I think I'm in BIG trouble! Poison Ivy!!

14 years ago

Sometimes I can be so dumb, I amaze myself. The past two days I have been cutting/pulling all the weeds,wild grape vines,wild roses and crap that grows along the entire west side of my fence. Never once did it occur to me that there is poison ivy included in this crapfest of weeds. The really STUPID thing is that I know there is poison ivy all over the place. My husband got a terrible case of poison ivy three years ago doing the same thing I did---only he didn't know. I did.

My arms are all scratched up from the thorns and I HOPE that's all it is. I immediately took a shower afterward because I was filthy (still not thinking of poison ivy). I'm hoping that if I didn't get it from yesterday's weeding, I might get lucky and not get it at all. I went ahead and used a bunch of poison ivy stuff, just in case. I do see little bumps on my forearm and they itch a little, but I'm trying not to scratch.

If I don't get poison ivy from this, I swear I will let that crap grow up to the sky before I cut it down again.

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Comments (6)

brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
Just scrub as good as you can (while still leaving skin). Even though it's much harder to wash the sap off once it dries, it is possible to make a difference. If you didn't scrub really good when you took your shower, doing so now is probably your best bet. There are products that might help remove the sap even now, but just a strong soap could help some.

Get well soon (-;
Brandon
tomasincas
14 years ago
Remember ,when you wash the areas ,never use hot water...they tell you to always use cold water.I think it opens the pores mores with hot water and allows it to spread easier..just from what I have heard..Tom in NW PA.
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virraszto
Original Author
14 years ago
Some how I managed to only get a slight case of poison ivy. It's been two days now and it hasn't got any worse. I can't believe how lucky I am! I went back out there and did a thorough search and found poison ivy EVERYWHERE! Oddly enough, I was ripping it out with my hands, but only got a few blisters on my arms. I was on my knees, and got even less on my legs.

I am extremely lucky!
laceyvail 6A, WV
14 years ago
More likely, you are extremely resistant to poison ivy. I know I am.
grant_nc
14 years ago
I've found that Zanfel is a really effective over the counter product for PI. Its best if you apply it right before the rash starts. Downside: its about $40 for a little tube that you can easily use up in four-five applications. I wish I had your resistance. I can't get within two feet of the stuff.
brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
I'll second the Zanfel recommendation. I haven't used it, but my brother did a week or so ago. He said it was miraculous. It completely stopped itching and greatly reduced the rash overnight.