Poison ivy sucks!!!

No question and not related to SL except for the work I am not getting done! Sue me!

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality walked into our shop the other day. WE have been in the same location for 25 years and we fabricate, sandblast and primer paint steel for commercial buildings. They did an inspection and were going to issue a warning with fine and I was stuck with the job of handling remediation and the paperwork(3" of paperwork so far!!!).

Spent about 80 hours just learning the ins and outs of the Air Quality and Storm & Drain Water rules pertaining to our shop and another 40 hours filling out forms, sending out and having TCLP and BTEX lab tests done on some paint overspray and spent sandblast material on the ground. Really busted my butt and both the owner and DEQ were happy with my performance. All lab tests came back clean, we have legally disposed of the material at a cost of about $8,000 and DEQ has announced that they are changing their final report from Warning/Fine to "Provided Compliance Assistance". WOOHOO and Yeah!

EXCEPT: During the investigation I had to climb down a hill covered with 8 foot high weeds to get to a stream and take pictures. I am over 50 and have never had poison ivy even though i spend a lot of time outdoors. There was some itching that night but I thought it was chiggers(nasty, invisible bug here in US that burrows under skin and itches like crazy) And I did everything wrong in response. My van seat was covered in the plant sap and when I came home I laid on a floor cushion for awhile before taking a bath and it was covered. For two weeks symptoms kept getting worse and worse until I realized that it was Poison Ivy instead and by then I had sap that had already absorbed into my skin EVERWHERE!

Despite my 4th day on steroids, over 40% of my body is covered with the rash and blisters and the only thing that stops the discomfort is running scalding water over the spots every 2 hours. I had already tried every single over the counter treatment. The sensitive spots reacted first and those blistered and then the skin thickened to about 1/4 inch thick before all of it peeled off in sheets, not once but 5 times! Now the tougher parts are waiting their turn to get to that point. Total tally: both breasts completely covered, 30% belly, 20% up my spine, inner thighs 100%, lower calves, front of neck, and both forearms 100%. Forearms are so swollen it is difficult to bend my wrists. Notice I didn't mention the naughty bits? Well we are not going to talk about my naughty bits except to mention that they suffered the worst!

I have seen a few pictures on the internet of cases worse then mine but not many. I do indeed feel better then I did 4 days ago when I went to the doctor, I nearly completely out of my mind at that point. The scalding water works to the point I nearly feel normal for that couple of hours and that time will grow as the days pass.

My sense of humor is returning and I figured since I had to suffer, I could make some of you squirm in your seats after reading this. I will survive, am not dying and there are worse things in life although 4 days ago I couldn't think of any

Get well soon and next time demand a space suit if they want you climbing through weeds!

Oh Good Jesus, that is horrific. I'm a bar and general social club for every mosquito in a hundred yard radius and I'm plagued with the burning itches the little vampires leave on me after nightfall (the latest one on my back is four centimetres across and it's a complete bugger to get at). I hate to think what poison ivy must do to a body, I really do.

If it's any consolation, Boxed Heroes do a great 'Poison Ivy' avatar for little or no lindens. Cheer yourself up and get one. It won't relieve the discomfort but there's nothing to stop you having a laugh on the side. You can take out all your annoyance on some poor, unsuspecting, would-be Batman or even rob an in-world bank and, more importantly, look really stunning while you're at it.

I found out by accident that water with a lot of boax in it will dry it up pretty quickly. (that is what they used to "condition" the water in a pool I was taking PT in)

My daughter has always reacted the same to mosquito bites. I learned the trick of getting the generic tooth deaden-er liquid for toothaches. Just dip a q tip in and touch it to the spot and you will fill nothing for about 2 hours.

And hell no!!!!! We started to watch Coraline the other night and she was using a dowsing rod made from poison ivy and got the rash on her hand. I had to leave the room and could not watch the rest of the movie because of that one scene.

Wish I was closer to the beach because sea water is supposed to work wonders also. Course I would have to go at night to keep from scaring all the kiddies. But it is at the point where plain water is working well now. Another couple of days and I should be able to make it through a full hours of sleep.

You have to pay off those city officials better to avoid this happening again.

Jesse, I've never had a case as bad as yours. I've had my share, including medical treatment for it twice. There's no other itch like it and once you think you're on the road to overcoming it, a new spot breaks out.

There's poison ivy for sale at Heart Garden Center, and I wince every time I see it.

I meant 'Poison Ivy' the evil sexy super-vixen. Think Uma Thurman in a green leotard.

Maybe it's just me, I dunno.

LOL, I know what you meant and it is not just you, she did look veeeery good in that costume.

Oh. My. God.

I wish you the speediest and best possible recovery!!!!

