Itchy itchy itchy

Saturday night and I can stay up until 10pm! Yay!  I RARELY allow myself to stay up much past 9:15 or 9:30. I have to be up at 4:55am to make sure my boys are up for seminary each morning before school. 

The girls are all tucked into their beds. And I’m trying to convince myself to shut off the show and go to sleep.  But I don’t want to.  I want to keep watching; just because I rarely get to.

When I finally shut off the show and close my eyes and I can’t sleep. I’m tossing and turning.  I’m trying to get comfortable.  And I can’t. My brain won’t shut off.  It’s racing from topic to topic.  I try to calm my mind, but I’m not successful this time.

My arms start to itch.  When this happens I usually change into a short sleeved shirt and apply some lotion.  I do just that.  The itching won’t stop.  Now I need to go to the bathroom again.  Up the stairs I softly walk. 

Itchy Itchy Itchy

Back in bed the itching won’t stop.  Now my head itches. That could be because Colin came to me before he went to bed saying his head itched and that it felt like there was something in his hair…moving.  EWWWW! I checked his head. Twice. But there was nothing there, thankfully.

Now I’m thinking he gave me the itchies. But I DON’T think they’re contagious.  Now my back is itching.  I’m so uncomfortable. 

Then my legs start to itch too.  I get up to go to the bathroom and check to see if I can find a rash of any kind.  None.  No rash.  What the heck is going on? So I have an invisible rash? Weird!

It’s got to be in my head. I keep telling myself that.  I try to relax and go to sleep, but the itching just gets worse.  The inside of my ears is itchy now.  Aaagh! Seriously!

                                             Itchy Itchy Itchy

Sleep isn’t happening.  I keep texting Todd, who’s working the night shift, to see how he’s doing.  I want to turn on a show again, but logically I know I’ll get more rest if I just keep the lights and electronics off.  I close my eyes and try to think of other things.  I try to clear my mind.  Just as I start to fall asleep I wake up again…itching still. 

I’m trying to figure out what I can do to relieve my itching.  I start looking online to see what people have said about an invisible rash.  Nope. Nothing that applies to me. I shut off the phone again. Lights out.

My eyes close and I begin to doze again. Sigh. I wish the itching would just stop.  I text Todd again.  He’s surprised that I’m still awake.  If only I could sleep. 

It’s about 2:30 in the morning when I text him again. I’m frustrated and tired.  I should be sleeping while my kids are sleeping.  But it’s not working.  Todd calls me and asks me some questions.  It feels like I have hives, but there are no red spots.  So strange.  He tells me to take some benedryl.  I question whether or not it will interact well with my allergy medicine that I take every night before bed.  I check labels.  They are different medicines.  I take a dose of benedryl. 

Itchy Itchy Itchy

The last time I look at the clock it’s 3:00am.  My head is groggy…cloudy…heavy. I still itch.  But I’m falling asleep. 

My alarm goes off at 6:00am to get ready for church.  There’s no way I can get up.  I set an alarm for 7:00 and go back to sleep.  I text my mom and tell her I haven’t slept much and won’t be able to go to church.  She offers to take children.  I don’t know if I can actually get them up and going.  And Todd is in no shape to get up…since he just got home at 6:15.  I drag my woozy head out of bed and stagger up the stairs to get Colin up.  Johnny has a headache and is going to stay in bed.  Alex is mad that I’m making him get up. I don’t have the energy to fight it.  I let him go back to bed.  Max wakes up and gets ready.  I don’t even bother waking up the girls.  That would take too much energy. 

I itch. I get some more benedryl. I give the 2 boys instructions. Text my mom to tell her who is going to go with them to church and I carefully make my way back down the stairs.   I find my bed and curl up and go to sleep. 

Thankfully the itching lasts for only about 24 hours.  During the day it’s not too bad.  I can deal with the occasional annoyance.  But before bed on Sunday night I take another dose of benedryl so that I can sleep. 

I’m so thankful that most of the time I am able to care for my family with minor sicknesses along the way.  Every time I’m sick I am reminded just how blessed I am.  And now as I type this story…I itch…just thinking about it.  Ick!  I’m going to go think of something else now.