Poison Ivy

[+davetherocketguy]

Folks,

 

I am now dealing with a pretty severe case of poison ivy that is beginning to affect my job as I had to take a day off to see the doctor and I hope I don't have to take anymore. I am now on steroids, horse-pill sized antibiotics and have some weird prescription lotion that helps immensely with the burning sensation. It's gotten infected and now my left foot is swollen for some reason. Not completely sure why. I also had to go in for some blood draws this morning. I got the rash after going after a cache and making some pretty serious errors in judgment:

 

1. I walked right through the ivy. I noticed it AFTER I went through it. I thought that since I haven't had it in years and have been exposed to it numerous times I wasn't allergic. Wrongo.

 

2. Went home, showered with normal soap and went to bed. So now it transfered the oil from my legs to the sheets and over the next few nights went from the sheets to my legs again and again until it dawned on me I desperately need to wash them. Four washes later I think the oil is out of the sheets. Any new rashes show up and the sheets are going in the trash. If I would have washed my legs in the first place with Technu soap this would not be an issue.

 

3. Then there are the sandals I was wearing. I wore those several times since walking through the ivy thus re-exposing my feet to the poison ivy oil. I realized the utter futility in trying to wash those and threw them out. They were going to be replaced soon anyways so this was not a big loss.

 

So here I am, very uncomfortable and it hurts to walk wondering if I am going to make it to work on Monday. It also is screwing with some of my other hobbies so my own stupidity is pissing me off. There is nothing wrong with the placement of the cache IMHO, in fact, I never found it:

 

http://coord.info/GC259VE

 

So don't blame the CO. Chances are, there is probably a path that leads right to the cache that avoids the ivy in the first place. Here's what I have learned:

 

1. If you've never had a reaction to poison ivy it does not mean you are NOT allergic to it. Sometimes when the conditions are right, the oil (as my doctor explained it to me) may not bind to the appropriate proteins to cause the rash in the first place. Telling yourself you don't need to worry about poison ivy is just dumb.

 

2. As soon as the rash affects your personal life it's time to go to the doctor. I let it go for maybe a few days too long. It was to the point (and still is) where it is uncomfortable to walk. If the rash wakes you up at night, is bad enough that it prevents you from doing any normal daily routine it's time to go. If you even have to ask the question, "Should I go to the doctor?" Then it is probably time to go.

 

3. Poison ivy is easy to identify. There are countless sites with images of the plant. Review them thoroughly.

 

4. Once exposed, don't panic. Technu soap is now your new best friend. Follow the directions in regards to skin, tools and clothing to the letter and all should be well. Footware is likely a lost cause especially if it has any sort of fabric on it and has too many nooks and crannies to effectively wash. Repeaded washes with Technu are not a bad idea.

 

5. If you DO get the rash, home remedies are nice and sometimes work for some people but are not 100% effective. Rubbing alcohol on the rash for me dried it out but intensified the torment. Callimine lotion works - sort of. You can only get the good stuff from the doctor. Also, once the rash occurs it is not a bad idea to wash the affected (and surrounding) area(s) a few extra times with Technu.

 

6. The poison ivy oil is VERY resilient and lasts a long time. It can potentially show up again and again for years to come. It won't go away on it's own.

 

I hope this helps and others can learn from my suffering. I have another appointment in a few weeks to review the results of the blood draw and get a physical. Oh joy. We'll see what happens.

[+Redfist]

I got poison Ivy in upstate New York while caching there a year ago. I didn't get it as badly as you did (thankfully), but I do still have discolored areas on my ankles after all this time.

[+M 5]

Just use "oral ivy" problem solved

[+davetherocketguy]

Just use "oral ivy" problem solved

 

That looks like great stuff but I'd still wash up with Technu regardless! I've never heard of it before. Oh well, it's too late for me and my situation.

[+M 5]

you can use it to cure it too. The wife cancelled a DR. appointment after I talked her into using it.

[+DragonsWest]

Apply Tecnu Extreme, work it in and then rinse with COLD water. Repeat. Change dressings as necessary. Should clear up in a couple days.

 

Check my forum title - I've suffered severe rashes, to the point my legs were bleeding. Tecnu extreme works very well. If you have bleeding you should see a doctor and not waste time asking for advice on here.

