Posted: 5/9/2015 2:53:13 AM EDT
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Poison Ivy Tips, Tricks, and Misconceptions Seems this time of year almost everyone is getting into some type of trouble with Poison Ivy, Oak, or Sumac if you live in areas where it is located. This is a post to get rid of some of the misconceptions and also some tips/tricks on how to rid yourself of it. Tip #1 - Avoid it at all costs if possible - correct identification can go a long way in saving you pain - http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/pictures.html is a great site for ID purposes Tip #2 - If you have to pull it out use chemical gloves (not latex or nitrile) as well as pants, shoes you don't like and preferably a long sleeve shirt Tip #3 - You have about 15 min to 1 hour to wash your body with soap and water depending on the person before the Urushiol forms a covalent bond to the skin. Once that happens it is not going anywhere until proper removal (see below) Tip #4 - Washing your clothes in the washing machine with detergent WILL get rid of the Urushiol on your clothes. The Urushiol suspends itself in the water and goes down the drain. If you are not comfortable with that... you can always rewash. *Just remember... anything the clothes touch before the Urushiol contacts skin is spreading the chemicals and opening yourself up to future encounters with the Urushiol. Your shoes have the chemicals all over it ... including the laces Tip #5 - Clean your tools that you use in areas around the Poison Ivy, Oak, Sumac. The Urushiol will stay potent on the tools for up to a year and sometimes longer if not cleaned. Tip #6 - If you cannot figure out how you got it… More than likely you can blame your dog. Dogs carry the Urushiol on their coats if they get into a patch and when you pet them the Urushiol starts the bond process. Tip #7 - The roots are more dangerous and hold a higher concentration of Urushiol. Even if you kill the leaves with a brush killer the roots will still contain Urushiol for up to 3 years Tip #8 -NEVER BURN POISON IVY, OAK, OR SUMAC!!!! If you think a rash on your skin is bad... Imagine that in your lungs! Misconceptions #1 - Scratching the rash will make it spread - FALSE - the Urushiol forms a covalent bond within the hour of contact to skin. Once it does this it will not spread. What people think when the rash spreads is actually the body's immune system reaction to the Urushiol. In some places it is faster...in other places slower. http://www.bio.umass.edu/micro/immunology/poisoniv.htm. Scratching can lead to an infection. #2 - You cannot catch the rash from someone else.... UNLESS it is within the hour before the Urushiol bonds with the skin, or if you touch the clothes that the person had on that still contained the Urushiol. An open blister is not the chemical being released and is not a danger except for infection. #3 – If you immune to Urushiol you will always be immune - FALSE – Studies have shown that repeated exposure to the chemicals can decrease your immunity. Remedy’s There are a bunch of home remedies that people swear by and I am not trying to convince anyone otherwise. What I have found to work to break the Urushiol covalent bond is: Tecnu $11 per 12 oz.- http://www.amazon.com/Labs-Tecnu-Outdoor-Cleanser-12-Ounce/dp/B000A7S3WK/ref=pd_bxgy_bt_img_z Zanfel $30 per 1 oz. - http://www.amazon.com/Zanfel-Poison-Sumac-Wash-Tube/dp/B000GCPWUU/ref=pd_bxgy_bt_img_y ***Mean Green $34 per 60 oz. - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CZIGA7M ***The problem is that Zanfel is ridiculously expensive at $30 per oz. So I did some more research and found that Mean Green hand soap is basically the same product as Zanfel and can be found for 1/60th of the price. Rumor has it that it is the exact same product just marketed differently. |
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A hot shower will provide some temporary relief from the itching.
Some people swear by using bleach on the blisters but that just seems unhealthy so I have never tried it. I usually end up getting a shot and steroid prescription every year. Still trying to kill that vile weed around my property. It is a never ending battle. |
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I did not know about #7.
I once got poison ivy from my dog. I had a 2 week marathon at work and my only time outside was walking to and from my car. The poison ivy blisters started on back of my fingers & hand and from scratching, moved up to my elbow. I keep a supply of Tecnu. |
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I tangoed with sumac for the first time a month ago. It is so much worse than oak and ivy, took over three weeks to subside and the itching is a hell of a lot worse. I'm on a mission of full eradication of it in my yard.
