philoshop
Addicted to ArboristSite
Ouch!! I'm having a 'sympathetic reaction' for you, itchin' and sratchin' just thinking about it. 
Get well soon!
Get well soon!
Poison Ivy n Firewood
- Thread starter FLHX Storm
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timbrjackrussel
ArboristSite Guru
Very powerful oil.
http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/fastfacts.html
http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/fastfacts.html
brewmonster
ArboristSite Operative
After this, you'll probably never let PI get close to you again! But if you do, that Tecnu stuff does help as an after-the-fact scrub, but do it right away.
And another vote for cherry.
And another vote for cherry.
I had a similar experience cutting wood for a friend two years ago. They were struggling financially and I offered to get them some firewood the summer before. The husband said no and fall came and went. By January they were asking me for firewood because the heating bill was killing them.
I like helping people but I don't like giving people wood if they are able to work for it themselves. I offered to take my friend out to cut dead trees for firewood. We went to a place I get oak and other hardwood and drive down a fire road with an eye out for a dead tree.
It wasn't long before I spotted an oak that fit the bill. I went down in the brush with a saw and chain. There were these annoying vines all over the place that we had to pull off. I choked the logs and pulled them out of the gully with my truck. They were bucked and split and loaded in the truck. We put together a cord in short order and headed to his house to stack it.
I woke up the next day feeling bad. My wife said it looked like had been in a boxing match my eyes were so swollen. PO was everywhere. It was then that I realized what those vines were. There were no leaves so i didn't think about it at the time.
I had a visit to my doctor who always says the same thing when I come in - "That's bad. That's really nasty. You should stay out of that stuff." Just give me the prednisone so I can go home.
Even with the prednisone I missed a day of work. My friend wasn't so lucky. He's allergic to prednisone so he had to gut it out. Two weeks of pure misery.
He wouldn't burn the wood or fear of more PO from handling it. He left it uncovered in the rain that winter. I hauled it off to my friend Steve's house and he burned it the next winter. He don't get PO at all from the wood.
My doctor thinks I should use the furnace but I am like a three legged dog that can't stop chasing cars. You won't keep me out of the woods and I won't stop cutting firewood. I usually don't get it that bad and if he knew how many times I get poison oak and don't go in he would think I am crazy. I get it so much I feel funny when I don't have poison oak.
I have driven that fire road in the summer and the gully where the tree was is a sea of green and red leaves. I would think anyone who went down there is a fool. I spent hours in there in hand-to-vine combat with my mortal enemy, poison oak. In the end I lost but it's a good story for boards like this.
I like helping people but I don't like giving people wood if they are able to work for it themselves. I offered to take my friend out to cut dead trees for firewood. We went to a place I get oak and other hardwood and drive down a fire road with an eye out for a dead tree.
It wasn't long before I spotted an oak that fit the bill. I went down in the brush with a saw and chain. There were these annoying vines all over the place that we had to pull off. I choked the logs and pulled them out of the gully with my truck. They were bucked and split and loaded in the truck. We put together a cord in short order and headed to his house to stack it.
I woke up the next day feeling bad. My wife said it looked like had been in a boxing match my eyes were so swollen. PO was everywhere. It was then that I realized what those vines were. There were no leaves so i didn't think about it at the time.
I had a visit to my doctor who always says the same thing when I come in - "That's bad. That's really nasty. You should stay out of that stuff." Just give me the prednisone so I can go home.
Even with the prednisone I missed a day of work. My friend wasn't so lucky. He's allergic to prednisone so he had to gut it out. Two weeks of pure misery.
He wouldn't burn the wood or fear of more PO from handling it. He left it uncovered in the rain that winter. I hauled it off to my friend Steve's house and he burned it the next winter. He don't get PO at all from the wood.
My doctor thinks I should use the furnace but I am like a three legged dog that can't stop chasing cars. You won't keep me out of the woods and I won't stop cutting firewood. I usually don't get it that bad and if he knew how many times I get poison oak and don't go in he would think I am crazy. I get it so much I feel funny when I don't have poison oak.
I have driven that fire road in the summer and the gully where the tree was is a sea of green and red leaves. I would think anyone who went down there is a fool. I spent hours in there in hand-to-vine combat with my mortal enemy, poison oak. In the end I lost but it's a good story for boards like this.
BTW look at my signature if you want to know how I feel about PO and firewood.
Sorry to hear and hope you clear it up soon. I guess I'm lucky that PI is pretty rare up here.
I bet you will never forget this. From now on get some Technu and wash it off ASAP. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TecnuThe other day I heard a chainsaw running over at my neighbors place, and since he isn't supposed to be doing that kind of work due to having a pacemaker put in, I went over to see if I could lend a hand (like do the entire job) Well, his son was there removing 2 largish river birch (at least that is what I think it was) with a huskqvarna 350 wearing a 16 inch bar n chain. Supposedly he is a chainsaw instructor and an arborist but I'm not seeing it.
