allergies and elephantitis

Ok, if you read my last posts, you might be wondering what all the allergy foreshadowing was about. While on today's hike, apart from normal allergy symptoms (watery itchy eyes, runny nose), my legs got very irritated by the tall grass. By the end of the trail, my legs were pretty swollen (my dad actually used the word "elephantitis" to describe their appearance... and he wasn't exaggerating!), and they started to hurt quite a lot as well.

After getting home, showering and taking antihistamines, I didn't see much improvement. I've had this kind of reaction to grass before, but never quite so severe. And with a less serious case, the itchy bumps usually remain for a few days. Needless to say, the prospect of walking around with elephant legs for the next few days wasn't too appealing. So finally I decided to go see a doctor.
Above are all the goodies the doctor gave me, and that's not including the extra-strength anti-histamine shot I got in the butt (the first in my memory!). He told me that my allergic reaction was moderately serious, which though slightly scary to hear, gave me some comfort, because I'd started to wonder if I was just being melodramatic about the whole thing (i.e. going to the doctor at all).

I think the swelling has gone down a little bit, but there's still a ways to go before my legs will be back to normal. You might have noticed that I have not posted any pictures of my legs... that's because they look like something you'd see in a medical book about scary skin conditions, and I don't want to frighten you, precious reader. But if you're really curious about the appearance of my legs, let me know and I'll send you your very own digital copy.