Poisoned!

In the 1950s, the United States government set up a poison control center. The toll-free number is for anyone to call if they suspect they've been poisoned.

Calling 1-800-222-1222 sends you to one of 55 poison control centers. One may also access a website (Contact Us (poison.org)) that allows one to input information and see if there is an issue.

Parents, teachers, and emergency service workers are probably keenly aware of this service. Since I have no children and am not a teacher, I was vaguely aware of it. My husband the former firefighter told me last night he once had the number memorized, but he'd forgotten it since he retired.

Anyway, I'd never needed the number.

Until last night.

Somehow, I managed to poison myself.

Around 8 p.m., I showered and put on body lotion. I use clotrimazole cream on an old surgical scar sometimes; it occasionally turns quite red and itches as if someone has thrown itching powder on it. This is something that started recently and why a 30-year-old surgical scar would suddenly act as if the surgeon took the knife to me three weeks ago is beyond me.

At any rate, the cream helps with the itch. It was itching a bit yesterday, so I applied the cream after I'd showered. I always wash my hands after I apply lotion and cream. I also rummaged around in the medicine cabinet behind the bathroom mirror, searching for a new case of dental floss.

Then I went into the living room to read and watch the Olympics.

I stopped biting my nails in 2020; it took a pandemic, but I did it. However, I keep them very short. If they are not short, then I tend to worry with them, running them over my teeth, until I find a pair of clippers and remove the offending nail growth. (One of the great things about wearing a mask outside of the house is that I don't put my fingers in my mouth or near my nose.)

Last night, I was worrying with a long nail on my index finger while I read. I didn't notice anything on my hands or fingers. But I did put my finger in my mouth. I mean, I'd just had a shower.

After a while, I noticed that the interior of my mouth was numb. My tongue felt numb, too. By the time we thought about going to bed, I felt the numbness down into my throat.

The only thing I could think I had done was perhaps gotten body lotion or the clotrimazole cream under my fingernail (or possibly anything in the medicine cabinet) and missed it when I washed my hands. I'd had a couple of glasses of water in the meantime, and also had brushed my teeth again to try to remove the sensation (neither helped).

My husband became concerned after I mentioned this to him, and we looked up the cream since it seemed the likely culprit. We filled in the information on the poison control center website and since I did not have the symptoms listed, it said to call.

So, we called.

A nice woman named Lisa talked to my husband. He told her what we thought I had accidentally put in my mouth. She talked to me, and I told her my symptoms. She said that the interior of the mouth is more sensitive than skin and the sensations should ease up over time. I hadn't consumed enough to be of much concern.

This relieved both of us. I was mostly worried about swallowing since the numbness was going down my throat, but I didn't have any trouble in the night.

This is a good government service. Government is not all bad. I imagine this poison prevention line relieves the minds of many a parent whose kid has swallowed a crayon or something.