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Poison Ivy - Not Just For Kids Anymore!


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We are pretty new to geocaching and were having a great time introducing the relatives to it over the Easter weekend. In my excitement at trying to find the third and final cache of a rather complicated multi-cache, I was turning over a variety of rotten logs in the woods and completely forgot to check for the dreaded poison ivy. Here in northern Virginia, poison ivy grows everywhere, especially along pathways and edges of lawns. I felt a little itchy two days later, and the rash rapidly spread over both my arms, with blisters and oozing, as well as a red area almost like a burn. I tried the usual methods of home treatment, but the rash kept getting worse.

 

After a week, I finally called our HMO and went in to see the nurse. She told me you should always call a doctor if poison ivy doesn't get better in just two or three days. (I had poison ivy every summer as a kid, and just rubbed in calamine lotion to stop it, but maybe it gets worse as you get older.) If it progresses as far as mine did, you will be given steroids, lotions, and still be itchy for another week or so.

 

Just want to warn the rest of you to watch out for poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Here's a great web site about all three: www.poisonivy.us

 

Do get medical help if you can't get rid of the rash quickly. From now on, I'm going to carry an old long sleeved shirt in my geocaching bag to wear when I'm searching in the woods!

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I'm a bit more gung-ho I guess. I found a huge oak tree with one spot in the roots where I could see the film can, through the PI vines. Into the cache bag for a latex glove and retrieved the cache that I signed with my left hand. Short walk across the street to the old country store to dispose of the glove and to use Technu to wash up just in case.

 

I seem to have developed a systemic reaction. If I get into the stuff my hands/fingers will often develop the blisters, mostly small and just under the skin but no itch there and they don't reach the next stage where they weep.

Ivy Dry does a good job of helping to knock it back. However, for me no matter what happens if it makes it to the big blister stage it's going to itch for 7-10 days and all the goo to be applied is meerly window dressing to stop the itching for a brief period. That's when it's time to visit the Dr.

 

I'm typically very sceptical about homeopathic treatments but I'm atleast open minded enough to check out the products. There are supposed to be some drops that I'm guessing are Rhus/urishol that you mix with water and swallow. It's on my list of things to go check on.

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In the southwest USA we don't have Poison Ivy but we do have Poison Oak and I have a story about that.

 

I was caching of course and the coords were pointing to the top of this huge boulder. So I realize I need to skirt it and move uphill to the top. It was in July and all around the boulder was freshly sprouted P.O. all about waist high. I thought I could just hug the boulder and not touch any of it. So I start out and I can't see the footing and end up falling and guess where!!!!

 

I did find the cache and higtailed down to the creek and cleaned up a bit. Went home and showered and waited. Never did get a rash and later found out that usually on one's first contact with P.O. you won't get the rash.

 

I am much, much more careful now.

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There have been times while hunting a cache with 3 or 4 other people they will all get poison ivy but I wont. I don't know why but I never get a rash or anything when I come in contact with the stuff. One time my friend who went with me in the woods and walked through the same parts of brush that I did got it so bad he went to the hospital. I was fine not even an itch. I don't know why but I dont have a reaction poison ivy.

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I had a terrible case last year. I got the first little outbreak at a cache called "Girl Friendly." The name is only accurate if you are a girl mountain goat. Hammer had to climb down in a rock ravine to get the cache. I slid down into some PI. I treated it with all the over the counter stuff. The next week at church camp, the heat made it worse. I came home and got a steroid dose pack. 10 days later I went back and got a shot. 10 days after that I went back and got another dose pack and a shot. By that time the allergic reaction had covered both legs. I carry gloves and found some towelettes in a cache that are pre-contact and post contact PI prevention. I have not had any luck finding more to purchase. If anyone knows a source, post ir please.

 

Yamamomma

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I am in my fifties, and I do not get poison ivy; I never have gotten it in my life I can eat the stuff as salad greens. In fact, we just placed two extreme caches (Pyscho Urban Cache #11 [GCVMY6] and Psycho Urban Cache #12 [GCVJ29]) last week on islands in a local river; all three islands are HEAVILY COVERED with poison ivy, with no respite, and the cache listing pages warn of this hazard. Nonetheless, it is fun watching cachers who get poision ivy go after these caches.

