Poison Ivy/Oak? in Wash Pass and/or Leavenworth?

[Sargent_Rock]

I tried to post the photos right on the forum page (following the instructions in FAQ) and just the web page address shows. What did I do wrong?

 

I fixed them for you, go have a look. You used the URL of the page, instead of the image URL, which ends in ".jpg"

 

And while I'm here: !!

Edited June 30, 2007 by snoboy

[catbirdseat]

[Citation-->

 

Unless you happen to be a freak.

Just what are you implying here? That all came from memory.

 

The following is an excellent source if you want to spend some time reading.

 

Everything you ever wanted to know about poisn oak, but were afraid to ask.

[Greta]

Ive seen and been exposed to mostly oak, and the overwhelming majority of it is down in the gorge. Ive also seen the stuff in eastern WA, around Spokane. I havent seen it, but it seems the wenatchee area has all the right geographic/environmental factors.

[sk]

I don't know if it's true but it seems like every time you get poisen oak the worse you get it.

This IS true. Poison oak triggers an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals. People can become more sensitve with each exposure. I am exquisitively sensitive to the stuff, having been exposed on numerous occasions as a kid.

 

The way it works is that urushiol reacts with the proteins in your skin and alters them in such a way that your body sees them as foreign. Then the immune system basically attacks your own body.

 

Your skin acts as a barrier to most polar substances, but urushiol is of just the right polarity to pass through the stratum corneum, given enough time. This is why you can avoid a reaction if you are able to wash with soap and water soon after exposure.

Citation-->

 

Unless you happen to be a freak. My mother can eat the stuff as a salad, all thanks to an extensive exposure as a child. Not sure about the mechanism, but could be a version of acquired immunity, similar to being vaccinated. It is more likely that one will develop a sensitivity to the vile weed, however.

No mom/freak jokes please. She has a club foot and ill probably lose it

 

I am one of those freaks. I don't get it, knock on wood. atleast i haven't so far. My mom grew up here in the PNW and did not get it ever until she was 30. i have made it to 35 and still nothing.

[Greta]

[Citation-->

 

Unless you happen to be a freak.

Just what are you implying here? That all came from memory.

 

The following is an excellent source if you want to spend some time reading.

 

Everything you ever wanted to know about poisn oak, but were afraid to ask.

 

You are a wiser man than I, CBS.

[catbirdseat]

Ah, you meant the freaks who can bathe in poison ivy and not get a rash. They are rare according to the literature, 10-20%.

 

I know a woman who claims she can be exposed by driving down a road in a convertible with poison oak growing at the sides of the road.

[ivan]

every time you scratch and break open the sores you spread it.

fwiw, that's actually bullshit - they got a "mythbusters" on it and everything - the reaction is from the urshiol (sp?) in the plant, which can be smeared around by rubbing and scratching after you get it on your skin/clothes/gear - but several days later, after you've washed everything, new breakouts on your body are delayed reactions and that systemic thing that was mentioned.

 

washing your shit after getting exposed is a wise idea

 

saw tons of the good shit out at beacon rock today!

 

leaves of 3? fuck! like, every plant in the world has at least 3 leaves on it!

[markharf]

Having lived in the east, I was around a lot of poison ivy. I was always the guy who volunteered to fetch the frisbees from where they'd landed deep in the poison ivy patch: shorts, shirtless, barefoot. I'd just plow right through the stuff, with never a blister to show for it......until around age 30 when for no reason at all I suddenly got sensitized. Of necessity, I learned caution.

 

The moral of the story is: don't get uppity about being one of those who never gets poison ivy/oak/sumac. Learn to recognize it and learn to stay clear. I'm ok brushing against the occasional leaf on approach hikes, but I've learned to wash promptly (Dr. Bronner's is your friend) following any real contact.

 

I knew a lot of people who tried homeopathic remedies, but I never noticed them making any difference, so I'm dubious about "acquired immunity" theories. YMMV.

 

Mark

 

 

[rbwen]

I got it last year at Peshastin Pinnacles right about the end of June climbing Martian Diagonal, so I'm not sure if it was somewhere on the route or at the base. Then went up to Skaha and spent a miserable week climbing in 105 degree temps and it was all I could do to not scratch because it felt SO GOOD. What feels really good, almost orgasmic, is to get in the shower under hot, hot water and let it stream all over the poison oak. Now don't go rushing out to get poison oak just so you can experience this high. But, damn, it felt good.

