Has anyone gotten Poison Ivy, Oak or Sumac while caching?

[+DisneyXtreme]

Has anyone gotten Poison Ivy, Oak or Sumac while caching?

 

If you have, what were you wearing, what did you use to treat your allergic reaction, how long did it last on your body until it was fully gone and if you have any pictures of your rashes lets see them.

 

Let's hear your story on how you got it while caching.

[DannyCaffeine]

The only thing I have encountered is stinging nettles.

 

I simply washed the area (my forearm) with soap and water.

 

It lasted about 2 days. It was kinda annoying but not too bad.

[+Semper Questio]

The question would probably be better asked with "How many times have you gotten poison ivy?"

 

I get hit with it at least once each year. I'm dealing with a little hit of it right now. Generally I just keep it clean and take 1/2 a benadryl as needed to keep the itching tolerable until it clears up in a week or 2.

 

Funny thing is, I used to be completely immune to it. Then one day I was out caching along a creek and, assuming I was immune as always, I was ignoring the foliage, wrapping my arms around PI covered trees and such as I maneuvered along the bank. Well, I wasn't immune any more. My exposure that time almost went systemic and my arms were a hideous mess. I had to go to the doc for that one and got a shot of something and a prescription for prednasone and had to do various astringent soaks for a while. It was pretty wicked.

[Double Agents]

Poison Ivy here... And lots of it!

When you realize you touched it, or feel that your skin is starting to feel weird... Dig into you pack or first aid kit, Alcohol wipes (Isopropyl) Clean the area you know it touched, get another wipe, go outside that area and work back into the first pad area. If you hit it soon enough, and with enough alcohol, you're probably good to go; though you'll want to break out the benadryl anyway.

 

Poison plants have bad oil, the alcohol cuts it and gets most of it off your skin. Baby wipes or Hand sanitizer might have a chance of doing something, but I doubt it. You carry alcohol pads right?

Edited May 27, 2010 by Double Agents

[+speakers-corner]

Sorry to ask this question, but what is poison ivy? I have never come across it.

[+Semper Questio]

Sorry to ask this question, but what is poison ivy? I have never come across it.

 

poison-ivy.org

Poison Ivy, Oak & Sumac Center

[MrsJonesen]

I managed to get it last year on one leg while caching at an event. I remember it itched within a few hours, and somehow transferred itself from my one calf to my other calf...so I ended up with some on both legs. I was wearing shorts (dumb!....but it was really hot that day).

 

Apparently, I'm pretty susceptible to it. After a day or two, I had to cave in and got the pretty pink lotion to put on it. It helped, but only the tiniest bit. My unconscious scratching would still wake me up at night.

 

It seemed to last forever, but I know it was several weeks before my skin recovered. I still have faint discoloration where it was, but I expect that will go away (it's been almost a year)

 

Anyone ever use Ivy Block? Does it work? What about Technu? I don't want to cache in pants all summer and I never saw the ivy last year so I'm a little paranoid.

 

Sorry, no photos!

[+Darren V]

stinging nettle.....

that stuff stings

[oakenwood]

Poison ivy? I sure have. It looked like this:

 

 

I had a couple bad patches on my legs, too. It was hell on earth for about a week. There are few things quite as satisfying as scratching a poison ivy itch, but then it makes the itch even worse. It's evil. I had a tube of Band-Aid anti-itch gel lying around (it's got camphor in it) and used up the whole thing.

 

Stinging nettles? I hit them all the time. They don't bother me much. They're more like "itching nettles" to me. The itch is very mild compared to PI, and goes away after a few hours.

[MikeB3542]

Another bad one is wild parsnip -- causes a very painful rash when effected areas are exposed to sunlight. Personally, I have managed to avoid, along with poison ivy (part skill in identifying, part dumb luck). See link for info.

 

http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/html/stories/1999/jun99/parsnip.htm

[+silksmybaby]

Leaves of three, leave it be

But if there's a cache, it's worth the rash!

[+bluedoberman]

I am one of those that gets it regularly. And, I breakout pretty badly. luckily, no airway restricting reactions. So, I regularly take the chance. That is one of my challenges; How long before I catch it? I am so used to it, I don't worry about it much. The only time it is a big problem is if it gets on my face. During the day, I have to facilitate group meetings. It is not the most professional image.

My wife now tries to pull me back and go for the cache instead, if she is around. Otherwise, she just helps in the recovery, shaking her head.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

The question would probably be better asked with "How many times have you gotten poison ivy?"

I too wondered just where that (original) question came from.

Then thought, well not everyone caches in the wild.