Anyway, the wood was offered to me so I retrieved my pickup truck, chainsaws, n stuff so that i could process it down to manageable size to bring home. The first thing I did was to remove the stumps since they were 23/24 inches in height n then cut them down to 16 inches. Then limbed and bucked the rest into 4 foot sections. One trunk was about 12 inches across at the base and the other was a but shy of 15 inches.
Now the bad stuff. I saw that a lot of the wood had those vines from poison ivy still attached to it, but I figured, no leaves, how bad could it be. So I loaded up the truck with a bit over a half cord (total yield) and dumped it over at my place n went back and put the brush into manageable piles. My neighbor has a spot he like to drag that stuff to somewhere on his property. The following day I went out and bucked everything into 16 inch lengths, poison ivy vines still attached, and then split most everything down into firewood. I hauled it all over to my firewood collection some 150 feet away in one of those 2' x 4' garden wagons and in loading each piece I peeled the vine off.
I was wearing gloves and a long sleeved hoodie but worked up quite a sweat (yes girls sweat) and evidently I had wiped the sweat off my face while my gloves were still on. Some 6 or so hours later I did the shower thing and everything seemed okay. But then I wasn't looking for any evidence of poison ivy exposure. Well, the following morning yielded the results. Both wrists had broken out with a rash, my neck, face and a part of my scalp were also broken out, and my face was and still is swollen so badly that I can barely open my left eye.
So needless to say, if it hasn't cleared by Thanksgiving, I am NOT going anywhere and until it's cleared I don't want to see anyone or let anyone see me!
I didn't bring a camera with me to take pictures of the stump though I did take some after I had the wood at home. My neighbors son did an interesting cut on one of the trees that I had never seen used on such a small diameter tree especially since his bar was long enough to go straight through. Anyway, here is the stump bottom and top. While I'm at it is this River Birch or some other kind of wood?
HuskStihl
Chairin'em for the sound
Sorry storm. You will thank yourself if you hit a doc in the box and get a medrol dose pack. Nothing else will make much of a difference at this point.
windthrown
361 Junkie
The detergent in Tecnu is mainly sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Suave shampoo is cheap and it also has a lot of SLS in it. Orvus is pure SLS and you can use that to wash your exposed clothes with. Wash your exposed skin with anything with SLS or similar detergent in it to dissolve the urushiol oil. It takes about 12 hours of contact before it binds to your skin and causes dermatitis. After it binds to your skin, use Zanfel, which is the only product that I am aware of that will unbind the urushiol from your skin.
I was thinking the mineral spirits cut the oil.
flashhole
Addicted to ArboristSite
Bummer with the PI but I can sympathize with your situation. I am highly alergic to PI and almost died from exposure to it as a kid. Went horse back riding one time with my newlywed wife (years ago) and got into poison oak. We both swelled up like baloons. What a mess. Stay away from it.
Wood almost looks like pine, but unless there were needles then I'd also say some kind of cherry. Looks like it's a fast grower by the size of the rings.
As for PI, I'll just focus the advice a bit:
1. First thing is to get the urishol oil washed off ASAP. There are a number of products out there that are good for it, but soap and water are generally not so good. I hear detergent is pretty good, but I prefer Tecnu. Bleach is also helpful. Take your time and wash wash wash several times.
2. It might help to wash with cold water first (this will close up the skin pores), and once you get the stuff off the outside as best you can, then wash with hot water (which will open the pores up again).
3. Once you've done the washing, then you need to manage the symptoms. Some kind of cortisone cream helps with the itching, and when it gets nasty, Ivy Dry and other kinds of topical creams can help. If you've got a bad case, you can get a shot from the doctor which does a really good job.
As far as prevention, I don't think there's much that can be done. Some people swear by eating a few leaves in the Spring, some say that if you get it one year you won't get it the next, and some say there are other things you can ingest to keep it away.
From my research about allergies, anyone can develop or lose a PI allergy at any time, and someone who used to roll around in it as a kid may develop an allergy later (and vice versa). The best prevention is to keep out of it as much as possible, and if not possible, then to wash asap and make sure you treat your clothes and tools as well.
As for PI, I'll just focus the advice a bit:
1. First thing is to get the urishol oil washed off ASAP. There are a number of products out there that are good for it, but soap and water are generally not so good. I hear detergent is pretty good, but I prefer Tecnu. Bleach is also helpful. Take your time and wash wash wash several times.
2. It might help to wash with cold water first (this will close up the skin pores), and once you get the stuff off the outside as best you can, then wash with hot water (which will open the pores up again).
