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Poison Ivy?


Marjory

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Well, I don't know it it was a side effect of Lyme, but... Or maybe it wasn't poison ivy, but if it wasn't, I don't know what it was. Now, remember that I've never had major reactions to poison ivy previously. About two months after being diagnosed with Lyme, I was near/touching poison ivy. I started with a rash on my hand, which moved to my arms. And kept moving. Arms, legs, chest... Doctor diagnosed 'allergic dermatitis'. If you don't know what it is, make up a great sounding name that describes the symptoms! Twelve days of prednisone cleared it up quickly. Do NOT ever prescribe prednisone for me, again. Ever! Massive mood swings. I was dangerous! A female coworker told me that "Now, you know what it's like to be pregnant." I'm studiously avoiding poison ivy now. Though I did have a similar, but more minor case this year. That went away after a week or so, with calomine lotion, and never spread further than my forearms.

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Well, I don't know it it was a side effect of Lyme, but... Or maybe it wasn't poison ivy, but if it wasn't, I don't know what it was. Now, remember that I've never had major reactions to poison ivy previously. About two months after being diagnosed with Lyme, I was near/touching poison ivy. I started with a rash on my hand, which moved to my arms. And kept moving. Arms, legs, chest... Doctor diagnosed 'allergic dermatitis'. If you don't know what it is, make up a great sounding name that describes the symptoms! Twelve days of prednisone cleared it up quickly. Do NOT ever prescribe prednisone for me, again. Ever! Massive mood swings. I was dangerous! A female coworker told me that "Now, you know what it's like to be pregnant." I'm studiously avoiding poison ivy now. Though I did have a similar, but more minor case this year. That went away after a week or so, with calomine lotion, and never spread further than my forearms.

 

"Allergic Dermatitis", doesn't get any more vague that that, hehe.

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Well, I don't know it it was a side effect of Lyme, but... Or maybe it wasn't poison ivy, but if it wasn't, I don't know what it was. Now, remember that I've never had major reactions to poison ivy previously. About two months after being diagnosed with Lyme, I was near/touching poison ivy. I started with a rash on my hand, which moved to my arms. And kept moving. Arms, legs, chest... Doctor diagnosed 'allergic dermatitis'. If you don't know what it is, make up a great sounding name that describes the symptoms! Twelve days of prednisone cleared it up quickly. Do NOT ever prescribe prednisone for me, again. Ever! Massive mood swings. I was dangerous! A female coworker told me that "Now, you know what it's like to be pregnant." I'm studiously avoiding poison ivy now. Though I did have a similar, but more minor case this year. That went away after a week or so, with calomine lotion, and never spread further than my forearms.

 

I went through a bad bout of poison oak recently (we don't have poison ivy out here -- but same thing, more or less). I was exposed on my forearms and a bit on my neck, but the reaction spread to "other" areas of my body. My docotr gave me some good info, something I hadn't heard before. He said that even though you are exposed in a certain area, your skin reacts en masse, so you get outbreaks in areas that were not exposed. There are a number of variables, how allergic you are, how big the exposure is, etc. He did put me on prednisone for three weeks, and I concur with Harry Dolphin -- bad news. It helped get rid of the reaction, but it kept me awake for days on end... and I was mOOdy! On the bright side, I solved some tough puzzles in the middle of the night :laughing:

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My poison ivy story goes back to my days in the USMC.

 

Somehow I came into contact with poison ivy and got it bad. I mean bad. I had a small patch on the inside of my left upper arm, across the small of my back and down both sides of the crack of my butt. It was terrible.

 

The funniest part was waiting in the chow line one day this boot 2nd Lt who I didn't like very much saunters up to me and grabs my left arm, saying something like, "what the he^% happened to you?"

 

I just smiled and said, "poison ivy sir" :laughing: The look on his face was magic!

 

My second taste of poison ivy was at home. Somehow I got it on both ankles. Wasn't too bad.

 

My last time (I hope) with poison ivy I ended up with a basketball sized area on my left hip. I had to take steroids for this one.

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Sorry, I'm not allergic to it.
Then go stand in a Bush of it or lay in it and take a picture. :laughing:
Most of the time, I don't even notice the stuff. Since I have never been affected by it, its not on my radar.

 

We do get some PI intermingling with some of the bushes at home. I just reach in and tear it out. No biggie.

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Lucky for me I am not allergic to it, that or Poison Oak. Being originally from Oregon I did have a bad case of Oak one time, and only one time. I was really stupid one day when I was still in high school, my senior year. I was clearing p. oak away from a tree in our yard, it was a very hot day and I was sweating something fierce and wiping my face with my glove. So guess where the rash hit? And I had to go to school the next day with it like that. I kept wet paper towels on my face all day just for relief. And the next day it was almost gone. Quickly gone but man it told me it was there. Otherwise I can do caching all day in oak or ivy and never get an itch. My husband on the other hand is the exact opposite. If he even looks at ivy he gets a rash.

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My daughter got on some ivy Sunday - she knew when and where she was exposed. I had purchased a comercial ivy kit but it was 15 miles away. By the time we got home, she had multiple prominent blisters. We used the "ivy wash" and steroidal cream. As we were very careful not to touch the affected area directly, there was no spreading and within 15 minutes she was fine. The kits vary hugely in price ($5-$50). I purchased one of the inexpensive kits and "Ivy Block". I went back and bought two more kits, one for my truck and one for my caching bag. Two thumbs up on these products.

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My daughter got on some ivy Sunday - she knew when and where she was exposed. I had purchased a comercial ivy kit but it was 15 miles away. By the time we got home, she had multiple prominent blisters. We used the "ivy wash" and steroidal cream. As we were very careful not to touch the affected area directly, there was no spreading and within 15 minutes she was fine. The kits vary hugely in price ($5-$50). I purchased one of the inexpensive kits and "Ivy Block". I went back and bought two more kits, one for my truck and one for my caching bag. Two thumbs up on these products.

 

Once the oil has absorbed into the skin, it is no longer "contageous." Meaning that you can't pass it from person to person by touching the rash or the gunk oozing from the blisters. My wife always freaks out when I am in the oozing stage, saying "Get that away from me!" Granted it looks disgusting, but its nothing more than my skin trying to heal itself.

 

The oil from the plant can remain on an animal's hair for a few days, or on your clothing, etc. but should dry up after several days. The rash spreads because your skin is one BIG connected organ and once the allergic reaction starts, it tends to cause outbreaks even where you weren't exposed, depending on the severity of one's reaction to the chemical and the amount of exposure, etc.

 

I have found that Tecnu works really well for me, up to six hours after exposure, after that... bring on the drugs (even though they have their own problematic side effects).

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I've been lucky with only minimal PI affects over the years (couple small pimple-sized spots). My wife and son get it bad, however.

 

So, are there any general rules for identifying this stuff in the woods/field? I used to apply the "shiny-pointy leaves" rule, but my wife informs me it's not so simple. She is cautious aound any THREE-leaved plants.

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The website dedicated to PI PoisonIvy.org .

Some scary pictures there.

 

One thing I know it that you can go many years of you life immune to the effects of poison ivy, and then overnight become allergic to it. So heads up sbell111.

 

I use to be immune to PI, but in the last year or so, I've started getting rashes from touching it. :anicute:

 

I've also heard some fantastic old wives' tales regarding PI and how to avoid it. Including making a tea out of the first leaves of the spring and eating the leaves. :grin:

Edited by ekitt10
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I found some good pictures here: http://www.poison-ivy.org

 

Looks like my wife is pretty correct:

 

- Shiny and not shiny leaves

- Leaves in triplets

- Small as your thumb, large as your palm

- Smooth or notched leaf edge (never serrated)

- Clibs trees or crawls on the ground

 

This stuff is everywhere!

 

shiny-not-1.jpg

 

summer-1.jpg

 

spring-1.jpg

 

climbs-1.jpg

 

creeps-1.jpg

 

:anicute: ooooh.....these pictures make me itch............

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I second what Ichabod recommended--Tecnu has saved me numerous times.

