OUCH! (poison ivy)

[+pnew]

I went on my first geocache search just over 2 weeks ago and after signing the log book, and walking out of the thick brush the cache was hidden in my friend and I look back and say "All that we just walked through was poison ivy!" Lets just say I have it all over my legs. It itches like crazy and I don't think I've ever had it this bad.

 

I bought this itch relief lotion called Caladryl Clear that the Wal-Mart pharmacist recommended but it still won't go completely away. Anyone have any other methods of getting rid of this stuff? old family recipe? witch's brew? HELP!

[+briansnat]

Nothing will make it go away faster. You just want to use an anti itch cream to releive the symptoms. Some people have told me a chlorine bleach/water solution helps. Apply it directly to the rash. I tried this a few times and it didn't seem to do anything.

 

In the future, if you can get to a shower promptly after contacting the stuff, do so. Shower thoroughly with soap and cool (not hot) water. I'll usually lather up and rinse 5 or 6 times...and dont forget your feet because the oil runs down there and you're basically standing in the stuff.

 

"Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois"

[+AmericanSpirit]

Its been a while since i got Poison, you may want to look into this stuff called stiochoguard (spelling) it will prevent it. But i used to have some success just putting plain old bleach on it. If you'r near the ocean the salt water will help too.

 

There are 10 types of people in the world..those that understand binary and those that don't

[+HartClimbs]

Here's the best Website I've come across with PI info. If you get it *real* bad, a steroid cream can help reduce the severity.

 

Good luck - sometimes the only thing to do is try and ignore it until it goes away. Take a look at the website, they do list some good suggestions (as well as debunk some myths).

 

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There is no such thing as "fun for the whole family." -Jerry Seinfeld

[bkaysimon]

Hello from a fellow Central Texas geocacher - I've been surrfering through poinson ivy the past week. I can tell you what I've been doing, ut quite frankly it's not going to go away quickly. My itch was relieved pretty well with CalaGel by Oak 'n Ivy. Every night I soaked my legs in a hot bath qith 1/2 C baking soda in it, and on occasion I've made a baking soda paste with water, applied it to the spots and let it dry, then rinse it off with hot water. At this point the itching is pretty much gone, but now I've got to let these darn ugly blisters and spots heal on my legs, so I've been using Cortisone for that.

 

Good luck, and next time wear pants, I know I will!!! LOL

[solohiker]

I waded through acres of poison ivy this weekend. I am one of the lucky ones who is not alergic. I can't say the same about chiggers. Those buggers itch.

[+David]

The advice to wash soon and well with cool water is correct. Use cool water instead of hot because hot water will open the pores of the skin and allow the irritating oils to penetrate further.

 

The best thing I've used is an ointment called Elocon. It is a doctor prescribed ointment. Usually this ointment stops the itching and helps to dry up the rash quickly. If not, a steroid shot at the doc does the trick.

 

The older I get, the more susceptible to the big 3 I get.

 

 

Friends don't let friends attempt to persuade them to be biased toward any particular type of cache.

[+loubob57]

If (when) you get desperate enough you can get a product called Zanfel (www.zanfel.com). I get it at my local Eckerd's drug store. It is expensive - $40 for a 1 oz tube!

 

But it will help greatly once the rash breaks out. It will arrest the rash at its current state, so the earlier you use it the better.

[+pnew]

hey thanks guys, so I guess the only real way to help it go away is to make sure I stop itching it and to dry the wonderful oozing mess. I guess this lotion I have already will just have to do. I've been noticing the infected areas are starting to crack with dryness, which is a good thing. thanks again

 

oh and bkaysimon, I guess you could call me a central and southeast Texas geocacher. Waco during the school year and Houston during the summers. Hey I get more caches that way!

[+briansnat]

quote:

---

I am one of the lucky ones who is not alergic.

---

 

I was once. I could sleep in the stuff without a reaction, until I was in my early 30's. Then just like that, I became a victim of the evil weed.

 

"Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois"

[brianmcm]

I remember a product called Ivy-Dry. This is made with Tanic acid (same ingredient as tea.) My uncle had it real bad once and this was what the Dr. suggested.

 

[This message was edited by brianmcm on May 28, 2003 at 07:32 AM.]

