How do you old salts deal with poison ivy?

[Plasmech]

I used to get poison ivy very severely. Then somewhat recently I became immune to it, or so I thought. I even got to the point where I intentionally rubbed the stuff on myself to prove to someone that I didn't get it anymore...(I didn't get it). This past weekend I was bathed in the stuff while working with TMD. Figured I was immune to it still. I figured wrong. Got it all over my arms and at the bottoms of my legs where the saw chips ended up. Chainsaws all coated with the oil now too I'm sure. I'll hit them with a de-greaser soon.

It's so bad that I got a script for prendisone which will knock it out within a half hour.

I'm just wondering how lifer tree guys deal with this stuff. Certainly avoidance is not an option. Does it just get to the point where you have it so much that it pretty much becomes part of life? Or at some point do you truly become immune to it and never get it again?

 

[Greystoke]

I used to get poison ivy very severely. Then somewhat recently I became immune to it, or so I thought. I even got to the point where I intentionally rubbed the stuff on myself to prove to someone that I didn't get it anymore...(I didn't get it). This past weekend I was bathed in the stuff while working with TMD. Figured I was immune to it still. I figured wrong. Got it all over my arms and at the bottoms of my legs where the saw chips ended up. Chainsaws all coated with the oil now too I'm sure. I'll hit them with a de-greaser soon.

It's so bad that I got a script for prendisone which will knock it out within a half hour.

I'm just wondering how lifer tree guys deal with this stuff. Certainly avoidance is not an option. Does it just get to the point where you have it so much that it pretty much becomes part of life? Or at some point do you truly become immune to it and never get it again?

It has been my experience, and according to doctors that I have talked to about it, that your body builds up a tolerance to it, until you are in it for a while then it breaks down your immunity and you get it. I was falling timber in the swamps of Florida, and I had never been in it, and so I got it bad! After that I swore I would never work in it again, until the company that I worked for sent me to the north coast of California, Humboldt County. Well, there was poison oak everywhere, so I took all precautions I could: Always worke long sleeves and tried to keep my shirt collar as tight as possible to keep chips out of my shirt; Wore a belt to keep chips out of my pants; Tried Ivy Block...not too sure if it helped? Stripped ALL of my clothes off when I got home and threw them straight in the wash; Jumped immediately in the shower with luke warm water(hot water makes it spread); tried several different body cleansers, including: Fels Naptha laundry bar (very harsh on your hide, but cuts the Oak oil), and Ivy cleanse which seemed to work okay...but I would still get it, even though it was not nearly as severe as the case that I got in Florida, but I would still end up having to go to the doc to get prednisone as that was the only true releif. I also tried that homeopathic stuff: RusTox...little pills you could put under your tongue...didn't help, neither did the drops. I think that the most imortant thing is to remember to get it off of your skin as soon as possible and remember to wear clean clothes every day, and also remember that all of your tools are contaminated with it. Good luck! I know that stuff sucks, so I feel for you man!

 

[outdoorlivin247]

Try contacting a compound pharmacy in your area...Some will have a concoction the you can drink prior to working in it...

 

[Grace Tree]

I've gone the other way. For 60 years I could work in it all day and the worst that I got was a very mild case that seemed to last all summer. The past couple years I've had some very nasty cases and have had to get the Prednesone. I combine that with some jewel weed juice or jewel weed cream to slow the itching. It helps some but I've still had many sleepless nights.
Phil

 

[Plasmech]

I've gone the other way. For 60 years I could work in it all day and the worst that I got was a very mild case that seemed to last all summer. The past couple years I've had some very nasty cases and have had to get the Prednesone. I combine that with some jewel weed juice or jewel weed cream to slow the itching. It helps some but I've still had many sleepless nights.
Phil

Yes the Prednisone works like a charm..I just don't really fancy the idea of taking an immunosuppressant. Amazingly effective though.

 

[Tree Pig]

long sleeves rubber coated gloves. Use gloves, knife, machete pole saw what ever you can to pick off what you can. Climb around it when possible keep the ropes and lanyards off it. Toss the gloves when your done and clean anything that touched it.

 

[dingeryote]

I was Immune as a Kid.

Then Camp Pendleton "Happened", and I now react quite horribly to the stuff.

I always have it for some reason or another and just cannot get away from it.

