Poison Ivy?

[rdust]

Jay, I do hope you get over that fast. It can be pretty darned uncomfortable.


I didn't even think about poison ivy but when rdust was here he told me it really bothered him a lot. Some of the wood we were throwing into his trailer had some on. I hadn't even noticed as the stuff usually doesn't bother me at all. I was sure hoping he didn't get anything from it and it appears he was okay. This year when splitting I took a lot of it off the wood and I never got an itch from it. Lucky, I guess.

It jacks me up really good! I haven't had is since I was in my early teens, I've either learned to avoid it or my body has built up something to it.

I was digging around one of the posted links, this is similar to what happens to me when I get it. I actually had less features then this poor kid, my nose almost gets covered by my cheeks. :lol:

 

[NH_Wood]

I've used Zanfel a lot. It is a gritty cream that break the skin (minorly) and then binds to the urushiol (the oil that gives us the rash/itch). Unfortunately, costs a lot - it was $30 per ounce last time I bought some. Technu is excellent too, but not if you already have the rash. I've developed a bad sensitivity - I looked like the kid in the photos last summer after a bad face exposure - had to get steroid pills to stop the swelling - terrible. Otherwise, as soon as the rash develops, Zanfel does the job - itch gone almost instantly, rash gone in about a day. Good luck! Cheers!

 

[Kenster]

I'm extremely sensitive to it. Shortly after we moved out to the country full time I was clearing brush along the tree line behind our house and realized I was standing in a big patch of PI. I was wearing cutoff shorts. I immediately went into the house and got into a hot shower whereupon I scrubbed my legs with hot soapy water and a wash cloth. BIG MISTAKE!!. I may as well have injected the toxins straight into my skin. My legs eventually were totally covered in blisters that oozed for two weeks. My ankles were as swollen as a fat lady's. I eventually went to the doctor. When she walked in and saw my legs she exclaimed loudly "OH, MY GAWD! THAT'S THE WORST CASE I'VE EVER SEEN!"

She said that if I even THINK I've been exposed in the future I should rinse off immediately with cool water. Don't even rub it. Just hold it under the water hose for several minutes. She said the quicker the better because the longer you leave it on, the more it's going to get into your skin.

Watch out for secondary infections from scratching too much. A temporary feel good remedy, once the blisters start erupting and the itch is unbearable is to hold it under water as hot as you can stand it as long as you can stand it. (But don't scald yourself.") This brings instant relief that lasts for several hours.

Prevention, of course, is the best route. Keep an eye out for it. Wear gloves, long sleeves and long pants. If you've been in the stuff, remember that the oil is on your boots and clothes and gloves and tools and it stays there.

 

[Rob From Wisconsin]

We've got acres of poison ivy.
My wife is extra sensative. She dug around in soil where poison ivy WAS the year before,
and she broke out. The way I see it, there are four (4) ways that people react to it,
and I've seen them all.
1.) You don't react at all - 10% of all people are lucky to fall in this catagory - they can handle it all day & not react.
2.) Minor Reaction - almost feels like you got a bunch of bug bites (small dots) - I fall under this catagory.
3.) Typical Reaction - blisters, itch & ooze (classic)
4.) Atypical Reaction - same as typical, but it is more allergic in nature - secondary hives, puffy look (my wife falls into this).

What we've found works good in preventing the reaction (if used within 15-20 mins. of exposure)
-Baby wipes w/ lanolin
-Washing w/ dish detergent

And yes, contaminated clothing & tools can cause reactions months after being in contact w/ poison ivy.
We are living proof to that......

 

[ReneW]

Here is my two cents worth: http://www.felsnaptha.com/
Last time I bought this it was .99 a bar. The Price has gone up, but I'd pay almost anything to get the itching to stop!! Wash the affected area gently with Fels-Naptha soap and rinse, then lather up the rash area and let the soap dry on your skin. I got to where I'll just dip the end of the bar in water and rub it on the spot(s) and let it dry. Keeps it from spreading and reduces the itching, to where the Beer could take over..and make me comfortably numb.

 

[gregp553]

Totally agree with Fels Naptha. As a kid this stuff would do wonders for me for the itch. Lather up and let it dry. However, the current bars of Fels Naptha are not nearly as strong as the old stuff. Or maybe the formula has changed. I can tell by the smell. it's never been pretty. Anyway, it's not quite as effective as it was. But it still helps.

