Poison ivy comes a-creepin'
I picked up the first case of poison ivy in my life while clearing some brush in my backyard last week.
It all started on my forearms.
Little bumps begat big bumps begat oozing pinkish-red welts. And they won't go away.
Scratch and they spread. Don't scratch and they torture with tingling itching.
I've tried creams and other remedies to little avail. And apparently because I scratch and touch the infected areas in my sleep, there are bumps even on my temple.
I've avoided going to the doctor so far. Another day like yesterday and forget my male ego. Gimme a shot, gimme a prescription, gimme relief.
Comments (12)
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I sympathize mightily! I'm just finishing up my third round of itchy bumps for this summer. The pesky plant is lurking somewhere in my backyard, and even though I'm always on the lookout for it, I still manage to get it on my arms every time I run the weedeater. (Good excuse to turn that chore over to my husband) "IVAREST" produced by Blistex works quite well to relieve the itching for me.
Posted on July 28, 2006 1:04 PM
Sandy, Ivarest didn't work well for me, so I got this $33 medication (which was painful in itself). It worked a bit better but after a while it seemed to make the itching worse.
So today, I'm going without any medication and -- go figure -- it feels better.
Posted on July 28, 2006 1:31 PM
Allen,
Weeds are the reason we have weed killers.
I never bend and pull. I aim Mr. RUp to eradicate weeds and as a result haven't had a case of the ivys in decades.
Posted on July 28, 2006 1:40 PM
So did I. I used Roundup for several days first. Then I took the weed-whacker to what was left. Still, here I sit, spangled from wrist to shoulder with red bumps.
Posted on July 28, 2006 2:09 PM
My mother-in-law is just getting over a three-week bout of poison ivy on her arms. I had never seen break outs that big...until the same appeared on my legs a week ago.
I may have to go get some medical help, too.
Posted on July 29, 2006 7:36 PM
I'm horribly allergic to it -- I *must* get Rx steroids to treat it when I get it; nothing else works. And even those take up to a month to get lesions to disappear.
Posted on July 30, 2006 11:38 AM
Prednisone from the Dr.
Epinephrine shot from the Dr.
Aveeno oatmeal bath mix from your drug store.
I get chronic hives, which is just as ichy. I do all the above, and take prescription Zytec. All the other allergy meds seem to give me headaches and make the breakout worse then it already is.
Hope this helps. Hope you feel better.
Posted on July 30, 2006 2:38 PM
I had it a few times when I was a kid, but seem to have developed an immunity to it or something. I've spent a lot of time outdoors in the last few decades, haven't had it since childhood. I consider myself lucky.
Posted on July 30, 2006 2:52 PM
Sorry about that Allen...I think it affects everyone differently though. As kids in my neighborhood we used to rub it on ourselves just playing around. I guess we had nothing better to do. Some kids would swell up all over, some would get endless lines of bumps and some never got a thing. It may have made me immune though. As a much smarter adult...I've never had a case.
Posted on July 30, 2006 9:05 PM
Good news: It looks uglier than it feels now. The itching is not so bad but the welts and lesions are disgusting to look at it. I'm very self-conscious when I wear short sleeves.
Posted on July 31, 2006 9:04 AM
An update: It's Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 1, and the poison ivy is fading. No more itching. No more stinging. There is a God.
Posted on August 1, 2006 4:32 PM
Allen, it seems you are another casualty of global warming. Check this out from NPR: Poison Ivy
Posted on August 1, 2006 9:42 PM