+Kiamichi Muskrat Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Yes friends, while placing a new cache, I climbed over a cliff and apparently rubbed my forearm through some of our favorite plant. I didn't even know it was possible to get it in winter! I guess that shows how allergic I am. Be careful! The good news: it gave me an opportunity to try out CalaGel and let me tell you, this is the best poison ivy remedy out there. Quote Link to comment
+CYBret Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Yup, it doesn't go away. Yesterday I found a micro cache hidden behind a huge poison ivy vine. I'm guessing the hider didn't even realize that's what it was. Technu is really good stuff too. Keep some in your pack and wash your hands off with it right after you're exposed. Bret Quote Link to comment
+4leafclover Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 it's not just the leaves that cause the reaction. the berries, and the "hairy vines" that stick around in winter will still cause it. bummer. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 You can also touch some equipment you used around PI in the summer. A pair of shoes, hiking pole whatever and get the oils on you that way. Quote Link to comment
+reveritt Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 My granddaughter went all summer without a case of PI, and that's an accomplishment, as it is practically the state flower here. Then--doing the first cache in snow--she got it on her hands and face. Ya can't be too careful. Quote Link to comment
+BigWhiteTruck Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Yes friends, while placing a new cache, I climbed over a cliff and apparently rubbed my forearm through some of our favorite plant. I didn't even know it was possible to get it in winter! I guess that shows how allergic I am. Be careful!The good news: it gave me an opportunity to try out CalaGel and let me tell you, this is the best poison ivy remedy out there. I hate Poison Ivy. I used to get it all the time when I was young. Some tips and more info are available here: http://cacheopedia.com/wiki/Poison_ivy Quote Link to comment
+Robertsons3 Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 If you want to try some home remedies check out this link - Home Remedies for Poison Ivy Quote Link to comment
+Veska Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Worst case of poison ivy I ever got was in the middle of February. I pet my cat who tended to walk through a good sized patch in the woods. My hands and face (yes, I like to snuggle my face in the fur! ) were covered so bad that I couldn't bend my fingers or wear my glasses/contacts. And yes, you can get the oils from ALL parts of the vine, including the roots. Home remedies that work for me...make a tea from the stems and leaves of jewelweed (often found growing near poison ivy), strain, then make into ice cubes. Rub cubes over affected areas whenever they start to itch. Or, make a tea from fresh sage leaves. Strain and use the tea as part of your bath water...soak, don't wash...and just pat dry. Dawn Quote Link to comment
+BilboB Posted January 6, 2006 Share Posted January 6, 2006 I just got back from Arkansas where I received my 4th case of PI this year (a personal record). I just got over the rubbing my legs raw stage. Quote Link to comment
+Old Navy Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 Yes, even without those "leaves of Three" is still there waiting to get all us geocachers.....watch out for the vines. Quote Link to comment
+JDandDD Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 Interesting thread. Always thought that you'd be safe in winter. But this thread sent me reading on the internet and found other surprises like getting your lungs affected if you burn the plant and inhale the volatile oils. This plant is scarier than I thought. JDandDD Quote Link to comment
survey609 Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 I watched a story about ancient mummies on discovery, and the poison ivy that was placed in the tomb with the mummy still had the oil on its leaves that will make you itch. Quote Link to comment
+sept1c_tank Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 (edited) I'm lucky; I don't get it in the winter or the summer. Here is a picture of my buddy standing next to a typical Indiana PI vine in the winter: Edited January 7, 2006 by sept1c_tank Quote Link to comment
gridlox Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 ... and found other surprises like getting your lungs affected if you burn the plant and inhale the volatile oils. This plant is scarier than I thought. I almost lost my dad when we were young because of this very thing!! We were camping and one of the guys brought in this piece of "log" from the woods to kindle the fire. Unknown to us was that the "log" was actually a HUGE about 3inch diameter piece of Poison Ivy. My dad breathed the smoke and within hours we were in the ER with him having difficulty breathing! Spent a few scary days in ICU recieving antibiotics and anti-inflamatory drugs. If you are allergic to this stuff, make SURE you know what it look like in all of it's stages!! (live & dormant) D-man Quote Link to comment
+kentuckygirls Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 One winter me and my sister got a pretty bad case of PI when we burned some logs with some vines on them. We did not get it in our lungs but we had it everywhere else, even our eyelids! We were miserable for quite a while. Quote Link to comment
+Agent K Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 He.Happened to me,like,somewhere in 2004.Still have marks.Or was that last year? WWAAAHH! Quote Link to comment
+Thrak Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 No poison ivy here - this state has poison oak instead. I haven't had it for many, many years and when I did get it before it was very mild. Since I started geocaching in August 05 I've had two pretty nasty cases. One on my right arm and the second on my left arm (and a little on the back of my neck and at the corners of my eyes). Both times I had on a long sleeved sweatshirt and got it anyway - possibly from leaning on my pant legs later or from my cache bag. Apparently I'm now much more succeptible to the stuff than I used to be. Sigh....... I was in an area last weekend with a ton of it and I'm waiting to see if I have it again. I really hope not since it makes me crazy. Quote Link to comment
+DavidMac Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 (edited) It's also helpful to be able to recognize the younger, shorter PI plants, which around here grow in dense patches on the forest floor and usually grow about 12-18 inches tall. It's easy to spot a patch when it has leaves, but in the winter when you only have "sticks", you can still get the oil on your pants and boots. Good thing the small dormant PI plants, although they often aren't hairy, are easy to recognize once you know what they look like. Edited January 11, 2006 by DavidMac Quote Link to comment
+Davispak Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 so glad I am not allergic to it. I could roll in the stuff and no problem Quote Link to comment
+bblhed Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 My Summer Cache mobile has a leather steering wheel, the first summer I was caching heavily I noticed that I was getting poison ivy on my hands every time it rained. Problem was that the poison ivy oil had transfered from my hands to the leather and was comeing out when the leather got wet. I washed the wheel with Isopropol alchol and that solved the PI problem. Quote Link to comment
+Super_Nate Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 (edited) We went for a really fun puzzle cache in December and my sister got PI so bad that it was all over her face and her left eye was swollen shut! She gets it really bad and I thought that since it was winter and all that she wouldn't get it........well, I was wrong! Careful out there.........If PI is this bad in the winter, I really hate to see what it is going to be like this summer! Edited January 15, 2006 by Super_Nate Quote Link to comment
+Super_Nate Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 so glad I am not allergic to it. I could roll in the stuff and no problem Me too.....thank GOD! Quote Link to comment
+Harmony Smurf Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 (edited) Davispak and Super Nate. Be CAREFUL! The more often you are exposed to it the better chance you have of developing an allergy... I got it real bad last spring. Almost made me want to quite geocaching. ... NAH! Edited January 17, 2006 by Harmony Smurf Quote Link to comment
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