Only to remember that there is lots of PI in cities, too!

 

I guess that puts us back to step #1.

 

Answer: No, never, not ever (even outside of caching). Some have immunity.

 

EDIT: Have also been informed by medicos that the immunity can disappear w/o warning!

Edited June 6, 2010 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+journey4truth]

I got PI in my first month of geocaching. Inside a Walmart parking lot.

 

Serves me right though for going to Wally World. Now I go to Target instead.

[+Lovey Pigs]

just picked up some PI last week going for a cache, I saw it(PI), knew it was there(PI), but I had to try to try to find the cache....No cache, PI behind my right knee...ITCHY!!!

[seagullplayer]

I don’t catch poison ivy; my father was the same way. My mother has been in the hospital with a case of it!

 

I got ate up with ticks Monday night, I picked over two dozen off me.

 

I never saw such a bramble; I kept thinking this dude is out of his mind, who would wade in this thicket to hide Tupperware! And to top it all off the last log read “short walk easy find” just a month before!

 

I finally stumbled back to my truck and decided to double check my numbers, sure enough, after a slight correction, it was a short walk and easy find…

[+Hitman4]

You need to get rid of the urushiol oil from the poison ivy plant. We found out that Dawn dish washing detergent gets rid of that oil on your body and your clothes. Other soaps just rub the oil around, it does not get rid of it. After a day of caching in the woods, we come home and shower in Dawn, and wash our clothes in it too. Just in case we came in contact with it and did not know it.

 

We learned the hard way.

[+worstcaster]

Fortunately I don't get poison ivy. I can pick the stuff with my bare hands without a problem.

[+koikeeper]

You need to get rid of the urushiol oil from the poison ivy plant. We found out that Dawn dish washing detergent gets rid of that oil on your body and your clothes. Other soaps just rub the oil around, it does not get rid of it. After a day of caching in the woods, we come home and shower in Dawn, and wash our clothes in it too. Just in case we came in contact with it and did not know it.

I heard about this treatment a couple of years ago and it does seem to work. If I can't take a shower, I just wash the areas that have been exposed when caching. Most dish washing detergents have degreasers, so any brand should work and it's a cheap, easy solution.

[+webscouter.]

I have had it many times but have found that a good washing with Technu after exposure eliminates it.

 

If you do get it the tube of gel that is sometimes packaged with Technu alleviates the itching pretty well.

[+USMCGecko]

Ive never got PI from Caching, but I have had it from doing yard work, and that was enough of an experience to remind me to take precautions. Surprisingly on this cross country trip I am on right now, I have found myself in the woods in Shorts and Crocs. neither of which are good for caching in the woods. Each time I have returned to my car and wiped off with baby wipes, Wet wipes and then a layer of alcohol hand sanitizer. Seems to have worked thus far, but I plan on mixing some dawn into a spray bottle with a little water and keeping it in my Geocaching bag.

[+Twitch Hugs Trees]

Never had it! I'm immune, same as my father and grandfather.

 

As other posters have mentioned though, immunity can fade. I try to avoid it, in case I am no longer so lucky. Plus, I don't want to get the oil on my clothes or car, because then I might accidentally spread it to other people (like my mom or grandmother).

 

Does anyone know if animals are affected by it? I have a dog who constantly sticks his head in bushes when we're walking (he isn't the smartest creature around) and I'm concerned that if he encounters poison ivy he'll have a nasty reaction. Bull terriers are prone to skin allergies, and I fear that poison ivy would be worse than the average plant.

Edited June 18, 2010 by twitchhugstrees

[+RatRunCrew]

Oh the joys of outdoor life in the UK.. no PI, no snakes (well non that bite) and nothing more sinister than stinging nettles.. Oh and Giant Hogweed... er.. and celery.

Thankfully it doesnt grow wild, and it never affected me, but my boss on the smallholding couldnt go near the stuff!

[+AuntieWeasel]

I had immunity all my life...until I didn't. Got a nasty case of something (the clump of stuff I stuck my hand in wasn't PI, I don't think) about a year before I left the States. Worse, it was hours before I showed serious symptoms, so I spread whatever it was all over.

 

Not that I'm doing too great with stinging nettles in the UK. They grow everywhere here, I can't seem to remember what they look like, and I only have to brush against one to buy myself hours of ouch.

[+RatRunCrew]

Stingers in the UK are formic acid from a silica hair, essentially you scratch yourself on glass, and fill the wound with ant venom, there should be dockleaf nearby, (both plants thrive in similar conditions) they contain a natural antihistamine and that will greatly reduce the pain and itching

[+Colorado Cacher]

If you have a red rash with yellowish stuff oozing out of it, and it itches you got it. Had it a few times, and had to take antibiotics to get rid of it each time.