 

[Oldmainer]

Hi smokinjay...the best antidote for PI is to know what it looks like in it's different forms and avoid it...;-) You get the oil on your skin and there isn't any wives tale cure to get rid of the rash and itch except time. I get the itch just lookin' at the stuff so I have become good at knowing what it looks like and stayin' away from it... Here in southern maine PI is everywhere and also poison oak. Happy scratchin'... Franklin

 

[smokinj]

Hi smokinjay...the best antidote for PI is to know what it looks like in it's different forms and avoid it...;-) You get the oil on your skin and there isn't any wives tale cure to get rid of the rash and itch except time. I get the itch just lookin' at the stuff so I have become good at knowing what it looks like and stayin' away from it... Here in southern maine PI is everywhere and also poison oak. Happy scratchin'... Franklin

lol you didn't read the thread I knew it was there but had to cut through it, must of been in the sawdust....I used a 32 in. bar to cut a 22 in. hickory (vines all over the trunk) so I was back away from it sawdust in the air is the only thing I can think of! Now bleach in bath water seems to be drying it up just have a little left now Thank God! and everyone Else's advice...

 

[bsa0021]

If you knew you could come in contact w/PI I wonder if lathering up with some type of soap and then letting it dry would prevent the oil from getting into your pores. I know this works when I work on my cars. I even had a special soap made for rubbing on before beginning an auto repair.

 

[Larrys land]

I had it on my feet last winter. Came home from ice fishing,socks had rubbed it raw. Dabbed the spots with rubbing alcohol
did a little dance,drank a lil jack,and lived with it until it dried. Sorry you are going through this good luck.

 

[Kenster]

Sometimes you can catch it and not even know it's there. I once had my arm way down a gopher hole setting a trap. The next day I broke out with a PI rash that covered the back of my hand and the rest of my arm up to several inches above the elbow. Right arm only, which was the one I stuck down the gopher tunnel. This hole was in our front yard with nothing but thick St Augustine grass. However, about 20 feet away there is a patch of Poison Ivy under, and climbing up, a huge old oak tree. I've been unable to totally eradicate it after many attempts. I figure that I encountered some roots of old PI vines long buried after the house was built and the yard put in.

 

[Battenkiller]

...the best antidote for PI is to know what it looks like in it's different forms and avoid it...

Flashback to the early 1960s....


Two first-year Boy Scouts are wandering around on a blazing hot July afternoon at Camp Rotary. They are wearing shorts and going shirtless to beat the heat. They decide to rest under the shade of a large tree. After awhile, a Scoutmaster from a neighboring troop passes by.

"Afternoon, gentlemen."

"Hello, sir."

"Beastly out, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir, it certainly is."

"Do you boys both know what poison ivy looks like?"

"Yes, sir", we both chimed.

"Well, then.... why in heck are you sitting in a big patch of it?"


My buddy Tommy got covered with blisters and had to go home. I was unscathed.


I suppose I must be one of the "Ten Percenters", the 10% who don't itch and don't give a damn about it.


Was down in North Carolina this weekend moving my kid into Wilmington. We stopped along Rt. 301 to take a leak and my very PI-sensitive, shorts-clad son started to march right through a patch of it.


Idiocy must run in the family.

 

[rustynut]

PI,
Went roaming thru the web last nite and ran across this.
Article stated that this stuff was way better than any of these store bought cures.
Talked it up pretty big time......
Never heard of this myself ?
Any one ever heard of "Jewel Weed" ?
Said to google it for more info.
Best of luck
rn

 

[Nonprophet]

Save your money, and avoid Zanfel, Technu, etc. they're expensive and most people just don't need it. I'm VERY allergic to Poison Oak, and so I've done a TON of research on it. Here's what I have found works best:

1. Isopropyl (NOT rubbing!) Alcohol. If you know you've come in contact with the Urushiol Oil from PI or PO, wash everything with the Isopropyl Alcohol. About $.50 a bottle. Must wash off your skin within an hour or so of contact, or else it's too late as it get's absorbed into your skin.
2. Fels Naptha soap. About $1 a bar. Once blisters appear, take AS HOT a shower as you can stand, and wash the blistered areas vigorously with the Fels Naptha soap. Repeat 2-3 times per day.
3. After shower, dry the rash areas and apply Calamine lotion (about $2). If the itch gets too bad, take VERY HOT showers as needed. The relief is near instantaneous and usually lasts for several hours.
4. If you got the oil on your clothes (which you probably did!) take the bar of Fels Naptha soap, grate some up with a cheese grater, and wash the clothes along with the grated soap in your washing machine using HOT water. The only other thing that will remove the oil from your clothing is Technu, but you'd need to use about $20 worth per load, so the Fels Naptha is much cheaper.

