So sad. So sick. So swollen.

Clint helped with an Eagle Scout project up in the Pleasanton Hills a couple of Saturdays ago. Despite his best efforts to not touch any plants, he still ended up with poison oak (as did a few others). For a week, only his right arm was affected. Then, eight days later, he woke up and his face was covered in red bumps.Within a few hours his face looked like this.

And his arm got more swollen and red bands appeared around his forearm. He went to the hospital that afternoon (Sunday) to see if his arm was infected and to find some relief for the burning and itching. Unfortunately, the doctor he saw didn't seem to be as knowledgeable as we would have liked. We had been hearing, from friends and nurses, about a miracle shot that can be given to poison oak victims to clear up the rash and the swelling. We mentioned this to the doctor and he said a few years ago they found the shot didn't help much, so they stopped giving it. He gave Clint a perscription for topical cream and for steriods (we had to tell him the rash was on Clint's face, too. Maybe that should have been our first indication of the doctor's abilities.) Below is a picture of Clint's arm Sunday night. It is 2 inches bigger than his healthy arm.

By Monday night he looked like this. Another trip to the hospital provided that miracle shot that "isn't given anymore" and it proved to do just as others claimed--produce a miracle. Two hours after receiving the shot, his face started going back to normal. He got three other perscriptions for the infection, itching, sleeping issues, etc. Though I haven't seen him since early Monday morning, he reports that his eyes are still red, but his face is normal otherwise. His arm is gross, but feels better. Not so sad. Not so sick. Not so swollen. Phew.

This is how his arm looked after the blood pressure cuff was removed. His elbow was lost in a sea of fluid.