To celebrate the Fourth of July this year, my boyfriend and I decided to take the our dogs hiking. We had a great time and walked our dogs down to a beautiful lake where they frolicked in the water and played in some bushes. Exactly a week later I noticed a small red bump on my leg that itched really badly. The next day it was growing rapidly and turning purple and blistering! So I went to the ER and they cultured it and gave me some bactroban ointment, and said they’d have the culture results in a week.

By the next evening, the ointment just seemed to be angering the now huge, weepy blistering rash and it had spread all over my left ankle and jumped to my right leg also. So back to the ER I went and this time they thought I had folliculitis (whatever the heck that is!). This time they put me on Keflex orally.

By the next day, I had muscle spasms in my left leg and random numbness. I decide to go to the follow-up physician they referred me to at the ER and he finally figured out it was poison ivy! Apparently I am very, very allergic to it and I had a weird delayed reaction. With steroids and anti-itch medicine and three doctors later I’m finally feeling better and my leg doesn’t look like it’s about to fall off.

(The image was borrowed from another ankle-rash sufferer from the Skin Rash Hall of Fame.)