ER Visit - No Pics, Didn't Happen compliant! :)

[maxwell_smart007]

I am now officially done with red cedar...I LOVE the stuff, but I have a feeling it may be the culprit in my trip to the ER this morning ...

After being sick for a week, I decided it was time to actually turn a pen - made one from wenge and one from red cedar. THey turned out very nice, by the way! :)

Last night, I had these big red welts...they morphed into each other, and became giant red outlined welts...

This morning, when I woke up, I was covered in giant hives (size of teacups and dinner plates) all over...

Went to the ER and had to go on immuno-suppressory treatment..only thing I can think that would be causing it is the cedar dust...

Time for a dust collector, for sure!!


Edit: Pics below - don't look if you're not wanting to see hives!

[Sawduster]

Pretty good chance that you are right. The stuff that does in moths and such and makes cedar good for closets and storage chests is an allergen to which some have pretty bad reactions.

[Sachbvn]

Sleeves, pants, AND a respirator!


Good luck - sorry to hear of your misfortune.

Zac

[Cody Colston]

Well that sucks big time. Are you certain it was the Cedar and not the Wenge...or a combination of the two?

Cody
Tyler, TX

[center][b]The expert at anything was once a beginner.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c8...n/thCandle.jpg

[TDHofstetter]

I'm betting the cedar... because cedar contains quinones. Wenge, while it contains some mild CNS toxins & is a skin sensitizer, isn't nearly as well-known an irritant 'cause fewer people react to it. Lots of folks react to cedar.

-- Tim --

Member of the
Robert "Limey" Bolton Memorial
International
Volunteer Mentorship and Assistance
Programme

[ictoos]

Yea, Cedar makes me itch big time too.

If you have that level of reaction- make sure your primary gives you an "Epi-pen" in case you get into serious trouble.

Allergies wax and wane throughout a lifetime. A mild reaction today can be a life threatening one next time. in a few years you might have no reaction at all or a real problem.

Doc K

[maxwell_smart007]

I'm not even sure they are 'hives', Kerry - the ER doc didn't really know either. He looked at them and said "let me go check the books", and then came back with 'let's call them 'hives' for now'...

I made him rule out Necrotizing Fasciitis before I left, so no flesh eating here! :)

[TDHofstetter]

It's too cold up there still for you to have gotten into... I don't remember the name of the stuff, looks a lot like a century plant. WICKED skin sensitizer, doesn't do anything till the skin gets sunlight, then it makes you blossom out like crazy in awful lesions. You SURELY haven't been using a weedwhacker, have you? Or got any plant 'round them parts that looks like that?

Wish to heck I could remember the name of that dang plant. Most people I know don't even know they exist, but one neighbor hit a patch of it with a weedwhacker & it looked like they were melting. Skin just rolling off 'em.

-- Tim --

Member of the
Robert "Limey" Bolton Memorial
International
Volunteer Mentorship and Assistance
Programme

[maxwell_smart007]

It's mosly on my tool handle holding hand too - not even the one guiding the tool...odd eh? (It's on the other one too, and my legs, but mostly on my right arm)

[Postman]

Wow! I hope you get better soon.