Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

So over at The Sheckel Aaron has been battling a plant that inspires much fear and loathing in me - poison ivy.


I've always been horribly allergic to it, to the point of ending up with large patches of scarring for years after some bouts with it.  The worst go round with it in my memory being after getting a horrible dose of chiggers in Guatemala, I got a round of poison ivy on top of the already chigger-damaged skin.  Yeah, that was weeks of misery.  The dose that I'm glad I don't remember is when I was 3 and the folks were burning brush. The brush had poison ivy in it, and I got in the smoke. Head to toe.  Mom said it was awful.  But at least I didn't end up in the hospital with it - I've heard of that happening when the smoke from poison ivy got in someone's lungs and eyes.

It's an evil plant, insinuating itself in with other, more benign and acceptable greenery, just waiting to  pounce. And I was doing some weeding yesterday.  Grabbed a handful of green and pulled it up and then looked closer.  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Run to house.  Scrub scrub scrub.  Change soap.  Scrub scrub scrub.   Rinse rinse rinse rinse.   I guess I'll know by this afternoon if I got the oils off before reacting.

13 comments:

  1. I'm plotting a novel right now where a man emigrates to NC after the Battle of Culloden, and has to learn about all the flora and fauna of his new home, and Poison Ivy figures prominently.

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  2. I pray the oil didn't have a chance to affect you, PH. God bless!

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    1. Looks like it is trying but failing on the tougher skin of my thumb.

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  3. I've had some success with the washes, Technu being one that comes to mind. If I even think I've come near the stuff I shower (and scrub) first with shampoo and then with Technu, then ordinary soap and then Technu again.



    Oh, and wear gloves when handling weeds.

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    1. Normally I wear gloves when grabbing a clump like that but of course I had neglected to.

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  4. Once I was reenacting and was squatting in a recently mown field during a battle (I was trying to stay out of site of the general public) when I realized that it was COVERED in baby poison ivy. I un-assed the area of operations right quick and grabbed a bar of lye soap from camp and headed over to the running water. Fortunately, 98% of the people there were watching the battle, not me. The soap worked, and/or I was very lucky, but that was the last time I left the modern underwear off.

    Another time, I was sleeping in a pile of hay that was infested with chiggers. I ended up with over 100 bites between my armpits and my hips. And that was the last time I slept in straw. and not a cot or camp bed.

    I hope you emerge unscathed!

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    1. Oh, ow! Amazing who what can seem so nice can be so full of nasty.

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  5. I will say a prayer for you.
    I am one of the lucky souls that is not bothered by poison ivy

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    1. Lucky dog. However, don't forget that can always change. Mom used to be able to weed it because she was immune. And then one day she discovered that she had become allergic.

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  6. Argh. You have my deepest sympathies with your Posion ivy exposure. Good luck with the Roundup applications.

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