<snicker> Hope you are not in fact allergic. The worst case I have ever had of poison ivy rash was in the neck/face region. It was literal torture. A word of advice: Go to the doctor if you do develop a rash. A short round of prednisone will knock it out without too much discomfort.
Poison ivy? Is there a botanist in the house?
- Thread starter Kias
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I have my private er nurse standing by to take care of me, as she laughs at me, should I need professional help.
Prednisone seems to be the ultimate immune system kick (re)starter doohickey!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Prednisone seems to be the ultimate immune system kick (re)starter doohickey!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Looking at the last picture you posted, that IS an IVY, could be Poison, or OAK, doubtful it is Sumac.
People often don't know the difference between Poison and Oak Ivy, but you can be immune to one and not the other.
The best thing is look for leaves grouped in 3s, if you see that assume it is bad for you and avoid it or take precautions.
Our bodies are very strange when it comes to allergies, as a child if I looked at plastic I broke out in welts big time, but that was the only allergy I had, now plastic doesn't effect me at all, but after taking aspirin for years and years at 41 I took a couple one evening and it sent me into anaphylactic shock, now I can now longer take it, go figure.
People often don't know the difference between Poison and Oak Ivy, but you can be immune to one and not the other.
The best thing is look for leaves grouped in 3s, if you see that assume it is bad for you and avoid it or take precautions.
Our bodies are very strange when it comes to allergies, as a child if I looked at plastic I broke out in welts big time, but that was the only allergy I had, now plastic doesn't effect me at all, but after taking aspirin for years and years at 41 I took a couple one evening and it sent me into anaphylactic shock, now I can now longer take it, go figure.
I remember once when I was 14, I and my friend were sitting on a wooden footbridge at a National Forest park, and a few hundred feet away a tractor was mowing/bush-hogging a field. We noticed that the smell was wonderful - way better than normal 'fresh-cut grass', but neither of us suspected that they were cutting poison ivy/oak/whatever it was.
I had a 105 fever the next day, and was in bed for better than a week; I don't remember much of it. My friend was not affected.
I had a 105 fever the next day, and was in bed for better than a week; I don't remember much of it. My friend was not affected.
Yea strange how stuff like that happens, huh?
BTW, I am not "Expert" here, just lots and lots of experience, lol.
My first experience was at 7 years old, my new step-dad, (Greatest man I have ever met), took me squirrel hunting, and had forgotten to warn his new city boy step-son about the leaves of 3, anyway, I had to answer the call of nature, and guess what I chose to wipe with?...OH YEA, I learned my lesson real fast, I carried a new bottle of Calamine lotion and a bag of cotton balls to school with me for the next 2 weeks.
We own 21 acres of woodland in the middle of nowhere, and a logging company, so we spend lots of time in the woods, and I rarely break out but it may just be because I avoid it by habit now.
BTW, I am not "Expert" here, just lots and lots of experience, lol.
My first experience was at 7 years old, my new step-dad, (Greatest man I have ever met), took me squirrel hunting, and had forgotten to warn his new city boy step-son about the leaves of 3, anyway, I had to answer the call of nature, and guess what I chose to wipe with?...OH YEA, I learned my lesson real fast, I carried a new bottle of Calamine lotion and a bag of cotton balls to school with me for the next 2 weeks.
We own 21 acres of woodland in the middle of nowhere, and a logging company, so we spend lots of time in the woods, and I rarely break out but it may just be because I avoid it by habit now.
Between the neighbors and us, my playground growing up was about 500 acres of woodland. It came complete with vine swings, algae infested slides into pools of water, brooks, creeks, rivers, swamps, ponds, marshland, hollow trees to hide in, a quicksand pit (that was fun!), 3 artesian wells, and enough wild food to keep us in the woods from sun up to sun down. In all those years, I only almost burned down the place ONCE. 
There was enough poison ivy, oak, sumac to choke an elephant, and I was shown many times where a few were, so I just avoided it. I never got a rash of any kind that wasn't heat related. My sister did though, hehehe.
That whole "rule" of three leaves let it be is just hogwash in my book. I can take you out and show you hundreds of leaves of three that are completely harmless. It should say, Leaves of Three, if it's poison Ivy, or oak, leave it be. That'd be more accurate. Poison sumac has leaves down the sides. I think that whole saying started with a lazy teacher. All it does, really, is give clovers a bad rep. I rank that "rule" right up there with I before E except after C. That's a really weird rule, huh?
In case you missed it, let me repeat it. I before E except after C. That's a really weird rule, huh?