[+JL_HSTRE]

I went with a friend to place a cache on a Sunday. The next day, the FTF noted that the cache had a bunch of poison ivy right by it, which neither me nor my friend had noticed.

 

The day after that I went to a large local park to attempt to place a cache but was thwarted in three different spots by saturation limits.

 

The next day I noticed a rash just below my knee and soon deduced it was poison ivy. I assume it was from the unsuccessful cache placing rather than the successful cache placement several days earlier.

 

Having not been aware I bumped into any poison ivy on that adventure combined with the missed poison ivy on the earlier trip, I apparently am not very good at spotting poison ivy.

 

The rash started in an area the size of a quarter and ended up an area about the size of my hand. It also spread to two spots on my right, probably due to leg-to-leg contact while sleeping.

 

It barely itched at all but was very clearly poison ivy (I had a really bad case of it 15 years ago). I tried several anti-itch anti-rash creams I had in house including Cortizone but it didn't get rid of the rash itself just prevented itching. Part of the large rash ended up developing a blister the size of a grape and started oozing orange pus for about a day.

 

After 4 days of it not getting any better, I finally picked up some Ivarest which is a creme that's mostly calamine lotion and alcohol, with the color of Outback Steakhouse's remolaude sauce and the smell of Vick's Vaporub. I put that on every day and after about a week the rash is about 90-95% cleared up.

[+mommix3]

Never had it and didn't even think about it being around here. I assumed it was only in the mountains and there are none here. SOOOO very glad this topic was started.. I'm going to learn to identify it and keep my eyes open for it. Hopefully we will never have a run in. All of us have horrible allergies and I don't even WANT to think about what sort of reaction we would have.. some of the pics on the link that was posted scared the fire out of me!!!! We will definately be adding alcohol wipes to our cache kits..

[UnitedFan]

I've been lucky recently. I've found myself in the midst of poison ivy at 3 different caches and so far, nothing!

 

Having said this, I've probably jinxed myself for the rest of the summer.

[+Fiver1]

Interesting that this would come up now. I got a FTF a couple of weeks ago on a cache that was covered with PI as the camo. I made a note to fellow cachers in my log that if they were sensitive to this plant that they might wait until it was removed to get this cache.

 

Just yesterday, a note was posted that the owner would be moving the cache. I've never been affected by PI, but I have seen some that are and it's not a pretty sight.

[+KDotBlueDot]

Just got over my first case myself. Saw a trail of six caches get posted as I was about to leave the house and away I went ...completely unprepared. It was called a "PowerTrail"...it was anything but. Some really tough slogging through 6 foot grass, 18" thistles and 12" bogs. Got 6 FTFs but also severe poison ivy, made worse by the hundreds of scratches all over my legs from the thistles.

 

There were no attributes on the cache, but there was no way to spot the offending plants in that high grass. After hearing my tale the CO updated the attributes. I have since thrown my dignity to the wind and purchased lightweight pants with zip off legs, and try to wear them religiously.

 

Doc gave me cortisone cream well as cortisone pills. It cleared up in a week.

[+twins&dad]

3 years in a row. all from hides from the same person. I have got to where I will just walk away now. Being Diabetic, I don't heal real fast. This year was not real bad. Was able to keep it to my legs and a few real small spots on my neck and arms.

[+Everdaunt]

Right when I first got into caching I tried to get my cousin into it as well. He was in town and there were a few caches in a park by my house so we walked over. It's a pretty big park and it was really hot and we were 0/3. We were just about to leave when I realized there was another cache close by. Spent about an hour looking around and came up empty handed. I was wearing shorts at the time and starting to feel like a tingly itch on both my legs.

Needless to say it was a rough point in my caching career lol.

Funny part is I've still never been able to find that dadgum cache, mostly because I don't want to dig around the area too much. Fool me once, poison ivy...

[+twins&dad]

UPDATE!!!!! Ran into it last weekend. Just moved a branch for a second and said nope, not looking for it. Headed back to the van around 10 minutes later and felt like i bathed with baby wipes. TO LATE!!!

I am covered from head to foot (EVERYWHERE!!!!). This is a bad one. My legs are looking really bad. Started putting medicated powder on last night to start drying it up. Seems to be helping.

[+runewell]

I don't typically suffer much from PI, just a slight itch for a day or two. But on this cache I went thru a lot of it, took cortisone pills from the Dr but still itched for at least a week and got it in several places.

