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How many times have you contracted poison oak/ivy since geocaching?


Guest barefoot

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Guest Sluggo

No poisen ivy/oak, just those cheatgrass nettles that get inside your shoes and take the better part of the morning to remove.

 

I got rocky mountain brown ticks at Coyote Lookout, Sugar didn't. Joe (the geocaching dog) got 3 (at Coyote Lookout) and came within about 2 hours of dying from tick paralysis (sp). I had never heard of it, the Vet had heard of it but never seen a case, but Joe knows all about it now. There are about 30 human deaths a year from it and countless canine deths a year.

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Guest Cermak

Let's see.. Once, continuosly for the last 3 months. Seems that everytime it starts to look good we go out on another hunt and I get so caught up in watching the gps I forget to look where I am going and what I'm running into. My wife has told me I am no longer allowed to wear shorts. But seriously, I have had it 3 times in the last 2 months. Usually lasts a week or so. I did buy some of the TechNu Cleanser and CalaGel (came in a 2 pack at WalGreens). The CalaGel is clear so you can put it on and go out in public not looking like your cat just toosed it's cookies (and pepto) on your legs. Cost was like $6, not too bad for some relief. Thanks for metioning the Oak-N-Ivy products, they do help the itching!!

As for the yanks not knowing about heat and humidity, that's not totally true. I'm from the Chicago area and visit family there once or twice a year and it is hot and humid there too. And since they are so not used to it, it is just as bad if not worse on them.

Have fun!!

Scott

 

[This message has been edited by Cermak (edited 24 July 2001).]

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Guest Havasu Desert Rat

Here in the Arizona desert, it's scorpion weed. I've lived in this area for nearly 20 years, and never heard of scorpion weed before this year. We had abnormally high rainfall this winter and spring and now there's scorpion weed everywhere. It took a trip to the Dr. and steroid shots to make the stuff go away. I'm hyper allergic to poison oak, and this stuff itches even worse. Fortunately, most folks aren't affected. I'm one of the 'lucky' ones.

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Guest Jomomof3

I've had a small case of it on my right leg every since we started hunting. I always make the kids wear long pants and sleeves and cover them in insect repellant. I can't seem to get rid of this stuff! And I don't spread it by scratching, it just doesn't seem to want to go away. Really attractive when I go to the pool... eek.gif

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Guest nlazarus

I live in florida and summers are 90 degrees and 90% humidity, in between fire ants and poison plants I always wear long pants. Just don't wear jeans, I use military BDU's which are lighter. I don't use camo patterns or olive drab to avoid the rambo imgae, I've got them in khaki and brown. Rather have to sweat a little now than itch later.

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Guest crwdog

Let me tell you - shorts are a bad idea (even in the hot summertime) when geocaching - I contracted quite the case of posion oak in Lacamas Lake Park, WA almost two months ago - it took 4 weeks to heal - my legs were completely covered, and I've never been so miserable in my life. Lots of steriods, lots of doc visits and some serious misery were all that I had to get me through -- from now on, it's long pants and zero bushwhacking!

 

Mike

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Guest Mike_Teague

Crwdog, I cant help but figure that you were going after my cache in Lacamas park... I personally am quite encouraged by your report, (even though I feel for ya!).. As I said earlier in this thread, I had a reaction to poison oak once, a long time ago, and when placing the cache in Lacamas park I didn't get anything (in fact, I've spent a lot of time up in the area and never had a reaction).. Perhaps I've developed a tolerance for the stuff, much like chicken pox (once you get it, you cant get it anymore). or something! very weird!

 

That said, I always wear long pants, so perhaps that's why I never noticed any poison oak...

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Kinda late ringing in on this, but I just got my first GCing related PI case this weekend. I must have had it on my shoes, then I walked the dog later without sox. Then I musta rubed it in good when I towelled off in the shower. Now I have rings around both ankles and up my legs, approaching but not yet encroaching "Mr. Happy".

 

About 2 years ago, I was hiking in the Great Dismal Swamp. I got home and discovered a tick in my armpit. No big deal, right? Well Mr. Tick must have had PI oil on him because about a day or so later, I had a streak around my neck, down my shoulder and a bunch in my armpit. I couldn't believe I got it from the tick.

 

I've been taking homeopathic pills to reduce my sensativity and they work pretty well. Google up a search on Washington Homeopatic Labratory. Also Hyland's in Los Angeles makes them.