 

I know what PI looks like (when it has leaves--don't ask about the time I dug in PI roots befored it budded!) but at times I foolishly think I am not touching it, or who knows what. Now. whenever I have spent a day out and about and have even SEEN PI, I wash down with Tecnu. It has saved me on numerous occasions from getting head to toe rashes.

 

What everyone has said here so far is true from what I have learned through first hand experience, from my dermatologist (known nationwide in PI research--I was a subject in a PI immunity test in the 1980s because I was so wonderfully capable of getting it) and from online research.

 

Vinny and Sue, I think anyone can eat poison ivy, if they can get it past their lips--digestive juices will take care of the oil. At least that is what I suspect because IN my mouth is the only place I have never gotten poison ivy.

 

I have also found that after I touch PI my skin itches just a bit after a short time. Not itchy like after the blisters but an annoying itch where my skin feels like it doesn't fit right. This is a sign to use Tecnu as soon as I get home. I used to carry a box of wipes with me, but they were industrial strength ones--not the baby wipes that are so easily available. I am afraid to try baby wipes because I figure the oil in them to help keep baby's butt soft will merely spread the urushiol on my skin more. I can't find my original wipes or anything similar, so I have a tube of Goop with me, which is much harder to use without something to wipe it off.

 

Recommendations from PI pros (my doctor, web sites, etc):

*Wash with a commercial PI product such as Tecnu if you have it, with soap and water if you don't. Warm water, not hot (hot opens the pores to allow the oil to set into the skin more), lots of soap, but not a harsh soap like Fels Naptha, which was my personal "old wive's tale" when I was growing up. Not a "beauty bar" either, as the oil in the soap will be counterproductive. The oil remains active for quite a while, so wash the later that day, the next day, etc.

*Don't scratch. You will open yourself to infection and scarring.

*Don't eat cashews while you have poison ivy. They contain urushiol and will make your PI worse!

*Don't touch antique Japanese Lacquer desks. The black lacquer has urushiol in it. (I know this one is pretty "out there" but it is such a random factoid that I had to include it. And yes, it is true--I have tested it)

*Most topical preparations are just for itch relief. Few if any will change the severity or length of the rash.

*For PI on your hands and other extremities, and you know how horrible it is on your fingers, run HOT water over your hands for just 10 or 15 seconds. As hot as you can stand it without cooking yourself. This short bit of semi-pain will give you 30-60 minutes of respite. This is one remedy I swear by.

*Wash your clothes and other things that might have contacted PI that day. The oil will stay active for a long time. I have heard that it will remain over a year.

 

As someone mentioned, you can't transfer PI from person to person with that oozy stuff. It is your lymph for the most part. However, if you haven't cleaned yourself well you may still have the oil on you and can transfer it that way.

 

This spring/summer has been the worst in my area, south central PA, ever for poison ivy, and weeds in general. I have seen huge PI bushes, with shiny leaves 6 inches long or more. That sort of growth is rare around here, and I hope next year is better. So far I have only gotten it one time on my arms and hands.

 

One strange experience I had two years ago. I had gotten PI all over--arms, hands, face, neck, other (unnamable) spots. The doc gave me steroids and I dutifully took them and went to a conference far from home. At that conference I finished the steroids, and as soon as I did the itching and blisters came back, worse than ever. Upon my return I went back to a different doc and was told the dosage was way too low, and she prescribed a higher dosage that worked fine. I can only guess that the original dosage held the itching in check but as soon as it was stopped my immune system freaked out and began to fight again.

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I second what Ichabod recommended--Tecnu has saved me numerous times.

 

I know what PI looks like (when it has leaves--don't ask about the time I dug in PI roots befored it budded!)

<snip>

 

Oy! Yes, my most recent run-in with Poison Oak was this winter when I went hacking up a bunch of vines with no leaves (mixed in with my English Ivy) and all the while i was thinking... "What kind of vine is this?" Doh! Since then, I have become keenly aware of vines that resemble poison oak, and not just the leaves. Of course, this is only really a problem in the winter months...but still a problem.

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I'm pretty paranoid about Poison I/O/S.

Probably partly because I'm never sure if a particular plant is NOT one of the three.

If I can't rule it out, I assume it's one of them.

 

Consequently, I always wear long pants when out in the woods.