 

GC25REW in West Des Moines, IA

June 28 by runewell (1045 found)

 

I've been meaning to do this one (or its predecessor) for a few years now. Today it was nice out so I said I'm going for it. Walked along the path to the open area and the cache was only 300 ft away. Tucked my GPSr and one of my small orange pencils into a ziploc bag and then into another ziploc bag and then into the pocket of my swimsuit. It was a nice swim over, about five minutes maybe. To my horror the place is no paradise except for what I believe to be poison ivy everywhere. And here I am with just swim trunks on. Oh well that hasn't stopped me before. I was in that mess for ten minutes but came out with the smiley and swam back. Time will tell to see what price I paid for finding this cache, but I enjoyed it and that's what counts.

TFTC

Edited August 10, 2010 by runewell

[+Dragery]

2 weeks ago I visited my parents up in Santa Barbara, CA. My Dad and I went out geocaching and I was mentioning I wanted to find out if I was immune to PI/PO, and just about every cache we went to off the path had TONS of it everywhere, so he was like "well if you want to try, here it is!" so I broke up a couple leaves, and started rubbing it hard on my leg. And pretty much every cache the rest of the day i went dancing around in the PO, I must have eventually gotten hit from head to toe. I'm glad to say I'm am part of the 30% that is immune to it . Which is a GREAT piece of mind when searching for caches near the stuff.

[+jenny08_1015]

I was immune to PI until about a year ago... I have had it three times (the third RIGHT NOW) and it's driving me crazy! I put on some anti-itch stuff but it only works for so long...

[CamoChimp]

No but we go chewed up by chiggers! Holy moley!

 

We are now well protected and have not gotten bitten again. That was a rough 3 weeks.

[+Fuzzywhip]

As far as I know, I'm immune to Poison Ivy (or Oak or Sumac). I'm sure I've put my hands and other body parts in these delicious plants without getting a rash. Here in the Okanagan Valley, Poison Ivy is quite common. I've studied pictures to try to spot it, but it just looks like a green plant to me (it's amazing how many plants have leaves in groups of three!)

 

BUT ... Devil's Club ... That thing got me! At New Years (2010 - 8 months ago), I was in the Chehalis,WA area on a geoholiday. I've tried to watch out for the devilish plant, but it somehow got me. Even though I was wearing long pants, I got some nasty burns up my left leg to the knee. I'm guessing a leaf or branch brushed me just above the sock line, and the rubbing of the pant leg spread the sap up my leg.

 

Sorry, no photos of my leg, but I'm still nursing a few sores.

 

(Interesting that I got the same rash last fall on the back of my hands, but they healed a lot faster than my leg!)

 

Link to Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Club

 

 

Fuzzywhip

Edited August 13, 2010 by Fuzzywhip

[+edscott]

Sorry to ask this question, but what is poison ivy? I have never come across it.

 

Not likely you will find it in Europe. It isn't native there but of course someone had to bring some back from the "colonies" so you might find it if you look long enough.

 

"There are no native European Rhus species; Toxicodendron radicans (Eastern Poison Ivy) was introduced to Europe as an ornamental in the mid-1600s."

 

from http://www.wholehealthnow.com/homeopathy_pro/wt15b.html

[+ipodguy]

I'm going through it right now. I was out getting some caches accessible only by boats last week and two were hidden in poison ivy. The rash took 2 full days to appear and it was all over my right leg. I was wearing shorts while caching (usually I wear military issue pants). I tried a cream (Sarna) that worked well with the chiggers I got the week before. It did OK to relieve the itching. Then I tried Calamine lotion which didn't really help at all. Then I went with Neosporin and that took away most of the itching. The blisters began to burst while I was at work and it leaked through my pants and I had to use maxi pads and duct tape until I could wrap it better. My leg got wicked infected anyway so I went to the doctor. Now I'm on oral antibiotics plus a cream to put on the infected areas and a cream to put on the rash. I have to keep it covered with gauze constantly.

[+jenny08_1015]

I'm going through it right now. I was out getting some caches accessible only by boats last week and two were hidden in poison ivy. The rash took 2 full days to appear and it was all over my right leg. I was wearing shorts while caching (usually I wear military issue pants). I tried a cream (Sarna) that worked well with the chiggers I got the week before. It did OK to relieve the itching. Then I tried Calamine lotion which didn't really help at all. Then I went with Neosporin and that took away most of the itching. The blisters began to burst while I was at work and it leaked through my pants and I had to use maxi pads and duct tape until I could wrap it better. My leg got wicked infected anyway so I went to the doctor. Now I'm on oral antibiotics plus a cream to put on the infected areas and a cream to put on the rash. I have to keep it covered with gauze constantly.

