That's what we've been up to lately.
I'm on day 11 of the poison ivy, which sometimes can last up to 4 weeks. It started out on my neck, chest, and fingers, but has now also shown up on my stomach and left arm. This is my third time in my life getting it and the more you have had it, the more likely you are to get it again. I believe Eleora gave it to me after coming in from playing outside to nurse. She never got it (praise God!), but you don't get poison ivy until after your second exposure to it. I'm hoping that she has Eric's genes and will never get it at all. Eric's Dad has rubbed it right on his skin and did not get it! Evidently 15-30% of the population is not allergic to it.
So, Calamine lotion (thank goodness it comes in "clear" nowadays instead of pink!), oatmeal baths, ice packs, and lots of prayer are right up my alley! I wake up about every 2 hours during the night because it itches so much (it brings me back to the days when Eleora was a newborn - wait, she didn't even get up that often!). Then I go switch ice packs, or put more lotion on... it is a challenge!
On a side note, I have had a yellow tongue for the past 2 weeks! It is finally starting to go away. It is caused by an overabundance of a certain type of bacteria in your mouth. It is so strange! About a month ago I got a forward saying that if you held one cap full of hydrogen peroxide in your mouth for ten minutes (I did it in the shower) once every day, it would act like a teeth whitener in no time. Come to find out, this is probably why my tongue turned yellow. One website I read said to avoid mouth washes with high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide because it could lead to yellow tongue! Go figure! I'm glad I caught it early on, because if you don't, yellow tongue can turn into black hairy tongue! Yeh, hairy! It's nasty. I looked up a picture online. Crazy!
Lastly, my little babe is getting her last two teeth in, the K-9's! She's had a fever off and on (reaching 102.5 at times!) and has not quite been herself. I feel so bad for her. I'm so glad we're at the end of this teething road. So, tonight is the first night of the BASIC Conference here in Syracuse, but Eleora and I are hunkered down here at home, recovering together.
I keep on reminding myself that my God is the "Great Physician" and nothing is too small for him. He heals us of all our infirmities (Psalm 103:3). I keep on thinking about the people in the Bible who had leprosy... things could always be so much worse. I catch myself complaining sometimes, and then the other day, we got a piece of mail from Voice of the Martyrs with a little girl whose face was peeling off. I was silenced. On Sunday, the Pastor that gave the message said, "sometimes, before God can do something for you, He needs to do something in you." God is doing something in me.
I am learning. I am learning more and more about gratefulness, prayer, and patience every day. I need to stand on His promises. He is faithful and if we put our trust in Him, He will never let us down.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all the friends and family affected by the Binghamton shooting. ~Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