About a few wives tales:

1. The fluid from the blisters does NOT spread the rash! The rash area may get bigger over the next few days, but that's because the oil had already penetrated the skin. So don't worry about spreading by itching, or from puss that gets on sheets, towels, pants, etc.
2. Do NOT use bleach, gas, etc on the infected areas

Good luck!!


NP

 

[FireAnt]

I have always used,

Lye soap
Rubbing alcohol
Calamine lotion

 

[purplereign]

About a few wives tales:

1. The fluid from the blisters does NOT spread the rash! The rash area may get bigger, but that's because the oil had already penetrated the skin--don't worry about sheets, towels, pants, etc.
2. Do NOT use bleach, gas, etc on the infected areas

Good luck!!


NP

PERHAPS a wives tale w/respect to Poison Oak, but rest assured that you CAN get Poison Ivy from others' clothes, towels, etc. - it happens regularly to my aunt(who rarely goes out) from handling my uncle's clothes (he's a forester). Also, you don't want to be exposed to the smoke from burning it...

 

[Battenkiller]

PERHAPS a wives tale w/respect to Poison Oak, but rest assured that you CAN get Poison Ivy from others' clothes, towels, etc. - it happens regularly to my aunt(who rarely goes out) from handling my uncle's clothes (he's a forester). Also, you don't want to be exposed to the smoke from burning it...

I believe NP meant you can't spread it onto your clothes from the rash, not from the plant. Obviously, getting the oil directly on your clothing presents an exposure risk to others who handle that clothing.

 

[billdiesel]

When I was a kid, always used white shoe polish in the bottle with the sponge type applicator.
Did a good job of drying it up. Not had PI for years, guess I've been lucky.

 

[boatboy63]

Poison ivy, oak, or sumac can be very troublesome. My wife is part Indian and has always made her brags of how she can pull it up by the roots and has never been bothered by it. Suddenly, a year or so ago, things changed. She pulled some up from inside a shed that we have. Within 36 hours, she was itching and I was laughing because of her brag. Ended up taking her to Dr and getting a shot and steroids (prednisone).

I have always been allergic to it in the past. I have even heard you can catch it from smoke if you are burning it. Had a motorcycle wreck about 20 yrs ago and ended up coming to a stop in a ditch with me tumbling over the handlebars. The wreck wasn't so bad until the next day when I started itching. Found out I landed in a patch of it, but was wearing shorts and one of those old fishnet T-shirts. In recent years, seems that I am not bothered by it as bad. I have been in it a few times in the last couple years and never gotten it.

Fast forward to 21 yr old son. Just like his mom, never had a problem with it. Made his brags regularly...until 3 weeks ago. We went to some land that was being cleared with permission to cut up downed trees from last fall. We traded back and forth with chainsaw. He came over to me with part of the log he just cut and told me not to touch it as it had PI on it. He also reminded me that he was not allergic to it. The next day, he was broken out in it on his arms, chest, pelvic area, and legs. He said he would be fine. About 2 days later, I had to take him to the Dr to get a shot and some cream. Ended up costing me $80 for his Dr visit + about $25 for 2 inner tubes as trailer tires were dry rotted and leaked all air out on the way from the field. Kind of makes me wonder if it was worth doing ourselves. I did ask the Dr about what can be done after you find you have been in it. She said within 10 minutes of exposure, wash area in cold water and soap to remove the oil. Said to never use warm/hot water as it will cause it to soak into the skin.

 

[mikeyny]

make a paste of white vinegar and table salt, rub it on the affected area, it feels good. Let it dry and rinse it off. repeat several times. It works well, but you smell like a salad when your done. If I get it real bad I stand in the shower and apply it, wait for it to dry and repeat several times. Try it, you have nothing to lose

 

[blades]

Truth to hot water at first exposure, hot water causes the pores of your skin to open, might just as well bath in a tub of it at that point.