re-learning a painful lesson

my eyes are getting itchy just looking at that pic! AaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaHHHH!

Man, those blisters don't look like fun.

I've worked in the poison oak infested woods for about 15 years.

Tecnu works good for getting the oil off, but so does cold water and/or soap.  The most important thing is to get to it right away.  My experience is that if you know you've been swiped (no matter how bad), if you get the oil off within a half hour you will not get it.  Cold water congeals the oil.  Hot water spreads it out.

I've been immersed in the stuff, then run down to the creek, stripped off my clothes and hosed myself down with cold creek water - and not gotten it.  A truly ugly sight, but very effective.  luckily, no one was around.


Dave

Man, those blisters don't look like fun.

Cold water congeals the oil.  Hot water spreads it out.

I've been offline for a couple of days while travelling on business in New Zealand (sadly no fishing this trip...just hotels and conferences). Thanks for the sympathetic replies. I woke up on the airplane with my shirt sleeve stuck to my arm from the dried pus. but I do have calamine with a topical analgesic along with some prescription hydrocortisone so that's helping.

Just stupid of me is all...

DaveW, I've heard the same of hot and cold water, and in addition I heard that hot showers will open your skin pores more so that the oil is more easily absorbed.

And yeah, TecNu rocks. I found out it was actually developed to clean clothes from nuclear fallout, and the wife of the inventor "accidentally" figured out it works for poison oak! It also works for skunk sprays, btw.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecnu

Peter

Don't for get you can get it year round even when it looks like a bunch of sticks. Its harder to identify but just as bad. But is does not grow over the 4000 ft. elevation or some where around there.

Peter - I hit the tecnu when I got home and ended up with a mild outbreak on my arms.  However, as mentioned in my previous post, I made the mistake of taking a leak when we first traversed past the evil weed.  I was somewhat conflicted about rubbing my privates vigorously for 3 minutes, and obviously didn't approach it with the tenacity required.  So I had oak dick for a week, and my wife was very unhappy.

I gotta try that Tecnu stuff, thanks for the tip. I was fly fishing...well trying to fly fish some overflowing norcal/southern Ore rivers earlier this week. Was trying to crawl up the steep bank when it let go, put my hands into the side of the bank to keep my face from smashing into it. After I recovered I noticed that I had put my face into posion oak, WTF! The poison oak up there is just starting to bud, the leaves are like 1/4" across right now so I didn't notice at first.

Luckily my reaction to it is much less than when I was a kid, just some swollen eye lids and forehead. I tried washing it off in the river water to no avail. I'm throwing some Tecnu in my pack for those hike in trips through mass poison oak. I'm launching at the lighthouse when I go to PP too, LOL.

My wife and I went hiking in Big Sur last year. She got nailed so bad it wasn't even funny. I got it too, but it just annoys me. She got a shot and then had to be put on meds for it. at one point she had 20% coverage all over her body and I can tell you it was brutal.

I wear full coverage and when I change my clothes either go straight into a bag or get rinsed ASAP. Several years back some guy was burning poison ivy back home (Georgia) and my mom breathed in some of the smoke. She is extremely allergic and ended up spending a week in the hospital with a breathing tube because her throat had swollen shut. That stuff is no joke.

what is tecnu and where can i get it?

what is tecnu and where can i get it?

It's like liquid soap and is sold at Walgreens next to the calamine lotion. Other places too of course.

It's like liquid soap and is sold at Walgreens next to the calamine lotion. Other places too of course.
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thank you, i'll be sure to get some before heading out to FR.