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That's terrible! I hope you get well as soon as possible. I brushed my wrist on a few leaves of poison ivy once. I never want to go near those things.

I was one of the lucky folks that can handle poison ivy. As a kid, I never understood why my parents would freak out when I'd pick some up??

My dad had an old remedy from his Boy Scout days...... pee on it.

Didnt make sense at first till I looked it up one day. It actually works.

you do realize that the scalding water is probably prolonging the the stay of the irritant in you skin right? also, profound sympathy... btdt though not quite as bad

Best wishes Jesse, cuz I know what you're going through. Many years ago in southern california, I did the "sneak off and makeout with your BF" routine at this lovely little lake on beautiful afternoon. The large boudlers we chose as the spot overlooked the water and were perfect, except for the small leafless stalks of poison oak growing out of crevices in the rock, that happened to be bent over under me as we lay there smoochin. They were touching me the entire time. It was summer and I had a bikini on.. you do the math. I'd estimate 80-85% of my body was affected. My eyes swelled shut, had it in my ears, all the private spots, basically everywhere. The only place I don't recall having it was my scalp and in my nose. However, as miserable as that was, the worst part was that apparently my BF was one of those lucky thick-hyde people that doesn't get affected by it! I was soo pissed I coulda killed him lol. Now that I live in poison ivy country, which I hear is actually worse (eek) than poison oak, I'm careful to the point of being anal about it

Aveeno (soothing/prevents spreading)
Calamine/caladryl (protectant/drying)
zinc oxide cream (drying)
believe it or not, dawn dish soap (dissolves the oil before it can spread)
Benedryl creal with benzocaine (drying and pain/itch relief)
paste made with meat tenderizer and water (reduces swelling, pain, and increases bloodflow)
Red Cross toothache drops for the most painful spots (85% Eugenol, it's a 100% natural plant-based anesthetic- stings a little at first, but will completely numb your skin).

PS- Never knew what burn weed (nettles) were either, till i moved here that is

Ouch to all of you - so sorry - my sympathy- i have gladly never experienced any of this.. Good fortune Jesse

Oh Jesse! I sooo feel for you! I've only had it once when our dog wrapped his lead around my leg. Of course I had to use my hands to disengage him lol. I ended up with a very nice spiral around my calf to about mid thigh, and the hands covered with it.

There was only one thing that was worse than that for me. Chicken Pox at the age of 32. That was truly awful lol!

To add a further layer of horror on your story, when I lived in Northern California my husband reacted to poison oak much the same way you do ivy(there is none in Alaska so he doesn't have to worry about it anymore). Well, some friends who were into all kinds of plant cures for everything convinced him that if he ate poison oak for a few days he'd build up a resistance and never get it again. Wrong! He got it inside his body and the worst was where it came out. There are some places you really can't scratch discretely in public.

I get it really bad, too, but there's no way I'd ever be fooled into eating it.

Get well soon Jesse.

Just as a precaution, take some photos of the affliction.

Was is the City officials who suggested these photos be taken, the company you work for, or your own idea? Who owns the land on which the poison ivy was growing? I am thinking here about compensation for medical treatment, pain and suffering.

Rock

My profound sympathies. I seem to be immune to it (and chicken pox for that matter) but mosquitoes love me. A relative who was very troubled by poison oak gave me this remedy for the mosquito bites (worked for me):

Take a cool shower and use Fels Naptha laundry bar as soap. I used to get it in the chain stores like Rite Aid/Payless/not sure where you are in the US. It's kept with the laundry and cleaning items. It relieves the itching and dries the rash.

And take this at your own risk as a Northern Californian cure, but he also swore by this and never had another case of poison oak in 50+ years: Goats were let to forage and eat the poison oak and then he drank the resulting goat's milk. He spent a lot time in the hills, and with dogs that ran through poison oak and never got it again. I don't know if he had the milk periodically or if it was a one shot deal.

some friends of mine had a similar experience, except after they got infected they went home and made hot, passionate, sweating .... ... ummm, well you get the idea.

There is poison ivy all over a back foresty area of our property.

We didn't find out it was poison ivy until we noticed the kids emerging from the near knee-high growth of it.

That is when we found out that a percentage of people are immune to it. Like my kids. Yay! Though, this year we sprayed it all with ivy killer.

Sorry you got hammered by the ivy jesse.

My sympathies to you . May you get well soon. Regards.

Apparently you've never had shingles. I'm not discounting the discomfort of poison ivy but shingles is the single most painful ailment I've ever had, lasted about two weeks, took majorly heavy duty painkillers for it...and when the painkillers began wearing off, just prayed for the clock to tick on when I could take the next dose. *shudders*

Try tomato juice bath - it works for skunks.