When Dan saw the nasty hives (as big as welts -- they are big discolored bruises with massive hives on them) on my legs this morning, he immediately cancelled his plans to take me camping in the backyard this weekend.  The next thing he did was march to the phone and call and make me an appointment with the doctor.  That would be in the afternoon.

Poor Bill has been spending a lot of time outdoors these days due to soccer practice, and his allergies have been bothering him. Today he stayed home from school with a horrid sinus headache.  If he doesn't get better, he'll be the next one in to the doctor's office.

Steven, at least, is spared the worst of the fall allergy season, as he will not be playing soccer this fall. They didn't have enough kids of his age group sign up to make a travel team. Which, since I am the one who always gets to drive him an hour or more to away games on Saturdays, I am actually pretty happy about. Next year he will be in high school, can be on the school team (soccer is not a school sport for middle school), and if they schedule games ridiculously far away, they can take him there themselves in a school bus.

This afternoon I headed into Ann Arbor to go to the doctor. She was rather horrified when she saw the nasty hives on my legs and I got a scold for not coming in earlier. She gave me a prescription for zyrtec, a more powerful antihistamine than the claritin I normally take (the copay for it was $30 -- I hate my HMO ) and for a stronger cream (triamcinolone 0.1%). She also told me I have to take daily baths in this oatmeal stuff called aveenobath. If it gets any worse I am to come in immediately. If it doesn't get better within a week, I have to go back in and get put on prednisone. And since the nastiest hives on my legs are high up on my inner thighs, I am at high risk for getting a nasty yeast infection going on my legs (not to mention my most private and personal areas) on top of the contact dermatitis.  I have to keep my legs as clean and dry as possible (other than the baths) to avoid secondary infections (yeast only being one possiblity). Oh, and there's no way in the world I can be deployed down south for disaster relief until the hives clear up.

Speaking of which, they deployed two police officers from our hospital to New Orleans last weekend, and will be flying two more down there this weekend. A nurse who specializes in taking care of surgical patients is also being sent to Louisiana. So they are gradually sending people out.

They are giving people a two day notice before they are deployed (though the people are still expected to work any scheduled shifts before they fly out, so that doesn't really give you a whole lot of time to get ready to go). So I will continue to live one day at a time, as there is truly no point in making any short term plans for the next few months, as you never know when or if they might send you someplace.

Not that I could pass the physical right now anyway, with these crappy hives.

We will spend some time outside this weekend, even if we can't camp. We grilled dinner and ate outside tonight, and will eat all of our meals out on the deck this weekend, as weather allows.And Sunday will be the Green Day concert, which the kids are really looking forward to.

And my life, even with sick kids and nasty painful itchy hives, is infinately better than that of tens of thousands of fellow citizens. At least I know where my children are. I know where my spouse is. I know where my friends are. I have a home. I have clothing. I have a job. I have clean water to drink and to bathe in. I have plenty of food. My pets are here with me, and happy and healthy. I have sooooooo much to be grateful for. Even my crappy butt HMO!