I recently managed to get a touch on the ankles from saw chips, and POOF!
Both feet and toes are reacting with they typical blisters and itching, like lst time.

As others have said, an aggressive decontamination regimen helps immensely to minimize exposures.
You're gonna get it, how bad and much is what ya can control.

Ether is cheap, and works great to decon saws and tools.

Simple green, and the purple generic stuff is great for a pre soak on clothes, ropes, and stuff.

Gloves are the kicker. Good leather gloves get contaminated and stay contaminated even if ya wash 'em, and chaps seem to hang onto the urishol forever.

Socks.... just toss 'em. They never get decontaminated.

Remember to run a cycle or two through the washing machine with a degreser AFTER ya wash your contaminated clothes.
No point in contaminating the 'Ol Ladys frilly things unintentionally.
Do it just once, and you'll never do it again... trust me.

Prednisone works great, but it's harsh on the whole system.
The stuff makes me edgy and crankier than normal....and that ain't a good thing.
The Doc can hook ya up with some decent topical treatments that work almost as well. Diprolene and good old Cortizone seem to work well.

Best of luck to ya!

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[NCTREE]

I just deal with it, I think if you get expose to it frequently the severity goes down. I usually get one good dose of it a year. Oral ivy extract is suppose to help you from getting it if taken everyday. As far as getting rid of the symptoms the only thing that has help me was swimming in the ocean or a pool. I've heard of people pouring bleach and other household chemicals on themselves but I would not recommend it.

 

[deevo]

I get it bad every year, try to stay away from it, but sometimes no such luck. I've done the prednazone, all sorts of other crappy cream. The best thing someone gave me last year and works awesome is from the health food store, it's a homeopathic type medicine called complex PI and is taken orally. It works from the inside out and works is pretty impressive. You can get it at most health food stores. Try it out!:greenchainsaw:

 

[Slvrmple72]

Scream like a little girl and run away from it.

No, but seriously if you are going to come in contact with it prevention is critical. I get the stuff very bad and after two rounds of Prednisone this summer I make sure I have my kit with me. Long sleeve cotton shirts, gloves, and helmet with visor, Ivyblock lotion, and degreaser for gear. After working in the stuff ditch the contaminated clothes/gloves in a bag to get washed. Fels Naptha soap in a cold shower ASAP helps to minimize the extent of the rash I still get even in the long sleeve shirt. High humidity and sweat still got me. The stuff has been thick this year and shiny with lots of Urushiol oil on the leaves. Making me itch just thinkin about it! Wait till somebody burns some of the stuff and you get into the smoke! I have even gotten it from the dogs cause they got the oil on their coats. Don't even want to get started on Poison Oak!

 

[smokechase II]

discussion

1) Hire a kid to kill it.
2) Move if seriously effected by it.
3) Limit exposure locally, turn down bidding on some jobs
4) Pretreat with Tecnu
5) Wash everything in hot water and tecnu soap at least twice in a landromat
6) Nothing that wasn't exposed goes thru that washer. Don't make eye contact with that lady be the detergent.
7) Throw away anything cheap
8) Plan your attire for the job. Old Pants - playtex gloves
9) Develop the habit of not touching yourself.
10) Never be around the burning or chipping of urisol plants.
11) When you do get it continue with tecnu (http://www.teclabsinc.com/)
12) Focus on 1% Hydrocortisone cream. It is now non-prescription and you should apply it topically about 10 times a day. (http://www.drugs.com/pro/hydrocortisone-cream.html)
13) Discard the old salt remedies of cold showers/chlorine rinses/calamine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamine) lotion.
14) Then if that stuff fails:
Go to prednisone.
But remember - prednisone or other steroid tablets or shots are immune system depressants.
Do want less of an immune system with swine flu coming and Obama as President?

===============

I have poison oak right now.
The 1% cream is working and I have removed about 80% of my rash in a week. I suspect that I would have totally removed it if I had been doing the cream more than 4 times a day average. Its only a 5 spot case so I'm not obsessive compulsive about that. Focusing on other things just now.

=============

PS
Think winter when the plants are dryer or cut the stems of vines going up trees to dry it out for later work.
The dryer the plant is the less the oil spreads.

Chain saw use on a green plant is asking for it.