 

Next time you go out, even think you may have had contact, scrub with Tecnu and rince with COLD water. Repeat.

 

Urushiol is what you have got from the plant. Your T Cells are inflaming your skin, forming the rash, and consuming cells which have come into contact with Urushiol. Hot water, which some people recommend, makes Urushiol soft and oily, spreading it. Cold water keeps it more solid and manageable.

[+Lieblweb]

Wow...sorry to hear you got it so badly.

 

I got PI for the first time last year believe me.....after I found out what it was, I was cleaning EVERYTHING with alcohol and running the clothes in the washer on steam cycle.

 

Not only PI, but my skin tends to react to A LOT of other things it comes in contact with. Ultimately, we avoid caches that will have PI - and save those for the fall/winter. But for mild exposures - we have rubbing alcohol & Technu 'wash' along with Technu rash relief in the truck. We have special soap to wash off when we get home. Before getting in the shower, the clothes go immediately into the washer (and don't touch anything else). The clothes get washed on 'steam' cycle. I have two towels to cover my car seats - but I still have to wipe everything down with alcohol (seat belt, console, door rest, steering wheel,etc).

 

If I feel itchy anywhere in the next couple days - Technu rash relief does a GREAT job at stopping a full blown rash!!! I love that stuff!! It costs $13 for a small bottle and I don't really care. I use it...and keep buying it. The 'relief' it brings is worth more than the cost!! I also have prescription cream....

 

Once you get it.....you learn to avoid it and you find your own method of dealing with it. Everyone is different and had different 'reactions' to it - severe or not so severe.

 

Yeah, it sucks....

[+yorelken]

I've had it twice and I didn't like it at all. I never go caching anymore without wearing long pants and shoes and socks. Being hot and uncomfortable beats getting it again.

[+nthacker66]

I will have to respectfully disagree with the OP to "not blame a CO" - I have seen caches deliberately placed in thick PI. I simply will not go after caches like that. I know some cachers will extract it and leave it out next to the PI.

[+Lieblweb]

I will have to respectfully disagree with the OP to "not blame a CO" - I have seen caches deliberately placed in thick PI. I simply will not go after caches like that. I know some cachers will extract it and leave it out next to the PI.

The CO is not to be blamed. It's your responsibility to make your own decisions at GZ.

 

Surely, it is the right thing for the CO to rate the cache accordingly & list PI in the attributes.

 

Putting blame on the CO is like saying McDonalds makes you fat.

Edited July 31, 2012 by Lieblweb

[+J the Goat]

Oh, oh, it's my turn!

 

I get PO, we don't have PI here. Same oils, same idea. I've actually used Technu like sunblock in the past. Put it on before you go out, and then wash with it when you get home. Just an extra little added protection.

 

If you were put on antibiotics, you developed something that IS NOT PI. Steroids and anti itch cream are pretty common place, however antibiotics are for infections. You noted in your OP that your leg or foot is infected; there's probably more to it. Maybe scratching opened up your leg and a bachteria was introduced. Maybe the inflamation caused a cellulitis. Keep a close eye on that part, and make sure to follow up with your physician if it seems at all like it's not getting better.

 

Without knowing anything about the hide, I can't say whether the CO is partially responsible or not, you describe a hide that may or may not be in PI, the problem was your approach. We have a couple of cachers here who pay absolutely no attention to where they put their hides, and since they don't get the dreaded rash, they regularly put their caches right in the middle of PO bushes. There's no excuse for that, but as a seeker, you need to pick your path wisely

[+davetherocketguy]

I will have to respectfully disagree with the OP to "not blame a CO" - I have seen caches deliberately placed in thick PI. I simply will not go after caches like that. I know some cachers will extract it and leave it out next to the PI.

 

You can disagree all you want. While I was never able to truly FIND the cache I managed to narrow it down to a general area while I stood out in the open spots. The cache is under some pretty heavy foliage so my GPSr never got me te final 50-100 feet due to bounce. I can say that the area is not completely covered in ivy and I could have avoided it had I payed attention to where I was. The cache is almost certainly not in the ivy itself but I elected to walk THROUGH a patch of ivy thinking that if I go straight toward it that would help and it didn't. The reason I got the rash and infection in the first place is because of my very own stupidity.

