Injuries and illnesses

Non life-threatening annoyances and concerns this week have abounded in the Casa de Measi this week.

Erich, while doing his manly hedge-trimming duties last weekend, managed to get himself a rather impressive case of poison ivy. He wasn't content to get it in a normal spot, like the forearm (where it's currently blistering). He has to get it on the backsides of his knees, up the inner thigh, and his kneecaps. So he's hobbling around like Frankenstein and going insane from itching. Yesterday he spent most of the day on his stomach on the bed, playing Halo. I can't blame him, either. I can just imagine as the skin gets all dry and crusty-feeling, bending it is the last thing he wants to do.

We've tried the normal treatments (tecnu, another otc ivy scrub/spray), but might have started them a bit too late for it to be effective. He's been using the anti-itch spray, perhaps a bit too much-- and might have had an allergic reaction to the spray (camphor... gotta love the stuff. Ick.) Tonight may possibly be an oatmeal compress-style bath night, in Aveeno or Quaker form. His kneecap started weeping last night, and the blisters on his arm look like they may start up by tonight. It's a good sign to me because it signifies the reaction is moving through the initial irritation stage into the healing stages.

Thankfully, he already had a doctor's appointment scheduled for Wednesday to check up on his thyroid med dose, so the doc can take a look at what's going on and determine if something stronger is needed.


Second issue is Miss Fizz, who is acting completely normal. BUT... she's lost some patches of fur on both of her back legs and on her chest by her front right leg. The skin feels soft and normal, and it's not completely bald, so I've ruled out ringworm.While we've been home, we haven't noticed any over-grooming. She's drinking normally and eating normally. She's active. She's flirty. She's being completely normal Fizz. But she's missing fur.

For now, we're keeping an eye on her, hoping that perhaps it's due to the stress of moving into a new place added with Gus being extremely interested in pouncing her over the past couple weeks. I know that her eating habits were out of whack for about a week and a half when we first moved in-- it might be some byproduct result of temporary malnourishment. But at the first sign of another symptom or if the fur loss increases any more, she's going directly to the vet. If she weren't acting completely fine, she'd be there already.

Third issue is my Jeep. I took it on Friday for its mandatory (but extremely late) inspection. We haven't been driving the Jeep really at all since we moved to the house. We commute with Erich's car every day (better gas mileage and far fewer miles on the odometer). Since the car's parked in a driveway now and it's not something that I would get a ticket for unless pulled over, it just hasn't been a priority.

Well, when I took it in-- it failed inspection. One is the front right ball joint, which doesn't surprise me-- I had the left front ball joint repaired about nine months ago. The other is a "leak in the exhaust manifold," which the Jeep dealer admitted to me may be sounding worse than it actually is. I know about a cracked gasket joint just off the engine. Hopefully that's the issue. But I've never had any exhaust work done... so who knows?

In any case, I now have a big red DENIED sticker on the front of the Jeep in the form of a big red R. I've made an appointment with the Jeep dealership (where I had the inspection done) for tomorrow to do the full diagnostic and get it fixed. AND this pisses me off, because unless it comes to under $300 (which it almost guaranteed WON'T), my hopes of going to JournalCon just got eliminated.

*sigh*

I'm annoyed. I'm really annoyed.

That's life though, I guess.