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<_< Dealing with a bad case of poison ivy on my arms and a little on my legs from geocaching this past weekend. Spotted the stuff in 2 of the caches we visited. Tried to avoid it but it was impossible. Made the mistake of wearing short sleeves and shorts. Won't be doing that again. I'm scratching like crazy....I do wish people wouldn't put caches near the stuff. I know....in the winter it's not there...but stilll.....they gotta know it's around in the spring/summer. Grrrr... :rolleyes:
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I put it in my log on every cache I go to if I see PI to warn others.

 

FYI to those who are NOT allergic to PI. I was not for 55 years and then got it this year. In reading several PI sites. Your immunity can come and go rapidly over the years. So do not assume you will never get it.

 

For those who get it. I found some relief with Technu Extreme. Scrub down good with it and rinse with very hot water. Itch is much better for hours and it helps dry out the ooze. Did that 3 to 4 times per day until the symptoms were not a problem.

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I am in my fifties, and I do not get poison ivy; I never have gotten it in my life I can eat the stuff as salad greens. In fact, we just placed two extreme caches (Pyscho Urban Cache #11 [GCVMY6] and Psycho Urban Cache #12 [GCVJ29]) last week on islands in a local river; all three islands are HEAVILY COVERED with poison ivy, with no respite, and the cache listing pages warn of this hazard. Nonetheless, it is fun watching cachers who get poision ivy go after these caches.

 

That's just Mean :rolleyes: ... <_<

 

Guess what two I'm aking off my List.....

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I wear long pants while caching in the woods, even in the summer. I use a hiking stick to move plants.

 

I am very careful when I fold up the stick or when removing shoes if I think I might have cross a PI area. (the mowed edges of woods in particular)

 

So far so good.

 

That's my story.

 

Oh, if you want to include tick stories I don't sit on any logs or the ground.

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Just want to warn the rest of you to watch out for poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.

 

There are all kinds of potential hazards in the outdoors, depending where the cache leads you. The "poison" herbs are one -- got a little rash myself, but here in the N.E. we are into tick season, not to mention the other insects, some of which carry diseases. Poking in holes can provoke snakes and other critters. Slipper rocks an logs, etc. etc. I think that there are a lot of us who have not been particulaly huge outdoorsmen who are getting lured out to places where our inexperience can get us into trouble. That is good, I think, but that means we really have to educate ourselves in order to be safe cachers and cache seekers.

 

For those of you who find this whole thread boring, please be patient with us. :P

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As a quick follow-up, it got all over me and I had to go to the doctors to get steroid shots...got prescription creams and prednisone pills too. I was always very allergic. I thought I had avoided it but it probably brushed onto my shorts or backpack. I'm pretty friggin' miserable. Think I'll stick to urban caches/micros for awhile.

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We are pretty new to geocaching and were having a great time introducing the relatives to it over the Easter weekend. In my excitement at trying to find the third and final cache of a rather complicated multi-cache, I was turning over a variety of rotten logs in the woods and completely forgot to check for the dreaded poison ivy. Here in northern Virginia, poison ivy grows everywhere, especially along pathways and edges of lawns. I felt a little itchy two days later, and the rash rapidly spread over both my arms, with blisters and oozing, as well as a red area almost like a burn. I tried the usual methods of home treatment, but the rash kept getting worse.

 

After a week, I finally called our HMO and went in to see the nurse. She told me you should always call a doctor if poison ivy doesn't get better in just two or three days. (I had poison ivy every summer as a kid, and just rubbed in calamine lotion to stop it, but maybe it gets worse as you get older.) If it progresses as far as mine did, you will be given steroids, lotions, and still be itchy for another week or so.

 

Just want to warn the rest of you to watch out for poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Here's a great web site about all three: www.poisonivy.us

 

Do get medical help if you can't get rid of the rash quickly. From now on, I'm going to carry an old long sleeved shirt in my geocaching bag to wear when I'm searching in the woods!

 

Anti-persirant is suppose to help keep you from catching poison ivy. That was in a doctor's column in our local paper the other day. I get it every year, too.

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