flea: (Default)
flea ([personal profile] flea) wrote2006-05-06 07:19 am

AAAAAAAARRRRRGH

I have poison ivy.

I HATE poison ivy.

I seem to get it regularly every other summer. The last 3 times I haven't seen it at the time of exposure, so it's spread everywhere in little dots by the time it comes up, and then my frantic washing doesn't help much.

It started to come up about 4pm yesterday. New areas still emerging overnight (current locations: inner thighs, underside of forearms, one tiny bit only so far on a finger, lots around my neck and collarbones, one dot under my nose.). It will continue to get worse for the next 4 days, plateau, and at about a week in, start to get better, very slowly. I'll still have marks on the worst areas a month from now. Knowing that this is how it will play out somehow makes it even worse.

[identity profile] vwbug.livejournal.com 2006-05-06 01:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, yuck! I'm so sorry!

[identity profile] jonquil.livejournal.com 2006-05-06 01:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I HATE poison ivy.

Really true, TecNu makes the rash dry up quicker and spread less. Check if any of your local drugstores have it -- you wash the existing rash with it and it helps get rid of the oils.

[identity profile] casperflea.livejournal.com 2006-05-06 03:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Heavens, yes, Tecnu is a wonder product. I was first introduced to it when working as a field archaeologist in Delaware, which involved wading through waving, waist-high patches of PI. I did a nightly full scrubdown, which kept outbreaks to a minimum, although couldn't eliminate them entirely.

It's a bit of a horse-barn door situation when you don't realize you've been exposed until the rash comes up, but the Tecnu still helps some.
fufaraw: mist drift upslope (frameless)

[personal profile] fufaraw 2006-05-06 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Ichk, I'm so sorry. I hope this time it's light and over quickly.