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the unspeakable

Submitted By: Ann
Date Submitted: 7/18/2003 1:40 pm
Status: Approved
Views: 6480
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No photos, thank goodness, just a war story:

While camping near Winnipeg, Manitoba a few years ago I picked the wrong leaves to use as toilet paper. Within a day my private parts became phenomenally swollen and painfully itchy. I used ice and baking soda compresses at first to control the freakish itching and pain, but ended up on oral steroids to reduce the misery. It lasted about 1 month. No permanent harm was done.

A funny thing happened after I recovered: The following spring I developed a severe allergic reaction to tree pollen. My nose & eyes ran like mad, I sneezed continuously all spring. I braced myself for a lifetime of allergies. Then, the next season, the allergies were GONE. They've never returned in the 10 years since they began. Apparently my immune system got cranked into high gear from the poison ivy overdose and kept on high alert for the next year.