Poison ivy

The other day Connie and I were working out on the property doing some clearing when she suddenly yelled out that she had come into contact with some poison ivy. She is real sensitive to it, and immediately the skin on her arm started showing red welts. So she dropped everything and went to the building to wash off her arm to try to get as much urishinol (the oil in poison ivy that causes the allergic reaction) off of her skin as possible. Then she put baking soda on the welts and took a couple Benadryl. As quickly as she reacted, I was really afraid things are going to get really bad for her. But her quick actions must have gotten most of the oil off her skin, as within a day, the swelling had subsided and it pretty much looks like her arm is back to normal.

Fortunately, I don't seem to react to poison ivy, and I've been working on trying to wipe the stuff out of here for the past year with poison sprays. Seems to be in patches, which can get quite extensive if they have been around for a while. In some areas the vines are up in the trees, so I would cut the vine at the base of the tree and spray poison onto the part going to the ground to try to kill the plant at the roots. Been using Spectracide with real good results.

Seriously if you react to this stuff, be REAL careful out in the woods. If can really cause some nasty reactions, and you certainly don't want to get this crap in your eyes. And for God's sake NEVER burn the stuff. The oil travels on the smoke, and will be very bad news for someone to breathe it and get it in their lungs.

In case your experience with poison ivy has been limited and you don't realize what it can do to you, well, these pics will give you some idea...

I was hospitalized a very long time ago for poison ivy. I haven't had to deal with it for a while since there isn't much of it here in the burbs.

Just a suggestion, if Connie reacts that strongly and that quickly to poison ivy, perhaps the next time you two go in for a checkup y'all could consult your doctor about getting an Epipen for her to have on hand.

Sweet! I think you saved me about $10 on lunch today

I agree with Lucille, if she reacted that strongly that quickly, an epipen is in order. I'm pretty allergic to poison ivy myself, but I've noticed that I have a window of about two hours to wash the oil off my skin. If I don't make the cutoff, I develop a really nasty rash within two days that takes about 1-2 weeks to fully heal. I've gotten into the habit of carrying a water bottle with me when I go for walks so I can wash the oil off immediately. Thankfully, the oil doesn't seem to be that...well, oily, and I've never had to use soap.

There's also a poison ivy detergent you can buy. The oil can remain viable on clothing for up to two months, so it might be a worthwhile investment since a dirty shirt in your wash bin can contaminate a whole week's worth of dirty laundry.

Originally Posted by lucille

I was hospitalized a very long time ago for poison ivy. I haven't had to deal with it for a while since there isn't much of it here in the burbs.

Just a suggestion, if Connie reacts that strongly and that quickly to poison ivy, perhaps the next time you two go in for a checkup y'all could consult your doctor about getting an Epipen for her to have on hand.

My goal is to make that stuff extinct on our property.

You know, you do have to wonder how fire fighters cope when battling forest fires. You just know there are going to be many instances of poison ivy going up in smoke in those cases.

Good point. Which means, unfortunately, that Connie remains at risk if there are local fires. It is not permitted where I live, but in some places I have heard that landowners clear brush with controlled burns.