 

I used Tec-Nu on it and also another product we bought at Safeway to stop the spreading but it was too late and I just had to endure it until it went away.

[sobo]

Having lived in the east, I was around a lot of poison ivy. I was always the guy who volunteered to fetch the frisbees from where they'd landed deep in the poison ivy patch: shorts, shirtless, barefoot. I'd just plow right through the stuff, with never a blister to show for it......until around age 30 when for no reason at all I suddenly got sensitized. Of necessity, I learned caution.

 

The moral of the story is: don't get uppity about being one of those who never gets poison ivy/oak/sumac. Learn to recognize it and learn to stay clear. I'm ok brushing against the occasional leaf on approach hikes, but I've learned to wash promptly (Dr. Bronner's is your friend) following any real contact.

 

I knew a lot of people who tried homeopathic remedies, but I never noticed them making any difference, so I'm dubious about "acquired immunity" theories. YMMV.

 

Mark

 

 

Same thing happened to me, at just a few years younger than 30. After a hike along the AT in the Shenandoah NP, I literally exploded in PI blisters. It was horrific. Wanted to die. And Dr. Bronner is indeed, truly, your best friend at these times.

 

Another plant they have back there, and I've seen it out here, is something they call Virginia Creeper (back east). It's a 5-leaved, serrated edged, plant that looks sorta like cannabis, only the leaves are fatter. Whatever you do, don't huff it!

 

I got into this shit so bad once while on a survey crew, that I had to take the week off and just laid around the house watching TV and staying ludicrously stoned to dull the pain and itching.

 

 

[sobo]

You can "scratch" it by letting a hard shower spray hit it, but be forewarned the sensation just might make your eyes roll back in your head and cause you to pass out, so be sure to have a spotter handy.

 

Pick me! Pick me!

[sobo]

So MGBC, I have to ask... did you do any handstands in the stuff?

[JayB]

MGBC:

 

If nothing else has worked, this stuff might be worth trying:

 

http://www.zanfel.com/

 

One day I was convinced that I had a serious exposure and gladly forked over the funds for the stuff and gave the skin that I was worried about a thorough cleansing. The reaction never materialized, probably because I misidentified the plant and didn't actually come into contact with poison ivy - but as someone that was cursed with fairly sensitive skin, and with a passionate loathing for itch-related discomfort, it seemed like a bargain at $40 a tube, even if half of the promises on the label were true.

 

After looking over the list of ingredients, it looks to me like it's composed of a panel of reasonably strong detergents, some mild abrasives, and one or two emulsifiers - none of which I would expect to work given the urishiol's mode of action, but they do have quite the litany of testimonials on the site, which seem to be corroborated on blogs and whatnot elsewhere on the web.

 

http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1618617;guest=15018011

 

 

Genuine? Bogus? Who knows. If you are miserable enough that the $40/tube price seems like a bargain, give it a shot and let us know if it actually works.

[sobo]

fuck that. do what I did and spend the coin on booze and dope and lie in front of the tv for a week and veg out. :tup:

[whirlwind]

i dont know about oak but when i was a kid i got paid like 30 bucks to weed eat a ditch full of nettle, about 1/4 to half a football feld worth. that sucked balls and hurt for awhile, but now when i come into contact, most of the time i dont notice, sometimes its i get a numb sensation. that is very short lived

[montypiton]

to those who were wondering, both poison ivy and poison oak are common along the eastern side of the cascades. The Icicle and Tumwater canyons are thick with both at this time of year, as is the Wenatchee river corridor (its a big problem for rafters & Kayakers, too). long pants are a dubious defense, since the oils are fairly volatile and persist on clothing sometimes even through a washing or two - the clothing you thought was protecting you may only be spreading the contact... I've only had one SERIOUS case, back in 1976 at Devils Tower when, as a climbing ranger, I had to thrash through a patch of it to reach a head-injured climber we were rescuing... Made for a miserable month. Suggest sticking to fairly well-beaten trails, and paying close attention to where you drop your pack & your shoes, as well as the path of travel your rope takes on climbs. those "in the know" place gear on climbs to direct rope away from encounters with the weed. and if you suspect you made contact, wash EVERYTHING immediately on arriving home - I've washed my rope twice this month... and have escaped with only a hint of bad around my ankles so far...

