I’ve been really itchy lately. REALLY itchy. As in all over — behind my ears, my arms, my torso, my neck, the tops of my feet, the palms of my hands — EVERYWHERE. And there’s seemingly no rhyme or reason as to why I’m itching all over. It started about two and a half weeks ago, on a Sunday. The only things I did that day that could be considered out of the ordinary were that I grabbed lunch at Five Guys, I sat on the rug in Rich’s office for the first time ever (right after he vacuumed), and I started a new birth control pill. That night I thought I was going to scratch myself to death. I called my OB, who said it was highly unlikely my new pill was responsible. I quit taking it, but still didn’t stop itching. Eventually I took my doctor friend’s advice and went to a dermatologist. Long story short? I apparently have hives for the first time ever; the dermatologist couldn’t figure out why I got them, either. I’m a — in the doc’s words — textbook case for dermatographic urticaria, more commonly called dermagraphism, and known as “skin writing.” (I actually went home and scratched the word “itchy” on my arm but couldn’t get a good picture.) Of course, I heard “skin writing” and the first thing that popped into my head was Harry Potter using the blood quill to write his punishment into his skin in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. That’s pretty much what this is. Prescription antihistamines stopped the itching, but if I scratch myself, I still end up with red marks popping up almost immediately. I can only hope it stops in the near future. If it doesn’t, well, then at least I’ll be able to give Harry Potter a run for his money. And I can do it without a blood quill. Take that, Harry.