I used to pet the wildlife that would come to me, like squirrels, chipmunks, opossums, skunks, etc. I gave the wildlife that could put a serious hurt on me a wide berth, like fox, deer, geese, swans, etc... Oh, and that one crazy horse my neighbor owned! Animals, for the most part, are more scared of you than you are of them.
It was fun, and I survived, even though I ran with scissors, jumped out of trees, slid down large dams, rode my bike without a helmet, and talked to strangers.
Oh, and my seatbelt was my parents arm coming across my chest. Admit it, we've all been there.
There was enough poison ivy, oak, sumac to choke an elephant, and I was shown many times where a few were, so I just avoided it. I never got a rash of any kind that wasn't heat related. My sister did though, hehehe.
That whole "rule" of three leaves let it be is just hogwash in my book. I can take you out and show you hundreds of leaves of three that are completely harmless. It should say, Leaves of Three, if it's poison Ivy, or oak, leave it be. That'd be more accurate. Poison sumac has leaves down the sides. I think that whole saying started with a lazy teacher. All it does, really, is give clovers a bad rep. I rank that "rule" right up there with I before E except after C. That's a really weird rule, huh?
In case you missed it, let me repeat it. I before E except after C. That's a really weird rule, huh?
I used to pet the wildlife that would come to me, like squirrels, chipmunks, opossums, skunks, etc. I gave the wildlife that could put a serious hurt on me a wide berth, like fox, deer, geese, swans, etc... Oh, and that one crazy horse my neighbor owned! Animals, for the most part, are more scared of you than you are of them.
It was fun, and I survived, even though I ran with scissors, jumped out of trees, slid down large dams, rode my bike without a helmet, and talked to strangers.
Oh, and my seatbelt was my parents arm coming across my chest. Admit it, we've all been there.
I used to be non-reactive for years. After enough exposures, I now blister up at the slightest touch of it on my skin.
I walk our yard with round-up every Spring and can spot it from 100 feet but you simply can't ever kill it off as it acts much like bamboo and sprouts in a new location.
And if there is ANY doubt left that IS poison ivy!!
I walk our yard with round-up every Spring and can spot it from 100 feet but you simply can't ever kill it off as it acts much like bamboo and sprouts in a new location.
And if there is ANY doubt left that IS poison ivy!!
Best way to kill it. Spray the leaves with dawn dish detergent. Kills it dead fairly quickly. Use it all the time. Just realize that if you react to it you will still react after killing it when cleaning up. The oils are still on the dead parts.
DW just said the vine was growing in one of the bushes out front again.
I yanked one out last year up there, but it came right out and I didn't even look at the leaves. Wonder if it's poison ivy too. Gonna have to take a stroll out there!
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I yanked one out last year up there, but it came right out and I didn't even look at the leaves. Wonder if it's poison ivy too. Gonna have to take a stroll out there!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
You can kill the root by using a plastic bag to isolate a fresh shoot, then spraying with Round Up, then tie it closed. More of the Round up goes to the root to kill it.
I rarely have poison ivy but do get pepper vine which is an underground runner that tends to surface in the middle of azaleas and shrubs as well as everywhere else. I use newspaper bags. Put my hand in the bag, grab the shoot, then turn the bag inside out to cover as much of the shoot as possible. Tie with twistie. Poke a hole in the end and insert the Round up sprayer. If only the neighbor would do the same, we'd kill that darn thing.
I rarely have poison ivy but do get pepper vine which is an underground runner that tends to surface in the middle of azaleas and shrubs as well as everywhere else. I use newspaper bags. Put my hand in the bag, grab the shoot, then turn the bag inside out to cover as much of the shoot as possible. Tie with twistie. Poke a hole in the end and insert the Round up sprayer. If only the neighbor would do the same, we'd kill that darn thing.
TonyM
0
Stumbled on this thread and now have the heebie-jeebies.... Especially from the photo with the hand by the PI vine.
Yep - all the pictures are poison Ivy. Typically for me, I react 48 hours from time of exposure. Takes me about 2 weeks to get rid of said exposure. I am so sensitive to it that I wear long sleeves and gloves when working around anything that might be in sight of the stuff.
I really hate PI.
Doubt you will die from it, but you might wish for death - depending on where the rash ends up
Yep - all the pictures are poison Ivy. Typically for me, I react 48 hours from time of exposure. Takes me about 2 weeks to get rid of said exposure. I am so sensitive to it that I wear long sleeves and gloves when working around anything that might be in sight of the stuff.
I really hate PI.
Doubt you will die from it, but you might wish for death - depending on where the rash ends up
Didn't use to be allergic, but I am now. And, try as I might, I just don't recognize it growing.
