Poison Ivy

[mushmouth]

Any mags who have had poison ivy:
Apparently I came in contact with this devil weed going on three weeks ago this coming weekend. The initial rash showed up about 4 days later, slowly progressed to the bubbly grossness, in a very defined way; one larger three inch long, one inch wide, sploth on my right knee, a streak slightly above it on the right thigh, and another slash on the left inner knee area.

Here I am in week three and the initial sections have basically blistered, pussed a bit and just scabbed over and look like they're beginning the final stage. Getting to the question...once this healing look came, so did an outlining rash around each of the areas. The rash looks like mini poison ivy and it itches like hell too. It's not as bad when I'm wearing shorts and the whole thing can breath, but once I put on pants and stand in the subway, I can feel the whole thing tingle with itchy hellness and the outlining rash swells a bit....arghhh.

The question is: Is this normal? I thought that once poison ivy got started and the area was cleaned, etc that you were restricted to that one outbreak...so what's with this surrounding rash appearing late in the game?

I'd appreciate any similar stories or knowledge as this stuff suuuuuuuuuuucks!

[cantunamunch]

Sounds like it could be a mild case of contaminated laundry. Clorox 2 is your friend.

I contaminated an entire sleeping bag once, in a laundromat dryer. Two weeks of prednasone pills, once I got back from three days of sleeping in it.

If the skin infection side is cleaned (with bleach or Aveeno or ivy soap, not regular soap) from the get go, and no laundry is suspect, the suffering is more like 10 days or less.

[splat]

If you can find someone who sells goats milk from goats that eat poison ivy, drinking the milk will likely give you an immunity. Weird, but it works for poison oak.

[mushmouth]

Actually, that just crazy enough to work. actually, i may know a person with a goat that eats poison ivy.

Or, I could pull up to a random farm and have this conversation:

Me - Excuse me sir, that's a lovely goat you've got there.
Farmer - Why thank you, Cityboy!
Me - Now Sir, I notice you've got some poison ivy on your land over there.
Farmer - Sure do...
Me - If I may ask you, Sir, does that fine looking goat happen to eat that poison ivy?
Farmer - Son, what're you gettin at...?
Me - Sir, don't take this the wrong way, but would it be at all possible for me to have a tall glass of your goat nipple juice?
Farmer - Son...I thought you'd NEVER ask! Yeaha, saddle right up here to the fence and as sure as the night be lonely, and the days be short, I'll pour you a glass of m-goats titty juice. Son...for a Cityboy, you sure are one smart sunofabisquit.

[mushmouth]

Poison Ivy Hell Update:
While the initial reaction to the poison ivy contact is beginning to fade, I've developed a secondary rash which basically outlines the areas where the initial poison ivy was. The rash goes back and forth between itchy and burny and is much more uniform in the bumps than the original. It kind of resembles a heat rash of some sort.
I've read it's not that uncommon for a secondary rash to develop as a reaction to the first...so, has this happened to anyone else????

[mushmouth]

Given the range of experiences I've been through with this bout of poison ivy I thought it would be good to run through the stages in case anyone is in the same boat.

1) Idiotically run through section of poison ivy
2) +3 days random itch begins
3) +4 to 7 days: bubbly grossness takes shape and rash appears (take hydrocortizone!!) and now you realize you're screwed.
4) +10 to 14 days blisters begin to ooze and general grossness is in it's full display. This normally is the last hurrah. (Keep clean with basic soap and water and don't put anything on it)
5) +15-17 days: While original poison ivy looks like it's beginning to heal, odd rash begins to form around the areas where poison ivy initially occured. The rash is fully red with raised bumps, like goosbumps just in that defined location, and they burn and itch
6) +17-22 days: Realization that the new rash is hell as well, but also that it's an allergic reaction to heat and general sensitivity to poison ivy area caused by histamine. Also known as hives. It's not odd for other areas of body to become sensitive to itch...like the, uh, butt crack for example.

7) Dealing with hives:
a) Take antihistamines (Benedryl) before you go to bed. Take non drowsy ones during the day
b) Keep the area free from heat (and DON'T get a sunburn on that area ), sweat, and general iritation as much as possible.
8) +24 days: Poison ivy has completely healed and 4 days of hives is finally coming to an end. Still slight irritation, but managable.

I expect this shit to be gone totally by the weekend at +27 days. This was easily the most uncomfortable month of summer I can remember.

[Grange]

When I was in highschool I go a poison ivy vaccine shot. I have never had poison ivy that bad in my life. My shins were swollen hurt to the point that I couldn't put on my shin guards withou pain. The rash became a deep purple and I tried just about every remedy on the shelf. I later heard that the shot was eventually removed from the market. From my experience I can understand why.

[Baaahb]

When I got poison oak, the secondary rash appeared on my wife.

The third rash was more of a psychological beating.