[catbirdseat]

I've noticed that the exposure risk is much greater in hot weather. The oils are transferred more readily and likely are absorbed more quickly through the skin. Also one is more likely to be wearing shorts.

 

I haven't had trouble removing residue from clothing. Washing in a machine with hot water and plenty of detergent should do it. Commercial is probably a good choice, as front loaders are more thorough.

[MountaingirlBC]

Yup... that's what we climbed so that area is looking pretty suspect. There were a few plants on the route. Wish I had more pics now.

 

Seems like there's a few products out there for use after initial contact... and one to put on before hand that is supposed to repel the stuff. I'm definitely gonna be getting some before I venture out into the green stuff again.

[MountaingirlBC]

Worse again today and now it's all over me. This news did score me a prescription for oral prednisone though so hopefully that'll help. Too gross to post pics of now. I washed everything... cleaning a 60m rope with a little brush is good fun. And red webbing runs so now I have red webbing and pink runners. I'm wearing a hazmat suit next time I go out.

 

Hope everyone else is doing something awesome this weekend. Happy Canada Day to the Canucks and Happy 4th of July to the 'Mericans.

[hemp22]

Damn - that truly sucks. i can always relate to what people are going through when they get it bad. i figured i'd re-post the following that i put on another forum recently in the hope that it might help you out:

 

"seriously though - i feel your pain, as i've had it really bad in the past, thanks to the abundance of it around here. There are some areas at the local crags where I have learned the hard way to not visit, or certain climbs where I know to never top out.

 

the main thing I've had the most success with is really prevention - i always wear closed shoes & long pants to the portland-area crags, no matter how hot it is. and then i always make sure to shower as soon as I get home. If I suspect or know that I've been in some, I'll use Tecnu first, but usually a good cold soapy shower manages to remove the oil before I break out. (don't do a hot shower, since the heat will open up your pores, and could make it worse)

 

As for relief once you get it, i have used Zanfel in the past with some success - it does seem to help it clear up a little more quickly, but it's probably not worth the $$.

The best instant relief I get is from taking a really hot shower. This works the same as the hair-dryer remedy that someone else mentioned. the heat causes your system to increase the release rate of histamines. The histamines are what cause the itching sensation so it will really itch/hurt at first, but after you've kept your rash under the hot water/air for a long time, you'll have depleted the histamines in that area for a while - and the itching will die down, usually for 2-4 hours before they build back up.

 

of course, if you have it on your face/genitals, or covering a large percentage of your body, then the only recommendation is really that you get yourself to the doctor and get a serious prescription for some Prednisone ASAP."

 

oh, and to help with prevention, i highly recommend taking a long look at the pictures that Sarge posted above, and also the ones on CBS's link.

i think i'm getting better at the identification & prevention - so far i'm clean this year, despite spending a lot of time where the stuff is running rampant.

[sk]

an oatmeal bath might help. you can try slapping where it itches if you don't have closed blisters. the doc explained to me why that works once but i am to high on cold medicine to recall.

[Mrs. G]

Def. poison oak. I'm unfortunately an expert on the subject. I would get it so bad when I was little that I had to miss a week of school every couple of years. One particular time I remember it covered my face so bad that my eye swelled shut and I looked like the elephant man. Wish I had pics.

 

Put the affected area under running hot water-as hot as you can stand, then let it dry and cover with calamine lotion. Take benadryl and get a shot (cortisone?) from the Dr.

 

As far as how you got it, I swear I could pick it up in the wind I was so sensitive. Another culprit for me has been the dog. Dog ran through the stuff, I petted him, and for the next 2 weeks suffered through a swollen hand with blisters in between my fingers. Yuck!

[JayB]

Hopefully it never got this bad...

 

 

[sk]

thats so sick OMG

[Skeezix]

Growing up in Virginia and haunting the woods, I used to get it all the time. Back in the day we treated it with Tincture of Lobelia.