willtill

I got a little poison Ivy on my wrist a couple of days ago when putting up my ladder stands. I'm set up in some really thick stuff, and there's lot's of deer in this area. When I went out to hunt this morning, I got on my ladder and grabbed the tree to pass my body harness tether around it. Seems that there was this poison Ivy vine that had enveloped the trunk of the tree, and I had never noticed it (kind of hard when it's dark).

Anyway, I was in the tree for about 4 hours, seen one fawn that I could've arrowed, but I let her walk. Seem two healthy does, one was out of range, and the other doe ALMOST walked straight into my ambush; but she disappeared in a thicket. Last night was a full moon, the hunting will get much better when the new moon appears.

Well, now I am sitting here drinking a beer, and watch blisters appear and burst on my right wrist and forearm, what fun. I've had this crap before, if I'm lazy about it, it usually takes about twenty one days for it to go away. A little concern that I have is the left side of my face, I think I may have wiped my face off with my hands and transferred some of the urushiol oil from the Ivy to that as well.

Beer, Benadryl, vinegar and rubbing alcohol. That's the ticket. Man, this chit ITCHES....

Watch out for that stuff....

Kindest Regards,

-Will in Maryland

FroMan

Welcome to my world. My bro can basically roll in the stuff, I get around it and it leaps onto my body. Usually on my face.

I had it on my ankle pretty bad about a month ago. I get it so badly every year that I should suck it up and get the series of shots that's supposed to make you immune to it.

Maybe I'll do that when I get a clue someday. Other than that, some prescribed steroid cream I have is what will dry it up fastest (unless it's severe enough to geta shot).

Have fun with that mess.

A the P

I suffer so much from that stuff. It's like fire.I've learned tojust take my knife and slice the blisters open till I draw a slight amount ofblood. A littlecut will heal in a few days, and it shore as anything doesn't hurt as bad.

PABowhntr

I once got it very badly....face swelled up, big blisters between my fingers, crusty scabs over my entire body...it was horrible. As I got older though I became more and more immune to it. I still get it at least once each summer but it has been relatively minor. I would also bet that a big part of it is identifying it and staying away from it. I cannot tell you how many great deer stand trees I have passed over because there was a poison vine creeping up it.

You got that remedy combination right though my friend. Rubbing alcohol burns like a b.... but it does the job. I once even put powdered chlorine on it...not a good idea.

TroopA

Poison Ivy feels good to scratch in a hot shower.

I get it once a year.

MASTERDIVER

Really hot water or scrub with Tide or Bleach.

Illinois Bowhuntin

Ex wife and I got busy one time out in the woods and I ended up with it EVERYWHERE.She never got anthing from it.Talk about uncomfortable.I got a lil on my wrist a week ago.I usually scrath them open some and rub bleach into it.Goes away in about a week when I use bleach.Dries it up fatser then anything else I have ever used including what i have gotten from the doctor.

bigbulls

Go to the doctor and get a shot. I had it all over me about three months ago and decided to get a shot for it was that bad. It stopped iching that day and was gone in two days. No kidding. It was amazing.

If you do get it make sure you take the steroids like they tell you to do. They are part of the treatment.

Taking the little steroid pills was well worth not iching for three weeks.


BTW, poision ivy is not contagious like many people think. The first bath or shower you take washes off the oil from the plant. However the damage has been done by the time you usually take a shower. The iching and pussing is your body fighting the poisons that have been absorbed by your skin.

It only takes one billionth of one gram of the urushiol oil to cause a rash

Did you also know that the oil can remain active and able to cause rashes for up to five years. This includes dead plants.

5 shot

I get it several times a year. Go to any drug store and buy a tube of ZANFAL. It's about 30 bucks, but it works. Apply per directions and shortly all itching is gone and the next day the blisters are healing up. Most times one application does it for me.

willtill

Thanks for the info and sharing of your experiences with this stuff. I awoke this morning with the left cheek and tissues surrounding the left eye swollen. I just popped two more Benadryl's, and am using a Cortizone type cream, as well as periodocally wiping down with alcohol.

Kindest Regards,

-Will in Maryland