I've found that Zyrtec helps alleviate the itch, and Zanfel helped to moderate it. |
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I got poison ivy just by reading this! (it is the bane of my existence) I'm that allergic too!! Once when I lived in corpus, I had my sister and her husband bring a car hood down from Oklahoma (where I grew up). I had it stored in my folks garage, and my mom being a mom wanted to make sure it was protected, wrapped it up with a huge old "blanket". This "blanket" wasn't clean enough, so she washed it to wrap up the 20yr old hood...................and hung it on the back barbed wire fence behind the house. (We lived on a creek.......see where I'm going?) This was late spring, and she told my dad to hang it out back to dry. The damn fence was covered in poison oak/ivy!!!!! 
When they arrived in Corpus, I was in the house relaxing. Only had a pair of shorts on. I walked out and carried the hood, arms out like a "y" holding against my body, it still wrapped up in the damn poison ivy blanket, into my garage. I damn near ended up in the hospital because I didn't know what the hell I had!!! I though I'd caught some disease from over the border, because I had a "migrant worker lady" that cleaned my house!!! 
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What are those long fuzzy vine like things that grows up trees. It's some sort of ivy isn't it? Virgina Creeper wont harm you but Ivy likes to co-mingle with it just to fool people. Best bet is to keep your eyes open and watch where you step It's pretty bad around these parts this year I suspect with morel prices as high as they are a whole bunch of folks will be in the ER this weekend. |
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My grandfather was never affected by poison ivy. I wanted to see if I was immune too so I grabbed a handful of leaves and pretty much mashed them up on my arm. Luckily I was immune too. My brother wasn't so lucky. Yes but you can be immune one year and then not the next seen that happen more than once... |
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Poison ivy is pretty much non-existent here in central Texas. That is good, because pretty much every brush we do have has thorns or stickers on it.  Well, I got it twice in Austin. Once on my junk. It swelled up so much I went to the emergency room and asked the doctor if she could take the itching out and leave the swelling in. She said NO. |
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Yes but you can be immune one year and then not the next seen that happen more than once... Quoted:
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My grandfather was never affected by poison ivy. I wanted to see if I was immune too so I grabbed a handful of leaves and pretty much mashed them up on my arm. Luckily I was immune too. My brother wasn't so lucky. Yes but you can be immune one year and then not the next seen that happen more than once... I used to get a good case several times every spring and summer. I haven't had it in 5 or 6 years now. I guess I built up an immunity from having such bad exposures of the first 30 years of my life. I have had to get cortisone shots multiple times and even had both eyes swell shut once. |
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Quoted:
Poison Ivy Tips, Tricks, and Misconceptions Seems this time of year almosteveryone is getting into some type of trouble with Poison Ivy, Oak, or Sumac ifyou live in areas where it is located. This is a post to get rid of some of themisconceptions and also some tips/tricks on how to rid yourself of it. Tip #1 - Avoid it at all costs if possible - correct identification cango a long way in saving you pain - http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/pictures.html is a great site for ID purposes Tip #2 - If you have to pull it out use chemical gloves (not latex ornitrile) as well as pants, shoes you don't like and preferably a long sleeveshirt Tip #3 - You have about 15 min to 1 hour to wash your body with soap andwater depending on the person before the Urushiol forms a covalent bond to theskin. Once that happens it is not going anywhere until proper removal (seebelow) Tip #4 - Washing your clothes in the washing machine with detergent WILLget rid of the Urushiol on your clothes. The Urushiol suspends itself in thewater and goes down the drain. If you are not comfortable with that... you canalways rewash. *Just remember... anything the clothes touch before the Urushiolcontacts skin is spreading the chemicals and opening yourself up to futureencounters with the Urushiol. Your shoes have the chemicals all over it ...including the laces Tip #5 - Clean your tools that you use in areas around the Poison Ivy,Oak, Sumac. The Urushiol will stay potent on the tools for up to a year andsometimes longer if not cleaned. Tip #6 - If you cannot figure out how you got it… More than likelyyou can blame your dog. Dogs carry the Urushiol on their coats if they get intoa patch and when you pet them the Urushiol starts the bond process. Tip #7 - The roots are more dangerous and hold a higher concentration ofUrushiol. Even if you kill the leaves with a brush killer the roots will stillcontain Urushiol for up to 3 years Tip #8 -NEVER BURN POISON IVY, OAK, OR SUMAC!!!! If you think arash on your skin is bad... Imagine that in your lungs! Misconceptions #1 - Scratching the rash will make it spread - FALSE - the Urushiolforms a