there. The school was not hearing of it. They wanted her to go to a doctor. They weren’t going to let her come back to class until she brought a note. ”What?! For poison oak? That is ridiculous!” I said, muttering under my breath how this would never happen in the county. Haven’t these silly city people ever seen a rash from poison oak? They wanted to know how I knew it was poison oak. They didn’t like my answer much. (I guess growing up in Sheridan does not grant you medical credentials, nor does chatting with a nice guy in the shampoo aisle.) So we went to the doctor.
Good thing we did. Francis’s rash got worse throughout the day. By the afternoon her eye was swollen shut. An icky crust formed over the rash which the doctor diagnosed as a secondary staph infection. Yuck. Prescriptions ensued. The good news is that she is feeling better and was allowed to return to school. The bad news is that maybe tomorrow morning it will be her other eye.
6 Comments, Comment or Ping
OUCH!!! Poor Francis!
May 27th, 2010
Although this whole thing freaks me the hell out, Francis has been very smooth about all of it. I guess Ingrid and I have done too much of the “it’s nothing”. It kind of is nothing, but it’s an icky nothing and in my dark moments it scares me a bunch. I really want to see that kid come out of bed in the morning and be able to see properly out of both eyes. This morning she found me and said, “Hi Dad! Is the swelling any better?” and when I said that it was about the same, she replied, “Well, I can open my eye, look!” Perky.
May 28th, 2010
It is amazing how kiddos can pull through such situations with ease. I wish all the best for her. I know how she feels… kinda. I got poison oak on my face from your place in Sheridan years ago. It looked like I had a acne problem, and I was supposed to be a bridesmaid in a wedding a week later! I was put on oral steroids for a week and apparently a week was not enough. As soon as I was done with the meds, my face blew up and I looked like the kid from the movie, Mask. It sucked! It must suck more with a staph infection… by the way, when your eczema gets all weapy and crusty, it usually means it’s a staph infection too, which needs antibiotics. I know about that because I had a kiddo that did that. Good luck with it all! And hang in there! I know how you feel… I remember feeling like such a bad mom when one of my kiddos had an ear infection and I didn’t know about it until her eardrums burst and blood ran out of her ears! These things happen to the best of us.
)
May 28th, 2010
that Francis is perky indeed…. and it’s OK that your kids are troupers…it will pay off in spades during the rest of life!
May 28th, 2010
Anne once convinced me to play in Fairy Land at your Sheridan place. I knew better (because of the poison oak), but it was so pretty (and she is so cool)that I gave into an afternoon of play. I got it on my face and both eyes swelled shut. For the record, Willamina Elementary didn’t mind me being there at all. Afterall, my ears still worked, so I could hear the teacher!
May 28th, 2010
You need to have some of Johnny’s homemade Mt. St. Helens ash lye soap on hand. That’s the gray bar you see on our bathroom sink. Wash with that after playing in the poison oak and it will get rid of the oil that makes the itch. Even if you itch before you realize you’ve been in poison oak, scrub with this soap. I don’t know why it works, but it does. I’ll get some to Sue to give to you… unless you’ll be in the area this weekend and want to stop by… But maybe you’d rather have a couple of my goats to eat that poison oak in your yard?
May 28th, 2010
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