No, it's not the title to some badly written kids novel.

It's my reality.

When I was pregnant with Pablo--during my second trimester--I broke out in a rash from neck to knee. It covered just about every inch of me. And no-one knew why. After various medical attempts at getting rid of it, including 4 Benedryl every four hours for a few days, and a 5 day steroid treatment, I was told that I was allergic to my pregnancy and to tough it out.

The problem is, this rash itched. Like mad. It was everything I could do not to be constantly scratching myself. For three or so months, I was absolutely miserable. I wore loose clothes. I tried many different anti-itch remedies--like oatmeal baths, and Sarna lotion. Have you heard of Sarna lotion? I have a love hate relationship with that stuff. It worked, but every time I would put it on, my body would burn for a little while, and then feel better.

It did gradually get better. By the time I had Pablo, the rash was mostly gone.

Mostly.

And it's been mostly gone ever since.

I have occasional flare ups, once or twice a year, and I'm currently in the middle of one. The flare ups are slightly different than the original rash. They don't cover my whole body, thankfully. Currently, my worst spot is my knees. The problem with my knees being the worst spot is that by default, they get scratched almost constantly. Pants rub against them. When I sit down, they are just right there, sometimes screaming at me to scratch them. It's a constant battle between my body and my will. And most of the time that battle is a draw.

Over the years since I've had Pablo I've gone to several doctors to see if anyone could come up with something new. My family practice doctor in Hillsboro treated me for a fungus. No help. I went to a dermatologist. Not much help. My family doc here told me, again, that I was allergic to something and that I should go visit an allergist. My chiropractor brother tells me I should see a nutritionist. My optometrist husband theorizes that I have an odd auto-immune disease. (Here's hoping he's wrong, but they run rampant in my family.)

So I'm beginning the Quest. The quest for some answers. This morning I am on my way to see an allergist. I'm starting with an allergist because my insurance will cover the allergist. The nutritionist isn't covered by insurance, and he's pricey, but he's next if the allergist doesn't work.

And what does all of this have to do with Camp Jeremiah Johnson? Absolutely nothing. Seth is on his way there this morning for Cub Scouts. He's been so excited. He doesn't even want to eat breakfast this morning. He thinks he doesn't need it.

He does. My Seth gets ultra-ornery if he doesn't eat. It's in his genes. Faramir does his best, but he also gets ornery if he doesn't have enough food. I've often wondered about their blood sugar levels. Anyway, Seth is practically jumping out of his skin to go. When I dropped him off, he went running across the parking lot, away from the people he was supposed to meet. And when I looked back as I was leaving out of the parking lot, I looked back and he flashed me his huge grin--the one he only wears when something is going 100 percent his way.

Kendra is jealous of Seth. She wants to go too. Oh well.

Of course, this would be the morning that the scooter wouldn't start. Bleh. My mom has to drive out and pick me up and take me to the Dr.. We are a one car/one van/one scooter family. The car is in the shop. The scooter wouldn't start, so dh is taking the van to work and I am at the mercy of my family. Argh. The car should be done today, though, so hopefully tomorrow things will all get solved.

Anyway, signing off for now.