Consider this your official public service announcement for the season, coming straight from someone who learned her lesson the hard way. The hard, itchy, miserable, three-week-long hard way.

It started with poison oak. If you’ve ever had it, you already know. If you haven’t, count your blessings and keep reading, because what I’m about to tell you might just save you a whole lot of suffering.

I got into it good this spring. Like, in early March. What the heck!? And when I say good, I mean bad. Really bad.

Now, I have always joked about my upper lip sweat. If you know me, you know! And I am fully blaming it for what happened next.

I was working outside, it was warm, and I kept wiping my upper lip the way you do when you’re in the middle of getting something done. What I didn’t realize was that I had gotten into poison oak by touching a tool that had touched the branch, and I never even thought the oil could transfer (even without the plant), so it got on my hand. But every time I wiped that sweat away, I was spreading the oils right across my face. It started on my upper lip, then moved to my mouth, my lips, and my nose; my hands were covered too. It was everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. The kind of everywhere where you don’t even know where to start. You just sit in agony, just praying for it to go away. But it wouldn’t. I know how bad it gets, so I called my doctor immediately on day one.

I did what most people do. I went to the doctor and got a prescription for prednisone, the standard treatment. What I did not know, and what nobody tells you, is that you can actually be allergic to prednisone. (Ha! Leave it to me to be allergic to MORE medication!) I found that out the hard way when, instead of getting better, I kept getting worse. For over three weeks, I was absolutely miserable before we figured out that the medication that was supposed to help me was actually working against me. It was one of the most uncomfortable stretches I’ve had in a long time, and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.

I even had a steroid shot, and a week later, I ended up in the ER to get a prednisone injection, but because of my heart, this made things a lot more complicated. The ER doctor refused the prednisone injection even though my doctors were pushing it for me.

Needless to say, it’s a good thing I didn’t get it, even though in that moment I was ticked off when I left the ER. It was all God! He was protecting me! Getting that injection could have been really bad with the reaction I was already having to prednisone, but no one knew that at the time. The doctor was just worried it would help for maybe three days, but then I’d get it back even worse.

It took a lady at my church, Sandy Knipe, to text me and say, “Hey Andrea, do you think you could be allergic to the prednisone?” As I googled the symptoms, it all started to make sense, and within 48 hours, I started to finally feel better after getting off of it. Now I call her Dr. Sandy! She literally saved me from more days of misery. I kept saying, “I’m usually better by now; this doesn’t make sense.” I really can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner. Thank you, Sandy!!

(I’m a mess. Good grief. You can’t make it up, folks. My body does not do well with medication.)

So, let’s talk about what’s out there right now, because this time of year, the woods, the roadsides, and even your own backyard can be hiding some things that will make your life very unpleasant.

Poison ivy is probably the most well-known, and the old saying holds! Leaves of three, let it be. Those three-leafed clusters can show up just about anywhere, and the oils from the plant can transfer to your skin from clothing, tools, and even your pets. Yes, my dog Bear could carry it in on his fur and never feel a thing while I break out in a rash. Not fair, but true.

Poison sumac is less common but even more potent. It tends to grow in wet, swampy areas and has clusters of seven to thirteen leaves on a single stem with white or pale yellow berries. If you’re out near creeks or marshy ground, keep your eyes open. Poison oak is another one to watch for, with leaves that look similar to oak leaves and the same miserable rash-causing oils. Often climbing up trees!!

The thing all three of these have in common is urushiol — the oil that causes the reaction. And here’s what a lot of people don’t realize: you don’t have to roll around in it to have a problem. Brushing against it, touching something that touched it, or even burning it and inhaling the smoke can cause a serious reaction. Please, please do not burn unknown plants or brush piles without knowing what’s in them!!

If you do come into contact with any of these plants, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water as quickly as possible. The faster you get that oil off your skin, the better your chances of minimizing the reaction. And if you end up at the doctor and get a prescription, please make sure you mention any medication allergies and pay attention to how your body responds. If things are getting worse instead of better, say something. I wish I had sooner. I had never been allergic to prednisone before because I got poison quite a bit throughout my years. Oh, and another thing I swear by is Tech-Nu scrub! Man, I washed my face with that three times a day. Use a clean towel every time. (Not to mention I had to wash towels and sheets every day for weeks — horrible.) It should have been my first sign that this more expensive scrub wasn’t making a difference on my face, that something else was going on. But let me tell you, by the time my face healed, my face was absolutely glowing! Haha.

This is the time of year to enjoy the outdoors, and I want you to absolutely enjoy it. Just do it with your eyes open and your hands away from anything leafy that you can’t identify. Trust me on this one. And whatever you do, don’t wipe that upper lip sweat if you aren’t sure. Let that baby drip until you can wash your hands. *enter cheesy smile here*

Learn from my three weeks of misery. You’re welcome.

The Best Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:
• Bag of Baby Potatoes (24 ounces) – Cut in half
•Olive Oil
• Kinders’ The Blend Seasoning – Salt, Pepper, & Garlic

Directions:
Place potato halves on a baking sheet.

Drizzle olive oil on potatoes. (Just a few tablespoons)

Then sprinkle generously with Kinder’s seasoning.

Give it a good stir, then bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes.

Flip potatoes halfway through baking.