Got poison ivy again

[unclemoustache]

Durn it! Last woodcutting day of the season and I have to get poison ivy again. Got it on my forearms while climbing a tree to top it so I could fell it toward some power lines. There were no leaves left - just the vine, but I guess that was good enough. Got it on my forehead now as well, and I feel a little tickle on my neck. Going to be a rough 3 weeks. Ugh.

 

[Dalmatian90]

I'm only mildly allergic (and adult onset...I was 35 when I became allergic!)

Swear by Tecnu now...the few times I exposed myself this year to what I know is my threshold, cleaned up with the Tecnu and no rash!

Fortunately the little bit of vines I get into during firewood season don't bother me (yet). But I can't weed poison ivy like I used to by just pulling it up around the yard!

 

[HOGBEAR]

I was 30 when I started having problems with it, the first time I swole up in the middle of the night both eyes and trouble breathing. Scary, doc said the next time would be worse he was right.

 

[oxbow]

jewelweed

Unc:

Find some jewelweed (AKA as Touch-me-Not), crush it and rub the juice on.

 

[HOGBEAR]

Unc:

Find some jewelweed (AKA as Touch-me-Not), crush it and rub the juice on.

Not familliar with that.

 

[100 Watt]

I get it as well now. Never had it as a kid. I now keep a bar of Fels-Naptha soap in the shower and scrub down with it after working in the yard or woods. You can find it in most grocery stores in the laundry detergent isle. It works great at getting it off your skin before it turns into a rash. Good luck, I know everyone has their own remedies.

 

[unclemoustache]

Swear by Tecnu now...the few times I exposed myself this year to what I know is my threshold, cleaned up with the Tecnu and no rash!

Just got back from the Pharmacy with some Tecnu - going up to wash with it right now. Hope it helps! Thanks for the tip.

 

[Walt41]

Unc:

Find some jewelweed (AKA as Touch-me-Not), crush it and rub the juice on.

Works good, been using it for years.

 

[dingeryote]

That sucks!!!!!!

This time of year is the worst for getting the stuff.
The Urishol is concentrated on the brown leaves that are hard to ID in all the other brown leaves, and the vines have more of the gunk in 'em.

Scrub with dish soap untill ya think ya can't stand it, then scrub everywhere again. Then use the Tecnu. The Urishol is like good Moly grease and resists getting washed off tenaciously, and ya can't see it.

Good old Simple Green in the shower is normal around here LOL!!

Jewel weed works, but if ya can't find it growing around your place,try a local holistic/neutriceutical herbal medicine shop as they always seem to have Jewel weed soap. It works about as well as Tecnu IMO.

If ya can't stand it, head to the Doc, and have him hook ya up with either 10% Cortisone or Diprolene cream to go along with a course of prednisone.
Be carefull with the prednisone though...the stuff is NOT good for ya, and some people, like me, it makes ya jittery, cranky, grumpy, and borderline Homicidal. It will get rid of the PI problem quickly though.

The worst thing about PI this time of year?
The Mutts get it on thier fur and then pass it to us.

Hang in there UNC.
And remember the HOT shower relief trick

Heat drives the histamines that cause the itch, out of the PI affected tissues.
Run hot water, as hot as you can stand it, on the area untill it stops itching like crazy. It will kill the itch for about 4-5 hours untill the histamines build back up. Great for getting some sleep.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Ambull]

Twice I have gotten a prescription for a Medrol pack. Medrol is the the brand name for Methylprednisolone. It is very inexpensive if you have health insurance, and really takes the edge off. It is a six day dosage period. It starts working right away, and the poison ivy has always been completely gone by the sixth day. The only side effect is that I seem to have more energy, and need less sleep.

I highly recommend it.

 

[coog]

I always felt lucky in that I am immune to P.I...until I got a case of chiggers! Lots of nasty stuff in the woods.Hope you feel better, soon.

 

[Double_Diamond]

Technu works well but I have also found that the orange hand cleaner and degreaser works just as well for a fraction of the price. I have gone through a lot of the degreaser when I would be out in the field surveying. I am very allergic to poison oak but sometimes I would have to get into it to set survey points. When I did, I just made sure to clean up really well with the degreaser and that would eliminate or greatly reduce the likely hood that I would get poison oak.

 

[oxbow]

jewelweed

Not familliar with that.

You've probably seen it. It grows in damp areas, and often in the same areas as poison ivy. Light green plant with hollow stalks full of juice, sometimes purple at the nodes where the leaves attach to the stalk.

 

[trailmaker]

My wife is highly allergic to poison oak. A dermatologist told her to use cold water when washing off. Apparently hot water causes your pores to open up which is a bad thing.

 

[songofthewood]

I hate that you got a batch of the ivy. My fair share came to me this summer.First time I've had it in a long time.Know how you feel...feel better soon!

 

[Iska3]

That bites!! So far I'm the lucky one, I never seem to get it. I feel sorry for you. The wife had it three times this summer. She seems to look at a picture of the stuff and she gets it. She'll end up on meds for 10 days and two weeks later she'll have it again. She knows what to look for in the woods so we figure it comes in on my clothes or the Donkeys bring it up from the pasture.

 

[Mike PA]

One of the worst cases of PI I ever got was from cutting through the vines. I had it all over my face, neck, and arms. I was cutting in the dead of winter on a vine that was "dead" for some time. Zanfels really helped me. Expensive, but worth it. Be careful. You may need to go to the doctor for some prednisone, depending how bad you got into it. Good luck.

 

[unclemoustache]

Thanks for all your pity! I sure appreciate it.

I'm doing fine. The Tecnu seems to be helping - I was already blistering in some spots, but I'll be curious to see how well it works from now on.

I heard that washing in cold water first is good (especially if you've been working with fiberglass insulation), because that closes off the pores, and you wash out all the stuff on the surface. THEN you wash with hot water, for that opens the pores back up and helps rinse them out better. That's what I did - lots of soap and cold water, then soap and hot water, then the Tecnu, then a couple layers of Benadryl. Doesn't really bug me much.

Someone told me that there are shots one can get in the spring to prevent this - anyone know about that?

 

[BPS. LLC]

I used to get it real bad when I was a kid, but it seems to be getting better. You guys won't like my cure though...Bleach. You may have to dilute it, depending on how sensitive you are, but it will be gone the next day.

Note: I would only suggest this method on small areas and not in sensitive areas.

In high school my buddy was in the woods and accidentally wiped with some Ivy. He missed over a week a school and was still getting busted on weeks later.

 

[Tesen]

Durn it! Last woodcutting day of the season and I have to get poison ivy again. Got it on my forearms while climbing a tree to top it so I could fell it toward some power lines. There were no leaves left - just the vine, but I guess that was good enough. Got it on my forehead now as well, and I feel a little tickle on my neck. Going to be a rough 3 weeks. Ugh.

That sucks man My body doesn't seem to care about poison ivy (I guess being allergic to pretty much everything else makes up for it ). My wife had a bad case of poison ivy it a few years ago when we were cutting up slab wood. She was miserable from it.

I hope you feel better soon!

Tes