another earthly way to be aware of skin...

Dear "urushiol" (?) ~ you've provided this week's most sleep-depriving torments, and now it's time for your side effects to freaking go away.

"Poison oak and poison ivy do not spare age, sex, race or economic status. Each year thousands of people are afflicted with moderate to severe dermatitis from touching the foliage of these plants. Poison oak and poison ivy account for an estimated ten percent of lost work time in the U. S. Forest Service. In fact, hundreds of fire fighters who battle summer and fall blazes in California's coastal ranges are so severely affected that they are unable to work. People who breathe in the smoke and soot may develop serious inflammation of respiratory mucous membranes. Because of the serious economic impact due to lost employment time, poison oak "injuries" are covered by Workers' Compensation Insurance in California. The monetary cost of this affliction is approximately one percent of the state's workers' compensation budget (Epstein, 1994)."

Hmmm. "...drops its leaves during the winter months....trailblazing through a patch of the bare stems could result in a painful rash."

~ Poison Oak: More Than Just Scratching The Surface

"it can occur from 5 hours to 15 days after touching the plant.^{1" who knew?}

"Indirect contact with urushiol can also cause the rash. This may happen when you touch clothing, pet fur, sporting gear, gardening tools, or other objects that have come in contact with one of these plants"

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/tc/poison-ivy-oak-or-sumac-topic-overview

~~~~~

At least it's probably not a flesh-eating thing--first doc was quite rushed, leaving awfuller visions of skin catastrophes dancing in the head as symptoms worsened in the following days--props to the comparatively chatty female doc who bothered to explain the cause was probably a poisonous plant!

Free time tomorrow to be dedicated to whatever the hell is going on with health insurance.

~~~~~

"Poison oak urushiol causes a complicated delayed allergic reaction with the body's immune system. It is technically classified as a cell-mediated immune response and the "peak misery" may not appear until days or weeks later. It is quite different from the primary irritants of nettle and euphorbias, the effects of which are immediate."

No kidding!

Slightly obsessed.