I HATE Poison Oak!

[abe]

My life is misery right now. I stepped through a very sparse growth of Poison Oak plants yesterday, forgot about it, and now I'm suffering. I am one of those lucky people who is EXTREMELY allergic, and every moment of consciousness for me right now is torture. The rash is always worst on my face and chin and neck, and I can barely open or close my mouth without acute painful itching. Soon I'll be so swollen my feature will barely be recognizable. I can't even bare to think about waking up tommorow with my face glued to the pillow because of all the pus. I just want to find a dark corner and sleep forever. It doesn't get any more unpleasant, i'm telling you...

I'm NEVER going hiking outdoors in Southern California ever again!

...Sorry i just had to vent, at least it served as a 5 minute distraction to the constant itching and buring. Heh, i have a piano lesson tommorow, hopefully i won't contaminate my teachers piano. Anyone else have severe reactions to poison oak? It sucks, doesn't it...

Have a nice Martin Luther King Day.

[allchopin]

You know what's a good idea when you have poison oak?  Get it all over your keyboard too!

[abe]

Thanks for the encouragement 


Oh how I loathe the swollen mask
That consumes my encrusted face
Demolishing my features
Searing my countenance

I despair this conscious reality
This woeful state of venomous infection
How I long for a deep sleep
That ever evades my restless nights

And I itch...





How's that for a right beautiful use of imagary? (dont worry people, i'm not fishing for sympathy. I hope you understand that reading and posting this on forum actually DOES help distract me from the itching)

[janice]

  ROFL

Look at the ads at the bottom!  Gee, I wonder why these have suddenly appeared?!!

[athykay]

My son had a horrible case of poison ivy a few years ago.  The agent causing the rash is urushiol - the same as poison oak. There is supposedly a wonder wash for this that can appease the rash even after it's set in.  We tried to find it, but it's quite expensive and so not stocked in most stores.  By the time we finally located some, the rash had started to abate.  I'm really, really curious, however, if this stuff really works. It's actually written up in  the PDR. 

https://www.zanfel.com/testimonials/

Any way, good luck.  I know how miserable you are!  I've had a few bouts myself.  Once when I was 8 months pregnant, and all over my swollen belly.  I was at the beach where I went into the brush off the board walk to relieve myself. When I had  pulled my sundress up, little did I know but the hem had been dragging through low lying poison ivy.   Miserable stuff!!

Let me know if you can find some Zanfel and how it works.

[jlh]

I used to be VERY allergic to poisen ivy and oak... not anymore, I guess my body chemistry has changed a bit.

Anyway, I've had it so bad on my face it looked as if I were a downs boy.

Try washing the rash with Fels-Naptha Laundry Soap. It's the oil and pus leaking from the rash that spreads it, so you have to dry it up and keep it dry. Make a lather with the soap, and let it dry on your skin.  Also, try swimming in a chlorinated pool, or taking a salt-water bath.  If you're not a do-it-yourselfer, go to the doctor and get a steroid cream.

A great way to stop the itch is hot water. Heat will cause your skin to release histamine. Histamine is what causes the itch. You run hot water over the rash for about a minute or two. The water should be uncomfortable but not hot enough to scald.  You'll know its working because it will itch a whole lot worse once you get started. After a minute or so the itch just stops. Your skin holds about an 8 hour supply of histamine and this processes uses it all up. You will not feel an itch for 6-8 hours. I know it sounds crazy but it works.

[abe]

Thanks for the tips.

I still have it bad, in fact its been getting worse every day since Sunday. Yesterday I was very discouraged, half convinced I would be like this forever. However, tonight I am more optimistic, because the rash (on my face at least) has I think slowed down. It has by no means left yet. I am getting a bit nervous what with finals NEXT WEEK, and I've gone and missed this last week of school where the major reviewing has taken place. Not to mention next Tuesday afternoon I have an audition for a concerto concert w/ my school orchestra. But perhaps that date can be changed. Oh, and also a small scholarship music competition type thing I have on wednesday. I should be better by then, but I haven't been able to get much good practicing done these past few days. The reason for this is because the rash has spread all over the back of my hands and fingers, causing swelling and much irritation. Oh well. I dont care at this point, as long as the rash goes away forever.

I have been using Aveeno bath solution (it's oatmeal stuff) and that provides temporary relief, but doesn't do much to fight the rash. Hopefully the HUGE dose of medicine does (I got a shot yesterday, and they upped my dosage like crazy). Anyway, thanks again for the tips, I'll look into them should this happen again.

[pianowelsh]

Just reading the title of this thread sounds like you might have a marketable rock album there?!