The "Combined" Poison Oak Thread :-)

SnakeCharmer said:
Me too. We were at a campout and we collected wood which was covered with poison oak. We were too drunk to care but a few of us, including me, got so sick that we had to go to urgent care for cortisone treatment. My face swelled up like Rocky Balboa after a fight. I was almost blind from the massive swelling.
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Oh geez, that’s pretty bad! It would be nice if we became immune, but I hear ( and have experienced) that that’s not the case:confused: I seem to only get it lately from my little bouldering attempts, I know what the stuff looks like(duh) but sometimes it can’t be avoided.
 
Faust29 said:
Ouch... You're not going to like me. Although I've had outbreaks from poison ivy as a kid, I've never had any issues with poison oak, even when I know for sure that I've been in contact.

The "leaves of three, let them be" advice applies to poison ivy, as well as poison oak... Next time you're back east, watch for the cluster of 3!
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Boy did I jinx myself with this one...
 
When in contact once you get home wash with Tide. I hit a bush on Mr Toads two weeks ago, looked and on the backside PO. Tide=No PO. I ride back east sometimes. The south has woods, it has little PO bushes on the ground and it has P ivy on the trees. I was not sure it was "really" P ivy, well I pulled a Mikie and slammed a tree pretty hard, yep it is P ivy. But it is not as bad as PO, not even close.
Happy poison trails
 
da big hills said:
When in contact once you get home wash with Tide. I hit a bush on Mr Toads two weeks ago, looked and on the backside PO. Tide=No PO. I ride back east sometimes. The south has woods, it has little PO bushes on the ground and it has P ivy on the trees. I was not sure it was "really" P ivy, well I pulled a Mikie and slammed a tree pretty hard, yep it is P ivy. But it is not as bad as PO, not even close.
Happy poison trails
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Poison Ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac all have the exact same chemical irritant.
 
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mountaingirl sara said:
Freaking PO man! Rubbing alcohol usually helps to dry it out if it isn’t too severe.
Mine is just above left hip and is about the size of my hand, the weird thing is it’s gnarly swollen and is just as painful as it is itchy. :coffee::cry:
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Thanks @mountaingirl sara , I'll give that a shot. Been using Calamine for now. Left over from the incident before. Seems to be working in my case.
 
The recent posts in his thread have prompted me to order some Poison Oak Honey, while it is still seasonally available. The last time I used it, which was eating a bit of it daily for three weeks, I went 40 years without getting PO rash. Of late I've used homeopathic Rhus Tox 30x, with effective results but I want to get some of the really good stuff before riding Joplin.

A good read on PO:
https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/ww0802.htm
 
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da big hills said:
When in contact once you get home wash with Tide. I hit a bush on Mr Toads two weeks ago, looked and on the backside PO. Tide=No PO. I ride back east sometimes. The south has woods, it has little PO bushes on the ground and it has P ivy on the trees. I was not sure it was "really" P ivy, well I pulled a Mikie and slammed a tree pretty hard, yep it is P ivy. But it is not as bad as PO, not even close.
Happy poison trails
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This is great info, thanks for posting!
 
Old&InTheWay said:
The recent posts in his thread have prompted me to order some Poison Oak Honey, while it is still seasonally available. The last time I used it, which was eating a bit of it daily for three weeks, I went 40 years without getting PO rash. Of late I've used homeopathic Rhus Tox 30x, with effective results but I want to get some of the really good stuff before riding Joplin.

A good read on PO:
https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/ww0802.htm
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That was a great read, Steve... Thanks.
 
I was desperate last night and broke open a liquid benedryl, I put it on the gnarly PO on my belly..wow, that did the trick...way less irritated and itchy, still swollen and ugly, but more tolerable for sure!
I have smaller spots of the rash showing up on my arms and legs now, but they’re not a big deal.
 
mountaingirl sara said:
I was desperate last night and broke open a liquid benedryl, I put it on the gnarly PO on my belly..wow, that did the trick...way less irritated and itchy, still swollen and ugly, but more tolerable for sure!
I have smaller spots of the rash showing up on my arms and legs now, but they’re not a big deal.
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Ouch... Sorry to hear. :thumbsdown:

When I had it really bad a few years ago, it entered through multiple cuts and scrapes after a spectacular crash on Holy Jim. The rash just randomly popped up all over for a month. The doc said to think of the skin as a single organ, which allows it to travel around in bad cases. Great....

30 days of steroids, and 30 days of steroid cream... :gag:

The TecNu anti-itch spray seems to be keeping it manageable this time... And I'm now riding covered up. Long sleeves, soccer socks, and pants are on order. :gag:
 
Faust29 said:
Ouch... Sorry to hear. :thumbsdown:

When I had it really bad a few years ago, it entered through multiple cuts and scrapes after a spectacular crash on Holy Jim. The rash just randomly popped up all over for a month. The doc said to think of the skin as a single organ, which allows it to travel around in bad cases. Great....

30 days of steroids, and 30 days of steroid cream... :gag:

The TecNu anti-itch spray seems to be keeping it manageable this time... And I'm now riding covered up. Long sleeves, soccer socks, and pants are on order. :gag:
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Oh brother, I can relate! My worst PO story has to do with using the bushes, a long trail run and getting a large gash on my thigh.. after a week I was covered with the rash and sick for a month :(
When I cleared trail last weekend I was fully covered with long sleeves, pants, and boots, but obviously the oils from my clothing made it onto my skin, it’s almost impossible for that not to happen.
Heal up quick Faust!
 
Ol' Mo gets PO just from looking at it!
  1. 97% Alchohol wash at the traihead.
  2. Fels Naptha soap in the shower when u get home.
  3. Cheese grate the Soap and wash ur clothes in it too.
  4. Then get thee to the Dr and order up the following:

Clobetasol Propionate Creme 0.05%
But dont put that on your nether parts, face or armpits as it is too strong.
For those areas use Desonide Cream 0.05%

My dematologist now just says "Again?" when I call for a refill ;)

oh, and shaving the legs seems to make is less likely to stick around.
 
A lot of people do not realize that unwashed, contaminated clothing can infect you again and again as long as the oils are present. When you have made contact with P.O. you’ve got to wash the clothing you were wearing as well. Wash it in cold water. I’ve been reinfected again and again by items that I had not washed. For example, my cycling shoes. How often do we wash our shoes? In this case, they too need to be washed.
 
SnakeCharmer said:
A lot of people do not realize that unwashed, contaminated clothing can infect you again and again as long as the oils are present. When you have made contact with P.O. you’ve got to wash the clothing you were wearing as well. Wash it in cold water. I’ve been reinfected again and again by items that I had not washed. For example, my cycling shoes. How often do we wash our shoes? In this case, they too need to be washed.
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And for the sake of everyone’s mechanic....if you ride through P.O....wipe down your bike with Simple Green or some other detergent.,,.

there is nothing I hate more than getting P.O. because someone rode through it then asked me to work on their bike.

yes, the oils stick to everything.
 
Mmmm!! Here it is. One spoonful a day for a few weeks and then test for acquired immunity.

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