Some of you may have noticed my right eye was a bit swollen last Thursday and Friday. I got poison ivy a week ago Monday. Today it is on my hands and arms. I know you are asking yourselves “why didn’t he wear gloves?”. Well, I did. Here’s the problem. Last year my doctor told me there is no such thing as poison oak. I thought my daughter had that last year. She was a mess. Her legs were swollen and she had to take steroids to get rid of it. Turns out he is correct. It is all poison ivy from the same plant but that plant may be a small plant with three shiny leaves or may be a huge vine, sometimes referred to as a grape vine that wraps itself around trees, ultimately killing them. I thought that the big vines were safe per my conversation with my dermatologist last year. Wrong. I pried huge vines off a tree in the hopes of saving the tree and then pulled them down with my bare hands. I pulled vines down from the tree that were forty feet long. I wore gloves when I came across the small plants with shiny leaves. I wish I had washed my hands and arms thoroughly and right after I finished my project. The secret is removing the oil from the plants from your skin. Remember to wash thoroughly with soap in cool water. Yes, you can spread poison ivy. I gave it to my wife because I still had the oils on my arm two days later. Needless to say after my daughter’s reaction last year I have not been within ten feet of her since I contracted it. My eyes are better but my hands are still a mess. Here’s to Benadryl.