LilAbner wrote:

Back in June we put out grass seed.
We covered it with wheat straw.
Wife got some itches and thought it was chiggers.
I got a couple little discolored spots on chest and on wrist.
We've been to the Doctor twice with it.
Mine has mostly cleared up.
Wife's legs look horrible.
Today she was sent to a Dermatologist.
She was given a shot and some additional topical antibiotics etc.
It is suspected staph infection and Dermatitis but they don't know for sure.
We don't know where the wheat straw originated. We bought it at Lowes
out of the trailer it was transported in.
The straw was dry and did not appear to have any mold or anything in it
or smell suspicious.

as you've found out it doesn't take much
to cause troubles. it might not even have been
the straw itself that was the problem as much as
the trailer that the farm used to haul the bales.
sometimes they haul manure and the trailer isn't
cleaned off and then they haul hay or straw and
so it picks up just a little on the surface of
the bale. that can be enough.


First time we've ever encountered any such problem.
In the sixties I bailed hay and straw in Indiana and never saw any such.
Perhaps long sleeves and other precautions are in order.

good idea!

i would still report the trouble to Lowes,
they should still be able to talk to the supplier.


songbird