Barry & Me

Last Saturday, I decided to clear the back yard of some ivy that had ventured over from my neighbor's side of the property line. So I hacked and pulled and gathered all the refuse into a lawn bag for garbage pick up. On Sunday, I noticed some red blotches and welts forming on my arms.

Yup. Poison Ivy. Or poison something-or-other, I don't know. Was I wearing gloves and long sleeves? It's 100 degrees here, what do you think? Anyway, it's all over my arms, face and neck and it didn't look like it was going away any time soon. On Monday I was popping Benadryl like Tic-Tacs, to no avail. Calamine lotion only gives relief for about ten minutes. Two sleepless nights convinced me to call my doctor today. He was out of town, so his office referred me to another doctor who prescribed Prednisone. A steroid.

This is also the first time in my life I've ever been prescribed drugs. Ever. My wife finds it hard to believe that anyone who's been alive for 42 years has never taken prescription drugs. Yes, I was the last hold out.

So now I'm taking 'roids. I haven't noticed any increase in muscle mass, so I think Barry Bonds's home run record is safe for now. But if you detect an edge to some of my posts in the next few days, go ahead and assume 'roid rage.