If it's too hot to be in pants in the woods, I'll stay home.

I usually wear a long-sleeved overshirt too (when in the woods).

 

That way any plant can brush by my arms or legs and I don't worry.

However, I am careful to not wipe my sweaty brow with my sleeve!

 

When back home, those clothes go right in the laundry.

 

I've tried learning to ID the Poison plants, but once I get out in the woods everything starts looking like 'em.

 

A bit off topic, but I hate ticks more than I hate Ivy, so although I look goofy doing it, I always tuck my pant cuffs into my socks. I tuck in my shirt too, but that's not strange.

That leaves my neck and sleeves as the only points of entry; the three ticks I've found this year were all on my chest and back and had not attached yet.

(I do NOT want to have something with ticks like Gordy had with the leech in Stand By Me, UGH!)

-Kris

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I got a pretty bad exposure when I was out a few weeks ago. I actually thought I'd rubbed up against some rust or something, as it initially looked like a few rust-colored blotches on my inner wrist that just didn't want to wash off. Within a few days, they looked like three huge bug bites, and by a few days later I had tiny red itchy bumps on both of my forearms, my neck, all over my abdomen, and on my inner thigh.

 

It could have been a snake or spider (or gator!) bite, so I didn't want to complain too much, but the itching was so bad that it woke me up nights when it was at its worst. I finally had to cover my wrist because the scratching in my sleep was causing the sores on my wrist to bleed. Yuck.

 

Very hot water and rubbing alcohol were the cures for me. I also tried Cortizone-10 and Lanacane with no success, although the Cortizone feels nice on the dry patches that I have left.

Edited by KommisMar
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I was out on my second cache hunt and noticed a plentiful amountof poison ivy in the cache's vacinity. I thought to myself, "I wish I had my bottle of heavy duty Round-up!"

 

Which brings me to the question, is it morally or environmentally incorrect to use a product like Round-up to kill poinson ivy near a cache? (I know leave no trace enthusiasts would cringe....)

 

I'll resist the temptation to rid the local landscape of P.I., but I would appreciate your thoughts.

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I don't think it's okay to modify any environment that you do not own or are explicitly permitted to modify.

 

IMO, that would include chemical spraying, cutting, mowing & clearing an area, blazing trails & constructing a hide by cutting branches or moving major timber.

 

(That gets pretty grey though, about the branches and such. It's okay to move a bit of deadfall to make a cache-nest, but cutting down a hollow tree or other 'major' landscaping is probably too much.)

 

Besides, a pint of RoundUp would only minimally impede the growth and success of something as resilient as the poison plants.

Sure, it would kill off the plants right there, but after a few rains, the surrounding healthy PI would move right in.

 

So even if it's okay, it probably wouldn't have any long-term benefit.

 

But that's just my opinion, -K

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One thing I know it that you can go many years of you life immune to the effects of poison ivy, and then overnight become allergic to it. So heads up sbell111.
Yeah, somebody mentioned that when this thread topic came up years ago. Until I start breaking out, however, I'm not going to worry about it. I'm old enough that it's probably not going to be an issue.
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My daughter got on some ivy Sunday - she knew when and where she was exposed. I had purchased a comercial ivy kit but it was 15 miles away. By the time we got home, she had multiple prominent blisters. We used the "ivy wash" and steroidal cream. As we were very careful not to touch the affected area directly, there was no spreading and within 15 minutes she was fine. The kits vary hugely in price ($5-$50). I purchased one of the inexpensive kits and "Ivy Block". I went back and bought two more kits, one for my truck and one for my caching bag. Two thumbs up on these products.

Link to comment

I was out on my second cache hunt and noticed a plentiful amountof poison ivy in the cache's vacinity. I thought to myself, "I wish I had my bottle of heavy duty Round-up!"

 

Which brings me to the question, is it morally or environmentally incorrect to use a product like Round-up to kill poinson ivy near a cache? (I know leave no trace enthusiasts would cringe....)

 

I'll resist the temptation to rid the local landscape of P.I., but I would appreciate your thoughts.

 

Creating a brown dead zone around a cache may help people find it, but won't do much to help our image with the landowner.

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