[+DustyJacket]

I bought a bottle of Tecnu - used for washing skin exposed to poison ivy, but before the rash starts.

 

Since I bought it, I've not run across any poison ivy - cool!

 

DustyJacket

Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case...

[+clearpath]

The best thing to do is learn to identify the plant BEFORE you touch it or wade through it. If you attempt to eradicate the plant from your property, do not burn the plant. The harmful resin can travel via the vapors from the fire. Also, pets, especially dogs are notorious for spreading the resin or oil to people. I have seen kids come up and hug a dog that was completely covered in the poison ivy resin. And lastly, some people can even get the resin from plant stems during the winter months. It is very difficult to tell what stems are poison ivy when there are no leaves present. Oh yeah, if you are out in the woods and think you have made contact with the poison ivy, you have (5) minutes to wash the areas of your body with soap and cool water. If you do not have soap handy, look for a stream, creek or any body of water and rinse. The water will help remove some or all of the oil.

 

"heck, that scares me and I'm fearless"

[+Navdog]

Not sure who to be upset with on situations like this, the cacher who is ignorant enough to walk through it or the cache placer who is ignorant enough to place a cache in an area that has poison ivy/poison oak and not mention it on the cache page. I feel silly sometimes listing all the warnings on my cache pages about various hazards and I sometimes think the terrain ratings are a point too high, but I would rather have less visitors to one of my caches than have someone who is not use to wandering in the wilds get into trouble.

 

The adventures of Navdog, Justdog, and Otterpup

[+carleenp]

quote:

---

quote:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am one of the lucky ones who is not alergic.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was once. I could sleep in the stuff without a reaction, until I was in my early 30's. Then just like that, I became a victim of the evil weed.

---

 

Now, that worries me! For all my general hay fever allergies, I also have not been allergic to the stuff. I used to play in a patch of it as a kid and when a camp counselor once found me in a bunch she freaked out, but I showed no reaction. Still, I have heard about how allergies can come on later. At the same time, I know I stuck my hand in some on my very recent trip to NC and didn't break out. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but still avoid it!

 

Now nettles are another story! I seem to get those worse than the average person. Sometimes I think all I have to do is look at them and not touch but I am doomed. Go figure....

 

As for treatment... I've always heard to use Caladryl. I suppose a cortisone cream could help too. I have used both for nettles, but I can't say that they really helped all that much. Also, I won't argue with the other suggestions here since I don't really know!

 

 

[This message was edited by carleenp on May 27, 2003 at 09:01 PM.]

[+carleenp]

quote:

---

Not sure who to be upset with on situations like this, the cacher who is ignorant enough to walk through it or the cache placer who is ignorant enough to place a cache in an area that has poison ivy/poison oak and not mention it on the cache page. I feel silly sometimes listing all the warnings on my cache pages about various hazards and I sometimes think the terrain ratings are a point too high, but I would rather have less visitors to one of my caches than have someone who is not use to wandering in the wilds get into trouble.

---

 

I agree, but I will add that it is always possible that the cache placer put the cache out when the vegetation was down and didn't know. Anyway, I think the person who posted should politely email the owner and suggest that he or she put a warning on the page.

 

[+Team Mixster]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Navdog:

Not sure who to be upset with on situations like this, the cacher who is ignorant enough to walk through it or the cache placer who is ignorant enough to place a cache in an area that has poison ivy/poison oak and not mention it on the cache page. I feel silly sometimes listing all the warnings on my cache pages about various hazards and I sometimes think the terrain ratings are a point too high, but I would rather have less visitors to one of my caches than have someone who is not use to wandering in the wilds get into trouble.

---

 

I too agree, but I'm one of those that placed my caches in the winter or early spring and couldn't tell. In this area (Northern KY and Greater Cincinnati) I have yet to come across a cache in the woods that didn't have *some* sort of poison ivy growing along the trail or in the woods. We keep a container of antiseptic wipes (looks like baby wipes) and we use on hands/arms when we're afraid we've come in contact. So far, so good.