My current treatment of choice seems to work better than others I've tried, YMMV:
Wash with Mean Green http://www.meangreen.com/index.htm
Treat itch & rash with Tecnu http://www.teclabsinc.com/
If it is still around two weeks after exposure, popping up in places not originally involved, it may have gone "systemic." It took Prednisone to finally clear me up the last time!
Good luck!
My current treatment of choice seems to work better than others I've tried, YMMV:
Wash with Mean Green http://www.meangreen.com/index.htm
Treat itch & rash with Tecnu http://www.teclabsinc.com/
If it is still around two weeks after exposure, popping up in places not originally involved, it may have gone "systemic." It took Prednisone to finally clear me up the last time!
Good luck!
Well, we're going on the third day and not an itch in sight! So far so good in that respect. However, the week is not getting any better...
I'll skip the story and just say I have 2 new wheel lug studs, and 2 new lugnuts on order.
The men in black at the FAA would revoke my A&P license on the basis of sheer stupidity if they ever found out what I did to my car. Luckily, they can't actually do that. But probably should.
I'll skip the story and just say I have 2 new wheel lug studs, and 2 new lugnuts on order.
The men in black at the FAA would revoke my A&P license on the basis of sheer stupidity if they ever found out what I did to my car. Luckily, they can't actually do that. But probably should.
Glad to hear it.
A couple years ago I was chopping up some fallen trees at my parents' old house. Not paying attention, I missed the fact that I was chainsawing up the poison ivy vines that were snaking all over the trees. Finished up, hopped in the shower, rubbed poison ivy all over myself...you can probably imagine the rest! I had it in my hair, on my eyelids and eyebrows, armpits, and...other areas. Not fun!!!
A couple years ago I was chopping up some fallen trees at my parents' old house. Not paying attention, I missed the fact that I was chainsawing up the poison ivy vines that were snaking all over the trees. Finished up, hopped in the shower, rubbed poison ivy all over myself...you can probably imagine the rest! I had it in my hair, on my eyelids and eyebrows, armpits, and...other areas. Not fun!!!
Okay, so an Eagle Scout pal of my son's identified poison ivy on our (new) property last week, and I am just repeating what he told me:
Look for the RED vine stem. Lot's of things have 3 leaves....
But I didn't see RED vine on the picture posted...but I DID see the shape -- on ONE side of the leaf. Is it possible it's a cross-breed of PI with something else? Or do I now need to look at the REST of my vines again because the RED stem ID advice is incorrect...?
Look for the RED vine stem. Lot's of things have 3 leaves....
But I didn't see RED vine on the picture posted...but I DID see the shape -- on ONE side of the leaf. Is it possible it's a cross-breed of PI with something else? Or do I now need to look at the REST of my vines again because the RED stem ID advice is incorrect...?
:lol: This is so funny watching people trying to identify something that is so obvious to the allergic. In fact, if you can't ID it, that may be the best sign you're not allergic! I can spot a small sprig from 100 yards...Swampwoman said:
Swampwoman, your Eagle Scout isn't wrong, it just falls into that, it may or may not have (insert description), category. They love to describe stuff with that saying. Job security. I think the color of the plant depends on what part of the season it's in.
I sent the pictures to my mother, the botanist, definitely poison ivy, and I've definitely never had a reaction. She had both answers!
It's been four or five days now, the odds I'm going to react is definitely starting to take a nose dive.
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I sent the pictures to my mother, the botanist, definitely poison ivy, and I've definitely never had a reaction. She had both answers!
It's been four or five days now, the odds I'm going to react is definitely starting to take a nose dive.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Yes, my h pretty much confirmed it and took a scorched earth approach last night to the meadow/copse between our terrace and our woods with some brush-be-gone. I now get the woody stem that may or may not be red...and indeed, there was WAY more than the patch around the tree/fence that the eagle scout had noticed. We have a fire pit up there so whether or not I react is a moot point -- gotta attempt to flag n bag it all to preserve guests.
Good news that you're not allergic! Could be that you didn't damage the leaves, as I am given to understand that in that case you may not be exposed!
Good news that you're not allergic! Could be that you didn't damage the leaves, as I am given to understand that in that case you may not be exposed!
Eight days now, and itch free! The leaves are very fragile. All ya have to do is brush up against them to get them to release their magical oil! I yanked em out pretty hard too.
The week though... Just gets worse. The car just got rear ended a few minutes ago. I see a trip to the body shop in the near future.
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The week though... Just gets worse. The car just got rear ended a few minutes ago. I see a trip to the body shop in the near future.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
