Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: Poison Oak is so much fun...

  1. #1

    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.
    Attached Images Attached Images     

  2. # ADS
    Circuit advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many
     

  3. #2

    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.
    Don

    "Think where man's glory begins and ends and say that my glory was that I had such friends." - Yeats

  4. #3

    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!
    ~Jason

    Man who run behind car become exhausted...

Similar Threads

  1. Road to Poison Springs
    By DWayne27 in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 04-11-2010, 05:39 PM
  2. Pandora's Box-which poison?
    By heliodor in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 02-16-2009, 04:20 AM
  3. Poison Spring conditions
    By french_de in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 05-14-2008, 03:38 PM
  4. Poison Springs Conditions 3/22/08
    By rockgremlin in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 03-25-2008, 05:08 PM
  5. Poison Spring Conditions?
    By rockgremlin in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 10-24-2007, 08:29 AM

Visitors found this page by searching for:

Outdoor Forum

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •