Poison Ivy

[Ivan the Butcher]

Last major case I had was in the late 90's. I cleared a small jungle at work and got pretty contaminated with Poison Sumac. My face swelled up and completely closed off my eyes. I was given Prednisone injections. I avoid it as best I can, but still get a few bumps here and there.

Ivan

 

[Doug627]

I was painting an old woman's house. I pulled some weeds away for the house when the woman told me it was poison ivy. My arms were covered in the resin up to my elbows. She took me into a tool shed and gave me a bar of Gold Bond soap and said to lather the soap on my arms and let it dry. I did as she said and did not have a reaction to the poison ivy. She said it works even if you don't get to it until you begin to react to the poison ivy. I have passed this on to others and they have reported it worked for them, too.

 

[jbtrucker]

I haven't been exposed to Poison Ivey for several years , last time had it covered both my arms and neck . Went to doc and and got a Steroid shot , Benadryl and Calamine lotion. I got it once from sleeping bag or jacket wash all of your clothes and cover rash with bandage for bed

 

[Rifleman200-10X]

I grew up on a farm, and still live on a mostly wooded acreage. I've had poison ivy and sumac more times than I can count. My grandpa taught me a "cure" that works 100%. I'm sure you wouldn't want to try this if you had a severe case of it, but if it's just some small scattered spots of it as I typically get, try this. Get a bar of Lava soap, turn on the hot water in the sink, hot as you can stand, and use the bar of Lava much like a sanding block, and scrub the little blisters off. (May have to grit your teeth a bit.) But the resulting little patches of scabs are much less of an irritant that the spreading, itchy patches of blisters. Cowboy up!

 

[Grayfox]

Poison Ivy? Wasn't she Batman's girl friend?

Actually, I'm one of the blessed. The stuff doesn't seem to effect me much at all. Spent a great deal of time in the woods as a kid and never got it. Some years ago as an adult, I got one small patch on my arm and it wasn't that bad. However, I've never taken my luck for granted. I'm always careful.

Back when I was a Scout Leader, we had some unfortunate kids who would break out top to bottom if they just came near the stuff. Sadly these boys rarely stayed in scouting, but I fully understand why.

BTW: I'm double blessed. Skeeters don't seem to like me much either.

 

[terry_tr6]

as to losing immunity, I had twin cousins whose dad had a cottage along a small river. It was the summer gathering place for the whole extended family. we were warned that there was poison ivy near the dock on one bank and we all avoided it except for his twin daughters who were immune. Until one summer, they weren't.....

 

[Bajadoc]

I got kind of itchy just reading your post, thanks. I am another one of the lucky ones. I have spent as much time as I could rolling and frolicking in the woods and rarely get the bush cooties. I have shot at some skeeters with a shotgun though.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

I got poison oak so bad on my feet when I was a kid, that I would break out every summer for several years afterwards.

A friend of mine was a tough kid growing up, so to prove how tough he was, he ate poison oak and rubbed it all over himself. It didn't turn out well. He is the one who told me the story.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[sheepdawg]

I got about a half an acre of it mixed in with muscadines, keeps the neighbors at bay. Doesn't seem to bother me, I've been picking the muscadines, they're tasty this year.

Lord don't try to burn it.

 

[PeterJ]

Oh,,, and don't clear out poison ivy with a weed eater while wearing shorts. Don't ask me how I know that.

 

[Jeff423]

Talk to your Doctor. Prednisone and Triamcinolone will clear it up very quickly. I just do a video appt. with him and get a prescription. His only concern is if it's in my eyes. (never has been)
With me is mostly over in 24 hrs. after starting the medication.

 

[ZGrand]

My wife gets it several times a year. Depending on the severity, she either treats it with calamine lotion or goes to the doctor for a shot. She is very careful, but she usually gets it from one of the dog's fur. I've never been allergic, but I still do my best to stay away from it for her sake.

 

[Golphin]

Been lucky enough all these years not to get it to bad. A few times as a kid I had it some. I look at what I am clearing these days to avoid it the best I can and don't seem to be to sensitive to it.

 

[llowry61]

You can tell folks who are affected by it and those who are not. My golf buddy is not resistant at all so I go looking for his golf balls. I really don't even know what it looks like. I had it one time after basically wallowing in it and the patch was about the size of a quarter.

Anyone who is highly allergic immediately spots it and gives the warning.

I was hanging some tree stands in late August with a buddy a few years back. I was busily clearing the brush around the tree I wanted to set up in when he pulled up on the tractor. He freaked out at the pile of PI I had yanked out and off the tree. He was totally amazed that I didn't have any reaction at all. He wouldn't even come near the tree or hunt out of the stand.

Just lucky I guess.

 

[Faulkner]

Yuck Faulkner, that looks pretty rough. Do you have a recommended treatment once you get it?

I always have a bottle of Super Ivy Dry to treat it. Once you get the resin all washed off and the symptoms start to appear I put a hot wash cloth to the affected area to get the pours open, then pat dry with a towel and spray with Super Ivy Dry. Do it three times a day and it usually cuts the rash time down in half.

Once it starts to dry up and heal you want to keep something like Neutrogena hand cream or moisturizer on it to help keep it from scarring.

 

[whitestang]

I found out that I'm very sensitive to all of them when I was 12. I was helping my Dad cut down some trees and got into some then the blisters were so bad I could not put my fingers together. So the only way I would work to remove any is by wearing a Haz Mat suit.

 

[tops]

I'm allergic to it but my brother isn't.
Dad would have a small place break out if he really got in a bunch of it. He said he liked it because it felt so good to scratch and in a few days it would go away.
Dads sister was not allergic to it and could pull it up with bare hands but if she pulled up Fescue grass with bare hands she would break out like others do with Poison Ivy. Larry

 

[NYlakesider]

Like I said in a earlier post I was lucky and not bothered by poison Ivy! With that said I'm careful and try to see whats around, I'm not looking to prove or disprove my immunity is still working.

I did have a very nasty time with Stinging Nettles when I was 15.

Both my wife and especially my one son are quite good at spotting P.I.

 

[Grayfox]

For those of you susceptible to poison ivy, I suggest you also become familiar with Jewel Weed. This is a wild flower usually found near water and is a natural remedy for that nasty itch. Simply crush leaves and stems and rub the juice on the affected area. In fact its quite good for any rash, bug bites and other skin irritations.

 

[Snapping Twig]

Urushiol resin is the culprit in poison oak/ivy. It's also in mangos, which is why you don't eat near the skin or pit.

Japanese lacquered items are also full of it and this is why we are advised not to serve food on of it.

Technu is a very good OTC product for pre or post exposure.

Temovate is a prescription topical medicine to reduce and eliminate the rash.

We have poison oak here on the West Coast - lots of it! Poison oak is the steroidially enhanced bigger brother to poison ivy.

I post the above information from my own vast experience with exposure to this noxious plant.

I had it from head to toe at one point in my youth. Everywhere. Wrap your mind around that.

Bad stuff, but Technu is a blessing - it works.