 

-Mike from Team Mixster

[+carleenp]

Yes, I bet that the placer was just like Team Mixter. Where there is ivy in summer, there might not have been ivy when the cache was placed. Also, we all have to be careful even if warnings aren't there. I bet the original poster will be watching for poison ivy from here on out! Plus, half the time, no matter how careful, in the thrill of finding the cache, you might not see it until too late. It happens! I am totally paranoid about nettles, but yet, have walked through some in search of a cache or a good fishing spot without noticing until it is too late!

 

[+Snoogans]

quote:

---

Originally posted by pnew:

I went on my first geocache search just over 2 weeks ago and after signing the log book, and walking out of the thick brush the cache was hidden in my friend and I look back and say "All that we just walked through was poison ivy!" Lets just say I have it all over my legs. It itches like crazy and I don't think I've ever had it this bad.

 

I bought this itch relief lotion called Caladryl Clear that the Wal-Mart pharmacist recommended but it still won't go completely away. Anyone have any other methods of getting rid of this stuff? old family recipe? witch's brew? HELP!

---

 

Moosiegirl posted an excellent thread on poison ivy remedies and prevention on texasgeocaching.com

 

I'm gonna give Sawdust92 a ration of.... ummmm, stuff, for hurtin a noobie. His Old Time Memories is one of my favorites. Sawdust is a buddy of mine; anythang to bust the 'ol chops.

 

Sngans

The greatest labor saving invention of today is tomorrow....

[+Navdog]

I sometimes think that we in the Pacific Northwest must live in heaven... O.K. maybe a wet heaven, but the most danger we have to worry about here is slipping on a slug. Hey, don't laugh they're huge around here!

 

The adventures of Navdog, Justdog, and Otterpup

[+pnew]

hey thanks for the help snoogans. I just discovered the texas geocaching site today so I'll check that thread out. Don't be too hard on sawdust because he was kind enough to answer my very naive geocaching questions before I started coming to these boards.

 

The Department of Redundancy Department

[+WildcatRegi]

First off, I always wear long pants when bushwacking but if you do wear shorts, you might want to use a trick the forest fighters use....

 

Spray Arid Extra Dry on your legs or arms before going through the bush, it will help keep the oils off of your skin.

 

 

"The hardest thing to find is something that's not there!"

[+Web-ling]

I'm very suseptible to poison ivy. This is my approach:

 

1. ALWAYS wear long pants - even in the 100º Texas heat.

 

2. ALWAYS apply Ivy Block before caching.

 

3. Identify the poison ivy, and avoid it as much as possible.

 

4. ALWAYS wash as soon as I get home with TECNU.

 

5. If I even suspect I'm breaking out in an actual rash, I start taking megadoses of antihistamines. Benedryl in the evenings, Claritin in the mornings.

 

I've found ointments and such to be pretty much useless.

 

I haven't tried Zanfel - yet, but it's also supposed to be very effective. It's also very expensive.

 

This approach has knocked out the vast majority of the PI I've gotten into. Occasionally, I still end up at the doctor for steroid shots and such, but not nearly as often as I used to.

 

[+clearpath]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Web-ling:

I'm very suseptible to poison ivy. This is my approach:

 

1. ALWAYS wear long pants - even in the 100º Texas heat.

 

2. ALWAYS apply http://www.enviroderm.com/ivyblock.htm before caching.

 

3. Identify the poison ivy, and avoid it as much as possible.

 

4. ALWAYS wash as soon as I get home with http://www.teclabsinc.com/.

 

5. If I even suspect I'm breaking out in an actual rash, I start taking megadoses of antihistamines. Benedryl in the evenings, Claritin in the mornings.

 

I've found ointments and such to be pretty much useless.

 

I haven't tried http://www.zanfel.com/ - yet, but it's also supposed to be very effective. It's also very expensive.

 

This approach has knocked out the vast majority of the PI I've gotten into. Occasionally, I still end up at the doctor for steroid shots and such, but not nearly as often as I used to.

 

http://www.web-ling.com http://www.ntxga.org

 

If you were to follow approach #3, then the rest of the points are unnecessary. Maybe change approach #3 to read, "Identify the poison ivy, and avoid it AT ALL COSTS."

 

Poison Ivy is very easy to identify. If a cache is surrounded by P.I., then move on to the next cache. A cache placed around P.I. is not worth visiting.

 

"heck, that scares me and I'm fearless"