Dh and I went to look at land this weekend near the Ozark National forest and he came home covered everywhere except the area above his socks and below his shorts. Go figure the main place he was exposed to. I also have small patches in various palces, places that never saw the sun that weekend. They are small reddish bumps that itch and burn. I always thought I was not allergic to any of the poisons because dh is so allergic and since I am always the one to take care of him and never got it. I figured I wasent allergic. He also says that it is not the same as poison ivy but different so Iam not sure what it is exactly it is we have. Also any ideas on how to speed up the drying process on it. we are using a poison Ivy wash and soap, also some cream to help with the itching and burning. Any home remedies to speed this along. I guess the mountains didnt like us as much as we liked them. Jennifer
I was never allergic to any of the poison *whatevers* til a few years ago, when I got a whopping case of it. What finally worked for me was a concoction made of Queen Helene's Mint Julep Masque, Thai Red Chili Paste and some lemon juice to make it spreadable. Ahhhh! This was the ONLY stuff which gave me relief. I would take burning hot baths (only work for some people because they bring the histamines to the surface, which for me was great, but can be disastrous for others!) then smear it on. ONLY thing that worked.
I was thinking chiggers also, since it was on the covered areas and not the exposed areas. nasty little itching critters. Had them once. Had to put clear nail polish on the bumps to suffocate the critters and stop the itching. AngieM2
He should take some Benadryl, just in case it's hives. Is he allergic to stuff? This time of year, I have a horrible time because I'm so allergic to ragweed. It's caused me to break out in hives before. The Benadryl will help if it's poison *something*. too. But it will make him very sleepy.
I've never had a run in with chiggers, but if Nail polish works to smother them, why not try vasilene? It may smother them too, and if it doesn't there is really no harm, as opposed to applying harsh chemichals like polish to the skin (horrors! Just kidding)
According to the Mo conservation folks, we have no poison sumac in the ozarks. we do have tons of poison ivy and oak that is hidden in with other plants. It sounds just like poison ivy to me.
When I got poison sumac last summer (first time ever), I finally had to give up and go to the doctor. My skin turned an angry red around the irritation, which was weeping. The doctor gave me some antibiotics and Zyrtek (not sure how to spell it) for the itching... I have never been so miserable in my life. I have scars on my legs from it. Oh, and I managed to get it thru wet blue jeans!
