We found out about 3 weeks ago all about poison ivy. Nothing here was blooming yet. Barely any buds on the trees so poison ivy never even crossed our minds. Won't make that mistake again. My 14 yr. old daughter had the worst case I'd even personally seen all over the right side of her face. It was swollen twice it's normal size, all red and purple, eye swollen shut. Poor thing was miserable and nothing was making it feel better. Finally made a trip to the doctor. She got a shot, a script for Prednizone and he recommend an over the counter wash called Domeboro. It's granuals that you mix with water and pat onto the affected area. It really helps dry up the blisters along with easing the itching.
Now that I know what it looks like and that it never really goes dormant I've noticed it everywhere. I had no idea TN was so covered up in it.
This thread offered some great information to help prevent it from happening again. Thanks for that. Both vehicles will now have a bottle of rubbing alcohol in them. We already make sure we have long sleeves, long pants and boots on regardless of the weather because of ticks. Ivy is another reason to wear this protective clothing. I've also heard that you can spray exposed skin with deodarant before heading into the woods and that would help keep the oils off. Don't know if this really works but it's certainly worth a try.