 

So what are the Stinging Nettles plants? We have a jellyfish like sea creature that is called a stinging nettle here in the Atlantic coast region. Surfers and beachgoers get rashes from them all the time, but I never heard of a plant called a Stinging Nettle before. Something new everyday. :^)

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Guest spiny norman

ral years ago, I felt some familier stings on my legs. I naturally though "fire ants " and without looking down brushed em off. Turned out to be bull nettle and I was just driving the stinging spines into my skin. Now I identify my nemisis before taking action.

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Guest WaylandersMA

Prior to the start of my geocaching I had gone:

2 years since last case of poison ivy

15 years since stinginging nettles

32 years since seeing a scorpion

30 years since a case of chiggers

25 years since swarmed by fire ants

 

I moved from the midwest in 1970 so I left a few of the nasty ones behind.

 

In 4 months of geocaching:

2 minor brushes with poison ivy

1 minor and 1 major brrush with stinging nettles. (Does it feel better if you know they are hypodermics of formic acid burning you? Nope.)

And one up close and personal with a small white scorpion when I picked up a rock outside of Torrey, Utah. I stopped sticking my head under ledges at Muley Point.

At least I haven't run into chiggers or fire ants. Chiggers are the worst. They live under your skin and you smother them with nail polish. icon_frown.gif Ugh.

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Guest Hawk-eye

I've always gotten poison ivy/oak/sumac ... nearly every time I got near the stuff. From this spring ... I've waded through waist high seas of the stuff ... and knock on wood ... not one out break ... either I've developed an immunity to the stuff ... or the "GeoGods" are smiling on me ...

 

Probably just jinxed the whole thing and will wind up in the hospital with the worst case ever reported in NC! icon_frown.gif

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Guest Wesley Horton

How many times have I gotten posion ivy while seeking caches?

 

-They don't have numbers that big.

 

Wesley Horton

(That's MISTER Posion Ivy to you!)

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Guest The Play-Doh Kid

quote:
Originally posted by Pote:

So what are the Stinging Nettles plants? We have a jellyfish like sea creature that is called a stinging nettle here in the Atlantic coast region. Surfers and beachgoers get rashes from them all the time, but I never heard of a plant called a Stinging Nettle before. Something new everyday. :^)


 

There are several members in this plant family. Here is the offender that lives in my neck of the woods. http://www.renyswildflowers.com/allfiles/990339.html eek.gif

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Well I am bit of a lucky one. I have never gotten poisn ivy. Up until yesterday I didn't even know what it looked like. But a neighbor pointed it out as it was in my front yard. I always thought it looked like a neat little plant along the tree. I have even touched it millions of times. As for Burn Hazel, I used to get bothered by that years ago. but now I can roll in it and NOTHING, not one little bump.

 

Peace and Have Fun!!!!

E=Mc²

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Guest T-storm

I kind of suspect that hormones may play a role in how strongly one reacts to poison ivy and the like. Neither of my parents nor I reacted to poison ivy as children but suddenly after puberty would react strongly. I picked up a case on a spot on one forearm while geocaching on 7/31. It finally healed just shy of one month later. I experienced a sudden hormone shift over the last two days due to medical issues, and the spot on my arm suddenly flaired up again today with no more exposure to plants or items which had possibly been in contact with plants. Just pondering...

 

T-storm

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Guest Robereno

quote:
Originally posted by T-storm:

I kind of suspect that hormones may play a role in how strongly one reacts to poison ivy and the like. Neither of my parents nor I reacted to poison ivy as children T-storm


 

Centuries ago when I was a kid in the 3rd grade, we thought a great way of getting out of going to school would be to acquire a bad case of poison ivy. On the way home, we jumped into a patch and even rubbed it on our faces.

Nothing happened though, I?m 51 now and still waiting.

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Guest scooterj

I used to never get poison ivy. As a kid I would crush the plan and smear it on my body to prove it, and nothing ever happened. That finally changed and I contracted my first case, a nasty one, about 2 weeks before I discovered geocaching. I am now on my 4th case since that first one two months ago, but I now keep all the meds and washes on-hand and have kept these latest cases under control. My current case I got doing the Ozark Trail caches in Missouri... lots of off-trail hiking. Despite long pants, tall socks, and boots, my legs still somehow managed to get into the stuff. Yet, it doesn't stop me. icon_smile.gif

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