covalent bond within the hour of contact to skin. Once it does this itwill not spread. What people think when the rash spreads is actually the body'simmune system reaction to the Urushiol. In some places it is faster...in otherplaces slower. http://www.bio.umass.edu/micro/immunology/poisoniv.htm. Scratching can lead to an infection. #2 - You cannot catch the rash from someone else.... UNLESS it iswithin the hour before the Urushiol bonds with the skin, or if you touch theclothes that the person had on that still contained the Urushiol. An openblister is not the chemical being released and is not a danger except forinfection. #3 – If you immune to Urushiol you will always be immune - FALSE – Studies haveshown that repeated exposure to the chemicals can decrease your immunity. Remedy’s There are a bunch of home remedies that people swear by and I am not trying toconvince anyone otherwise. What I have found to work to break the Urushiol covalent bond is: Tecnu $11 per 12 oz.- http://www.amazon.com/Labs-Tecnu-Outdoor-Cleanser-12-Ounce/dp/B000A7S3WK/ref=pd_bxgy_bt_img_z Zanfel $30 per 1 oz. - http://www.amazon.com/Zanfel-Poison-Sumac-Wash-Tube/dp/B000GCPWUU/ref=pd_bxgy_bt_img_y ***Mean Green $34 per 60 oz. - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CZIGA7M ***The problem is that Zanfel is ridiculously expensive at $30 per oz. So I didsome more research and found that Mean Green hand soap is basically the sameproduct as Zanfel and can be found for 1/60th of the price. Rumorhas it that it is the exact same product just marketed differently. True also anti-histamines help reduce the reaction. |
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I have bad problems when I get PI. I used to have to take medrol pak, which made me sick as hell. I tried everything on the market prior to finding Zanfel. Now I can use Zanfel and some ointment that a dermatologist friend gave me and I'm good to go. Thank God.
We have that shit pop up on our property all the time. I go out with my trusty sprayer and douse it. Sometimes my dog gets it on her fur and she sits between hubby and I on the couch. He'll have it on his right arm and I'll have it on my left. 
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I used to get a good case several times every spring and summer. I haven't had it in 5 or 6 years now. I guess I built up an immunity from having such bad exposures of the first 30 years of my life. I have had to get cortisone shots multiple times and even had both eyes swell shut once. Quoted:
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My grandfather was never affected by poison ivy. I wanted to see if I was immune too so I grabbed a handful of leaves and pretty much mashed them up on my arm. Luckily I was immune too. My brother wasn't so lucky. Yes but you can be immune one year and then not the next seen that happen more than once... I used to get a good case several times every spring and summer. I haven't had it in 5 or 6 years now. I guess I built up an immunity from having such bad exposures of the first 30 years of my life. I have had to get cortisone shots multiple times and even had both eyes swell shut once. During my high school years, I had one eye swell shut from an exposure, and both hands swell so badly that I could barely use them from another exposure. The stuff never bothered my father, so he didn't bother to tell me what was on the trees we were cutting for firewood. A mechanic at my old job would scrub any rash he had with either MEK or toluene, and he said it always cleared up in a day or so. |
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I just sprayed a shit ton of it today with chemicals from an area my wife cleared of brush a few weeks ago. She only got a little bit on her and I don't know how it wasn't everywhere.
Helpfully, I was lazy and didn't spread mulch so I could easily see it popping up and sprayed it down. Fuck that shit. |
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A friend and I were on a week long canoe trip and he managed to wipe his ass with some instead of digging the tp out of the dry sack.
I was in tears on the paddle back to where we were parked from laughing Thank goodness it was the last day or it really would of been bad. |
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Thought I was immune to it and here I am on week 3 still itching like no tomorrow and getting new rashes all over.
I've washed the fuck out of all of my clothes and wiped down everything I touched with Tecnu so I'm not sure how I'm getting secondary exposure. Had a cortisone shot 2 weeks ago, which didn't do shit. Looks like I'm going to be taking prednisone. |
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I once helped a buddy clear his land for a house, I've never seen poison ivy like that, it grew up the trees choked them out and the trees died and rotted held up by 4-5" vines of poison ivy. I almost said f it and walked but proceeded to help. Somehow I only managed to get a couple spots. But my wife, who was always immune prior got it from doing laundry and she gets it now ever since.
As a kid I always managed to get it every time we went on vacation. I'd get in the pool and people would look at me and get out of the pool. Yeah I even managed to have it on my honeymoon, fortunately it didn't break out bad till the last two days, unfortunately it was in a very, uh, inconvenient place for the situation.
I despise that foul weed. |