 

I've been using Sarna too. I'll try Neosporin though. Burn ointment works pretty well.

 

Anyone know any really good products that will get rid of the PI residue? I asked a pharmacist and she recommended Zanfel. It runs $26 (at Hy-Vee) for 15 uses. I think I might try some.

Edited August 14, 2010 by jenny08_1015

[+Keruso]

Seems like im immune to PI, PO, and PS, but im not immune to Stinging Nettles. Went through a whole patch about a year ago, just in my shorts, for a cache. i could literally feel my legs for the next week

[The 2 Dogs]

I got pretty scratched up and sliced my earlobe in half while searching in amongst Lantana once. Ouch. Some weeds can be very nasty indeed.

[+Tonyalynnm]

I'm not allergic to poison ivy, thank goodness!!! I do see a lot of it while out caching tho. What always gets me is the dang chiggers!!!! UGG I hate them and if I am out in the woods or off the trail at all I always get covered in them. :angery:

 

Just a little tid bit, in health food stores they have poison ivy extract. My ex is extremely allergic to it and his mom got him some when he had it one year and the rash didn't spread and cleared up very quick. If he takes it every year or 2 for about 30 days he has hardly any reaction to the stuff and if so it is very minor. Might be worth a shot.

[+vaetanone]

I was not allergic to PI and did not (could not) remember just what it looked like UNTIL about 4 years ago when I was learning to ride a bike (at 65 yrs of age). I crossed a bridge, hit a BIG bump and went off the trail, down an embankment and landed upside down in bramble roses, headed towards a river.

After husband rescued me, he went back down the bank to retrieve equipment and had to pull himself up with handholds and he is pretty athletic.

Oh, the PI. A few days later, when a friend asked about the rash on my legs and it kept getting worse, I went to the Dr. who told me it was PI. We realized that being scratched by the roses allowed the oil to get into my system and cause the rash. Since that time, I am allergic to PI and DO break out when I come into contact with it. NOW, I definitely know what it looks like both when it is green and leafy AND even the bare vines which one sees particularly in the winter.

FYI those who do not know, the vines look ropy and HAIRY. The old saying of "Leaves of three, turn and flee, leaves of five, allow to thrive" is a good one to remember!

 

It is nice that there are actually parts of the country which do not have PI (or ticks), of course those probably have rattlers or scorpions!

[+Chokecherry]

I apparently came in contact with some yesterday (had to be since I wasn't in the weeds other than that). I just want the itching to stop now.

[+critter_crazed]

 

Does anyone know if animals are affected by it? I have a dog who constantly sticks his head in bushes when we're walking (he isn't the smartest creature around) and I'm concerned that if he encounters poison ivy he'll have a nasty reaction. Bull terriers are prone to skin allergies, and I fear that poison ivy would be worse than the average plant.

 

Animals shouldn't be affected by it...HOWEVER they CAN carry the oil on their fur to share with others. That is what I'm dealing with right now. My dogs were out helping with yard work romping in the woods while we did yard work. I caught it off the dog. Naturally it took the rash several hours to show itself and I have PI all over my face, hands and arms. We had to decontaminate the dogs by giving them a bath in Dawn and I ended up going to the doctor because it's in and around my eyes. Apparently soap and water wasn't good enough before I took my contacts out. I'm not a happy camper. Had to see the doc for treatment this time. Ivarest isn't doing much for me but Benedryl gel is working probably the best. Calagel no help, calamine not really, I got to it too late with tecnu, OTC cortisone no help either. That's my experience but I also react pretty badly to the stuff. This is my first bout in about 30 years and I hope my last! I intend to try Ivy block but no field experience yet.

 

I'll add some alcohol wipes and dawn mixture too.

CC

Edited August 24, 2010 by critter_crazed

[+Twitch Hugs Trees]

Ouch! Sorry to hear about your nasty reaction, but also glad that dogs can't get it. That would've been even worse, you and the dogs all itchy at once? Hope you feel better!

[+Chokecherry]

So far the benedryl gel is working best for me too. Cortisone (over the counter) is hit and miss... this morning before work... total miss. Missed by miles. I also have this spray for poison ivy itching that stinks bad but feels so good.

 

If I don't get some good relief by the end of the week I'm going to go get the shot at the doc. I still have to wipe my shoes down too.

 

As a last itch resort I have a cream from whole foods that I'm using too.