Benadryl used to be prescription also but it does provide itching relief and often is a sleep aid that might help one in a bad rash scenario. (http://www.drugs.com/pro/diphenhydramine-capsules.html)

 

[treeman82]

I've been using Oral Ivy for the last few years and it works for me.

 

[smokechase II]

suspicious

I'm suspicious of the oral ivy claims:

"WHAT IS ORAL IVY™ ?
Oral Ivy™ is a safe, effective, and economical way to prevent* and treat ivy, oak, and sumac poisoning. Just take five drops a day in water. Oral Ivy™ stimulates your body's natural defenses against these poisonous plants."

They don't understand that the reaction to urisol is the problem.

People that don't get the rash are not reacting to the urisol. Their immune system is not stronger, it is more intelligent.

=============

Whatever you do, don't take the full extract.

All the guys I knew that did got a sphincter rash.

 

[ckliff]

I'm suspicious of the oral ivy claims:

"WHAT IS ORAL IVY™ ?
Oral Ivy™ is a safe, effective, and economical way to prevent* and treat ivy, oak, and sumac poisoning. Just take five drops a day in water. Oral Ivy™ stimulates your body's natural defenses against these poisonous plants."

They don't understand that the reaction to urisol is the problem.

People that don't get the rash are not reacting to the urisol. Their immune system is not stronger, it is more intelligent.

=============

Whatever you do, don't take the full extract.



All the guys I knew that did got a sphincter rash.

For what it's worth - Oral Ivy keeps me free of rashes. I take about 5 drops morning & night from around April until October. Also, if I slack off on that regimen and do get a rash, then 8 -10 drops every two hours eliminates the itching & the rash is gone in maybe 4-5 days instead of two weeks.

Someone else once posted about deodorized mineral spirits being the active ingredient in Tecnu. It is true. Do a thread search on PI and you will find it.

 

[wavefreak]

Side note - cortico-steriods can increase blood sugar in diabetics.

I've got poisen ivy on a tree in my yard, I sprayed it and everything above where I couldn't reach still lives on. What's the best way to kill it?

 

[lego1970]

My sister-n-law is a Dermatologist. From what she explained to me is that the allergetic reaction to poison ivy or any allergy builds up over time and most people develope allergies as they age and are exposed to whatever it is they are allergic too. However, the more your around it, the more you become desensitized. Kinda like if you work at a landfill, the smell doesn't leave the landfill the more you work there, it's just that your nose becomes used to the smell. I know the more I'm around it, the easier it is for me to handle. I still get red and rashy, but it doesn't bother me near as much so I don't scratch it and spread the oils around making it even worse. Oatmeal baths seem to help soothe the itch. Good luck.

 

[irish93stang]

if i know im in it technu usually works but u gotta scrub good some guys put it on first.... also ive been known to use gas when i know im in it some guys say it just spreads the oils.... when i get it bad i try not to scratch it.. but hot hot water makes it feel better but im sure its not good for you! PREDNISONE is AMAZING!!!! but stay on the cycle they prescribe and dont drink alcohol it can mess u up big time

 

[NCTREE]

when i get it bad i try not to scratch it.. but hot hot water makes it feel better but im sure its not good for you!

Hot showers are like having hundreds of tiny fingers scratching...doesn't feel good until it's burning.

 

[dingeryote]

Side note - cortico-steriods can increase blood sugar in diabetics.

I've got poisen ivy on a tree in my yard, I sprayed it and everything above where I couldn't reach still lives on. What's the best way to kill it?

Wave,

Cut the vines near the ground and spray them. A garden Hoe works good for this.
Good old 2-4-D or Crossbow is the best stuff for killing the evil Vine.

Most P.I. Will take 3% Glyphosate(Round up) all day long and just get knocked back a bit.

If you have any Tordon, it works well, as it has a 2-4-D base.

Best of luck to ya!

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Greystoke]

Hot showers are like having hundreds of tiny fingers scratching...doesn't feel good until it's burning.

I was told to avoid this if at all possible, but it does temporarily relieve the symptoms. What I was told is that IF all the oil is off(it is a big "if", as that oil is hard to get off and invisible), it is okay to use hot showers for relief, but remember that hot showers make your skin dryer also, and my theory is that dry skin soaks up more urushiol? Just my two cents.