Answer: Allergic Rash, Much like Poison Ivy

Sigh.

(Oh, before I {sigh} too much, let me thank my commenters to my last post! It DOES look like poison ivy, doesn't it? And the link posted is just enough to make one cringe! We have had so many lessons on identifying poison ivy, too! Let's just say, if there are any things I'm paranoid about, they are poison ivy, lice, and people who do bad things to children!)

B was feeding the Snoopy, our new bunny, Monday night. After I got poked enough by the hay, I asked if anyone else wanted to fill the box with hay. (I'm allergic to hay. It makes me sneeze, my eyes get itchy and runny, and I break out in a rash. Just a MILD rash, though. Not the one in the pictures.) So B took over.

I noticed before she went to bed that she had red splotches all over her hand and a few scratches that penetrated her skin. She had no idea how it happened. Could have been when her hand slipped between the mats at gymnastics earlier in the evening, brushing against the velcro. It didn't seem to bother her at all and it isn't surprising she didn't know where it happened.

Tuesday morning she had what you see in the pictures in my last post. The only places we were on Monday were swimming lessons at a brand-spankin' new water park that opened up in a local community park district (where we normally take swimming lessons, but this year they have a brand new facility!), home for lunch, then to Vacation Bible School, home for dinner, and out to gymnastics (indoors).

So, Wednesday the doctor said it is an allergic reaction very much like poison ivy. Because we cannot think where she may have touched poison ivy, it must be the hay. (There were other reasons we were at the doctor for B, but this was the reason to go TODAY instead of Saturday.) We've been keeping it covered just so we don't freak people out at swimming lessons or anywhere else. I just feel so bad that it's B who has it. She has the toughest breaks and already doesn't "feel" things quite the way we do. Plus, she is so self-conscious and sensitive. Not that I'd wish it on any child, but B certainly has it rough!

Now that I'm thinking back, I'm wondering if there may have been poison ivy at the park where we picnicked Sunday evening. Or if there may have been any in the flower beds at church when they did some of the activities at VBS...

I guess I'll go look up the time from exposure to rash for poison ivy... just for my peace of mind.

Stay tuned for the GIANT NEEDLE at the doctor's office.