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Poison Oak is so much fun...
Well, being the adventurous type that I am sometimes, I got myself the worst batch of poison oak since I was a kid (it was poison ivy when I was a kid, and I had it much worse, but same difference in plants). A buddy and I had to travel across a creek to get where we needed to go, and of course came in contact with some bushes apparently. There were no leaves present, but as you know, the urushiol oils are in the branches as well.
Sooo, I washed when I got home (even in cold water to keep my pores closed) but it wasn't until 1 1/2 hours later, since we had to finish our ride, then I had to drive my buddy home, and then go home myself. I finally went to the doctor after it seemed like my adrenal glands were not up for the fight, so I am putting on a cortosteriod topical cream, and I am taking an oral steriod (Prednisone) which acts like cortisol to stop/reduce the inflammation. It is helping some, but man, this stuff just doesn't want to go away without a fight. My buddy had a little bit of a rash, but not near as much as me, and his doesn't want to go away either.
Anybody else have any poison oak stories?? How long did it take to go away? I have read home remedies anywhere from tying a steak to your leg, to rubbing banana peels on the rash. I usually get a little poison oak each year, but this is by far the most severe in recent memory.
Oh, and here are some pictures from a ride I went on Saturday. San Juan Trail again. You can see the poison oak in the picture where I am sitting down. (FYI -- I am in the "IRC Tire" jersey)
BTW, I purchased some stuff called "Tecnu" which is used to remove the urushiol oils, as sometimes soap will not do the trick. The oils can stay on unwashed clothes for years as well. I had to wash EVERYTHING I tell ya. The Tecnu stuff is always gonna be within arms reach during my hiking and biking from now on. You can use it on your laundry as well.
Re: Poison Oak is so much fun...
Quote:
Originally Posted by derstuka
Anybody else have any poison oak stories??
One of our SAR instructors here in CO is from GA and had a great one during the class on field hygiene. It ssems that back in GA she had hired a guy to clean out a bunch of brush in her back forty and warned him that there was lots of poison oak & sumak in it. "That's ok, it doesn't bother me like most folks..." All was fine as he tore through the brush and cleared quite a bit of it until he came in to use the facilities and didn't wash his hands first....
She ended driving him to the ER and he was in extreme discomfort for about a week and a half.
Re: Poison Oak is so much fun...
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbessee
Quote:
Originally Posted by derstuka
Anybody else have any poison oak stories??
One of our SAR instructors here in CO is from GA and had a great one during the class on field hygiene. It ssems that back in GA she had hired a guy to clean out a bunch of brush in her back forty and warned him that there was lots of poison oak & sumak in it. "That's ok, it doesn't bother me like most folks..." All was fine as he tore through the brush and cleared quite a bit of it until he came in to use the facilities and didn't wash his hands first....
She ended driving him to the ER and he was in
extreme discomfort for about a week and a half.
Oh my Go_d, that is crazy! Ya know, there is an old saying, "there are those who are allergic to poision ivy now, and then there are those that will be later," or something like That. Basically, if you aren't allergic to it now, with each added exposure, you will become more reactive to it.
Man, that guy must have been in some extreme discomfort, as you said. Yikes!