 

-Dave

[AZcachemeister]

I will have to respectfully disagree with the OP to "not blame a CO" - I have seen caches deliberately placed in thick PI. I simply will not go after caches like that. I know some cachers will extract it and leave it out next to the PI.

 

You can disagree all you want. While I was never able to truly FIND the cache I managed to narrow it down to a general area while I stood out in the open spots. The cache is under some pretty heavy foliage so my GPSr never got me te final 50-100 feet due to bounce. I can say that the area is not completely covered in ivy and I could have avoided it had I payed attention to where I was. The cache is almost certainly not in the ivy itself but I elected to walk THROUGH a patch of ivy thinking that if I go straight toward it that would help and it didn't. The reason I got the rash and infection in the first place is because of my very own stupidity.

 

-Dave

 

Good on ya, Dave!

While it may not be as obvious as a 100 foot cliff near the cache, toxic foliage is just as much the responsibility of the seeker to notice. It would have been good for the CO to post warnings and add attributes, but that is no substitute for our own eyes at the site.

 

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[+Ginapier]

I've only been caching about 1 month now and I am currently dealing with poison ivy! I've never had this before and swear it took a week for it to break out. I know when I was in the woods and I'm thinking perhaps the oils got on my clothes and while doing laundry it got me.

 

Mine is on my face! My cheek and my forhead. My wrist and fingers! I went to the do to on Monday and have been using that prescription cream but it's taking forever to go away. Also got steroids but I didn't take me because I was hoping i wouldn't need them.

 

All I can say isthisnhas ruined my caching enjoyment and I may only do urban park and grab type caches. Have a follow up with the dermatologist on Tuesday...I can't believe at 41 I'm dealing with poison ivy!

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

Double Post

Edited August 10, 2012 by BBWolf+3Pigs

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

Here's another product to look at:

 

Cortaid Poison Ivy Care Toxin Removal Cloths

 

I carry a few with me when caching, and if I think I came in contact with Poison Ivy (The Unofficial State Plant of Rhode Island) I wipe down with one.

[knowschad]

I will have to respectfully disagree with the OP to "not blame a CO" - I have seen caches deliberately placed in thick PI. I simply will not go after caches like that. I know some cachers will extract it and leave it out next to the PI.

 

I learned at about age 7 that when you go into the woods, you watch for poison ivy. It has nothing to do with geocaching... it has to do with nature.

[+Lieblweb]

I've only been caching about 1 month now and I am currently dealing with poison ivy! I've never had this before and swear it took a week for it to break out. I know when I was in the woods and I'm thinking perhaps the oils got on my clothes and while doing laundry it got me.

 

Mine is on my face! My cheek and my forhead. My wrist and fingers! I went to the do to on Monday and have been using that prescription cream but it's taking forever to go away. Also got steroids but I didn't take me because I was hoping i wouldn't need them.

 

All I can say isthisnhas ruined my caching enjoyment and I may only do urban park and grab type caches. Have a follow up with the dermatologist on Tuesday...I can't believe at 41 I'm dealing with poison ivy!

 

Don't give up....

I got PI for the first time last year (and I'm 44). It takes me 2 weeks for the rash to be completely healed.

 

I've spent soooooooooo much time on the internet reading about it, looking at pictures of it, and trying to learn what it looks like so I can avoid it. I'm still hesitant about venturing out into the greenery - but atleast now, I'm better prepared. I carry alcohol and Tecnu washing agent with me. If I think I came in contact with it, I wash it off right away.

 

My husband got it for the first time last year also - but he doesn't get it nearly as bad as I do. I think my skin breaks out when the oils are blowing in the wind.....

 

For us...... we avoid most of the PI related caches until the fall/winter. Atleast in the fall/winter, you're wearing pants, long sleeves, gloves, etc. OR - in later months - the PI isn't full grown. But you can still get it in the winter... the stalks of the plant still contain the oils. If you notice black coloration on a stalk of a plant - that's the oils...avoid it!!