3. Once you've done the washing, then you need to manage the symptoms. Some kind of cortisone cream helps with the itching, and when it gets nasty, Ivy Dry and other kinds of topical creams can help. If you've got a bad case, you can get a shot from the doctor which does a really good job.
As far as prevention, I don't think there's much that can be done. Some people swear by eating a few leaves in the Spring, some say that if you get it one year you won't get it the next, and some say there are other things you can ingest to keep it away.
From my research about allergies, anyone can develop or lose a PI allergy at any time, and someone who used to roll around in it as a kid may develop an allergy later (and vice versa). The best prevention is to keep out of it as much as possible, and if not possible, then to wash asap and make sure you treat your clothes and tools as well.
And those are some fine looking stumps there. The gal can cut!!! 
Its Cherry Unc.And those are some fine looking stumps there. The gal can cut!!!
MasterBlaster
TreeHouse Elder
Did you order it?
Had no PI outbreaks for many years, but, cutting some big locust from Superstorm Sandy to clear a trail, bud on the far side didn't incline to tell me about the BIG PI vines on his side. The stuff got everywhere on me. Regular doses of Oral Ivy, and Caladryl, kept me from removing skin. Effect of Oral Ivy was almost immediate.
Problem is not knowing you've been exposed, until skin has erupted.
Problem is not knowing you've been exposed, until skin has erupted.
MasterBlaster
TreeHouse Elder
I used Oral Ivy for ages, but since going to long sleeves, I found I no longer needed it.
Remember, if you can wash (even just plain water from a hose) within 15 or 20 minutes after contact, that will ALWAY help. Using soap makes it even better.
Remember, if you can wash (even just plain water from a hose) within 15 or 20 minutes after contact, that will ALWAY help. Using soap makes it even better.
autoimage
ArboristSite Operative
a month ago I had it everywhere my one eye swelled shut it was ridiculous...im not one to rush to the doctor but u need the steroid it works...also tell them It hasn't gone away when ur done and they will call another one in so u can refill and have it handy.
naturelover
Tree Freak
An odd little fact for me.....
I am allergic to it, and will always look around anything I'm cutting for it. The inevitable will happen though, and I end up with it on a yearly basis usually.
One thing though, is that I can take a hot shower or bath, and I'll be able to feel an itch before it even starts to make a bump on the skin. On goes the caladryl lotion or my leftover prescription cream.
It will usually come up anyway as a bump or such, but will usually dry out and leave pretty quickly.
If I leave it alone until it's already broken the skin, it's much worse.
Buddies say I have the cleanest mowers and trimmers around, but it isn't because of keeping them clean, it's to wash off any p/i residue I may have encountered.
Oh, and I'd say eating a leaf would end up with me in the hospital.
It's said it can travel in the smoke when burned also......
Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk
I am allergic to it, and will always look around anything I'm cutting for it. The inevitable will happen though, and I end up with it on a yearly basis usually.
One thing though, is that I can take a hot shower or bath, and I'll be able to feel an itch before it even starts to make a bump on the skin. On goes the caladryl lotion or my leftover prescription cream.
It will usually come up anyway as a bump or such, but will usually dry out and leave pretty quickly.
If I leave it alone until it's already broken the skin, it's much worse.
Buddies say I have the cleanest mowers and trimmers around, but it isn't because of keeping them clean, it's to wash off any p/i residue I may have encountered.
Oh, and I'd say eating a leaf would end up with me in the hospital.
It's said it can travel in the smoke when burned also......
Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk
HuskStihl
Chairin'em for the sound
Eating PI will not desensitize you, and if you are are very sensitive and not near a hospital, could result in deadness. Preventing the urushiol from touching you is the best strategy. It you are exposed, eliminating as much of the urushiol from the skin before it binds (shower, scrub with soap, technu if you have it.)
Once the reaction starts, you can either deal with it with the help of anti-itch products, or try to reduce the severity of the hypersensitivity reaction. If it is a small area, topical steroids really help, but unfortunately the potency of the OTC stuff won't really cut it. The best I've found is the augmented betamethasone cream (if OTC hydrocortisone is a MS170, betamethasone is a ported 084). It can make smaller spots disappear quickly. If it's widespread or involving the eyes I'd recommend oral or IM steroids, which usually work like magic. Burning it can be very dangerous as the smoke contains urushiol and can cause big problems in a sensitive person
Once the reaction starts, you can either deal with it with the help of anti-itch products, or try to reduce the severity of the hypersensitivity reaction. If it is a small area, topical steroids really help, but unfortunately the potency of the OTC stuff won't really cut it. The best I've found is the augmented betamethasone cream (if OTC hydrocortisone is a MS170, betamethasone is a ported 084). It can make smaller spots disappear quickly. If it's widespread or involving the eyes I'd recommend oral or IM steroids, which usually work like magic. Burning it can be very dangerous as the smoke contains urushiol and can cause big problems in a sensitive person
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