[Troutonthebrain]

Yikes! Yes poison {anything} is bad. I had a good case of it last year. The doc told me it was in my bloodstream so that can't be good. Itchweed isn't anywhere near as bad as poison ivy (since you usually can wash itchweed off.) A kind of unfortunate caching story I have of itchweed though happened on the North Shore of Minnesota. We went out caching and found an ammo can burried in a pile of itchweed. We had to kick the itchweed off to log. Turns out the poor person before us comes from an area without itchweed and didn't know what the stuff was. The cache is in a virtual forest of itchweed, so the previous guy camoed the cache with it. Poor guy! Hope the posion ivy heals quickly. Not a fun experience!

[+wimseyguy]

I will have to respectfully disagree with the OP to "not blame a CO" - I have seen caches deliberately placed in thick PI. I simply will not go after caches like that. I know some cachers will extract it and leave it out next to the PI.

There is nothing respectful about this post except for the weak attempt to do so by prefacing the post with the term. The OP was making a specific statement about his specific experience.

PI comes and goes like most other weeds and seasonal growth. Unless you were with a hider and watched him deliberately place one in a patch of PI you cannot know this. Sometimes caches are placed in winter, and the PI shows up months or even years later. Making assumptions and generalizations doesn't make one a general.

 

@davetherocketguy-sorry to hear about your painful experience. It sounds like you have a great attitude towards the situation, which is very important to healing.

Hopefully the find will be all the sweeter when you return and find that safe path to the cache and make an easy find. I know it was for me when I found the cache I was looking for when I was bit by a copperhead a few summers back.

[+kantear]

as much time as i spent walking around in the woods when i was a kid ... and rolling around in fields ... i never had p.i. till now - i'm over 40.

 

it took a few days for me to get the rash, i know exactly which cache i got it from (after the fact). at first, i thought it was from some pine trees i was poking around in a few days later because that's when it started to kick in. it's been at least two weeks, maybe three, and i'm down to a few spots on my shins and an area on the back of one leg. ... during the major parts, i even got it on the rim of my nose ... fun stuff.

 

definitely, do not forget to wash your bedding, and (like me) any bags or anything in the bags that may have been in contact with the oil transfer. wash your g.p.s., your phone, hat, wallet, hiking pole ... etc ... everything.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Well. I'm allergic to poison ivy. I've known that for many decades. I learnt what poison ivy looks like. And try to avoid it. How's that for a simple solution?

I would never wear sandals geocaching, or walking in the woods. Always wear long pants geocaching! (Though I'm still recuperating from a few chigger bites from two weeks ago.) Wash the are affected carefully. That will remove the urshiol. For the rash/itching, I use hydrocortisone cream. That reduces the itching which is the main problem. Last PI attack from two weeks ago is almost gone.

The only case I've had really bad (but still not similar to OP) was PI while I was recuperating from Lyme Disease. That turned into allergic dermatitis. And that required prednisone. Never put me on prednisone again! That is dangerous stuff (though it did cure the dermatitis.)

Learn what poison ivy looks like, and avoid it at all costs! Seems simple?

[+Sol seaker]

In advanced wilderness first-aid class they told us to use "Fels Naptha" soap instead of technu. They mentioned technu, but the three teachers all preferred Fels Naptha for getting poison oak/ivy oils off.

 

It's found in the laundry section of most grocery stores. It comes in a bar form.

It's great for backpacking and hiking, because you can just break a chunk of it off and it's light to carry. Just add water (which you should be carrying anyway).

 

It also works great for washing the oils out of clothing. That is what it's original intention is after all.

 

I carry a chunk of it in my backpack always. I'm very alert to what poison oak and ivy look like, and if I see it, even if there's a remote chance I've gotten in it I drop everything (as long as I'm clear of the P.O.) and wash right then and there. The sooner you get the oils off the better. Don't wait to get home.

 

I'm careful to watch for any signs of a rash after hiking. If I see even two little bumps with the slightest itch, I'll immediately use hydrocortisone cream on it, and keep using it a few times a day until it is gone. This keeps a whole body poison oak disaster from happening.

 

It is very common for people to not have any reaction and then suddenly have a full-body reaction.

 

I've also had some success with using Fels Naptha for nettles. Not as good as with poison oak, but it helps.