DAILY FARM LIFE / Show & Tell

the ivy that is poison

under the shade

I took one for the team last week. I attacked a fence row teeming with poison ivy.

My husband reacts violently to the littlest exposure, breaking out in red, oozing welts that usually land him in the walk-in clinic begging for a shot of steroids. So in one overly-productive day last week, I took on the project, saint that I am.

It is said that pride cometh before the fall, and I have to admit to being a teensy bit arrogant about my seeming immunity to poison ivy.

"I've touched it with my bare hands and never gotten a single bump."
"I just don't get poison ivy.
Ever."
"I have no memories of ever having poison ivy
anywhere."
"I don't need to wash up. I don't get poison ivy,
remember??"

Hello, pride. Good to meet you.

I have poison ivy. 

In odd places.

On the underside of my nose.
Around my waist. (I guess I was wearing my falling down jeans that day?)
On the front sides of my shoulders. (was I hiking up my short sleeves?)
In the middle of my shins. (hmmm. i was wearing long pants)
Along the side of my neck.

And then of course, the typical forearm–elbow to wrist– outbreak as well.

good morning

Emma looked at me yesterday and said, "Mom. You know you should really do something about all that poison ivy before the wedding on Friday."

Yeah, great, Emma. Thanks.

So while I'm not covered in oozing welts, I'm left with a body pocked with small bumps and patches of raised, itchy red skin. It could be worse. I'm telling myself how fun it is to discover where the next patch will break out.  And I'm seriously considering a wardrobe change for next weekend's big family wedding. Turtleneck and long pants, anyone?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The winner of the Little Alouette Giveaway is:

Michelle who said:

I want to WIN! I live in Ohio as well.

Michelle: please send me an email (in the about molly page) with your shipping info, and I"ll pass it on to Amy!

under the shade

I took one for the team last week. I attacked a fence row teeming with poison ivy.

My husband reacts violently to the littlest exposure, breaking out in red, oozing welts that usually land him in the walk-in clinic begging for a shot of legal steroids. So in one overly-productive day last week, I took on the project, saint that I am.

It is said that pride cometh before the fall, and I have to admit to being a teensy bit arrogant about my seeming immunity to poison ivy.

“I’ve touched it with my bare hands and never gotten a single bump.”
“I just don’t get poison ivy.
Ever.”
“I have no memories of ever having poison ivy
anywhere.
“I don’t need to wash up. I don’t get poison ivy,
remember??”

Hello, pride. Good to meet you.

I have poison ivy. 

In odd places.

On the underside of my nose.
Around my waist. (I guess I was wearing my falling down jeans that day?)
On the front sides of my shoulders. (was I hiking up my short sleeves?)
In the middle of my shins. (hmmm. i was wearing long pants)
Along the side of my neck.

And then of course, the typical forearm–elbow to wrist– outbreak as well.

good morning

Emma looked at me yesterday and said, “Mom. You know you should really do something about all that poison ivy before the wedding on Friday.”

Yeah, great, Emma. Thanks.

So while I’m not covered in oozing welts, I’m left with a body pocked with small bumps and patches of raised, itchy red skin. It could be worse. I’m telling myself how fun it is to discover where the next patch will break out.  And I’m seriously considering a wardrobe change for next weekend’s big family wedding. Turtleneck and long pants, anyone?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The winner of the Little Alouette Giveaway is:

Michelle who said:

 

 

I want to WIN! I live in Ohio as well.

 

Michelle: please send me an email (in the about molly page) with your shipping info, and I”ll pass it on to Amy!

 

 

 

34 comments on “the ivy that is poison”

  1. I read somewhere recently that it takes a few exposures to poison ivy before you may have a reaction to it. In the same article, it mentioned that if you think you have been exposed to rinse the area with rubbing alcohol and then take a soapy shower. I cannot for the life of me remember where I read that, but maybe it will come in handy in the future.

  2. My husband gets poison ivy every Summer and it is horrible to deal with. He sings the praises of Tecnu. You can buy it at any local pharmacy and it truly does work. It is pricey though. I always cringe when I have to buy it for him. Worth a try though!

  3. amy, we use Tecnu, too! My husband lathers up with it whenever he thinks he might have been exposed. It is expensive! 🙂

    I think he’s tried every cure in the book. but tecnu really seems to work.

  4. as a child my eyes and lips would swell if it was in my system. used to have to get shots every feb. i don’t get into it much now.hope your’s goes quickly.

  5. Oh yuck! I used to get it TERRIBLY, but now I just get it like you have it, raised itchy, not oozing.

    Before my grandfather retired many moons ago (like 30 years), he used to work for the Michigan Wisconsin Pipeline and they would give us little vials to drink that he and his coworkers got. It was supposedly preventative, like a vaccine for the year. Maybe Dan can get ahold of that? No idea what it was called. It tasted like strong tea, sort of.

  6. I get poison ivy like your husband — it just gets worse and worse until I have to have a steroid shot, not matter what I do to try to keep it under control. The only thing I’ve ever found to work on it at all is Benadryl Gel. It puts a little coating over the rash and seems to protect it pretty well.

    Be extra-careful with your things from that day though — the oil can remain active on anything (I’ve gotten it from a subway seat before! — don’t ask) for up to 6 months unless it is washed with soap. Yuck.

    Good luck in getting over it asap!

  7. oh, I’m so sorry! I, too have boasted of my immunity to poison ivy. But I haven’t been exposed in years, and in the meantime have had many allergies come (and apparently this year, go), so who knows?

    I hope you feel better!

  8. We would make a great couple then.I’ve had a huge reaction to midgie bites.All over my face,arms (short sleeves) and lower legs (cropped pants).I have a posh meal to go to tomorrow and just know I’m going to look awful!

  9. oh, honey, that just sucks.fatty gets it from biking in the woods. me? i’m scared of it so i don’t go anywhere near it. wimp. i know.

  10. ugh! Sorry for you. We have a huge patch of it on the side of our house and we are all allergic! I did read that you need to cover up completely and then spray each leaf with triple strength Roundup (not the pre mixed version). when the leaves are dead you need to dig up the root and dispose of all of it – DO NOT BURN!!! You can still get the rash from the dead plant so you need to use the same precautions. It may take a few seasons to be totally rid of it. We are still working out who has to deal with our patch. I’m thinkin’ it’s a man’s job!

  11. Oh hon! I’m so sorry! I brought some home with me from Granny’s house on our last visit too. I broke out all over the backs of my thighs just in time for a FIVE hour drive. Have you every tried to drive without letting your legs touch the seat? Not pretty.

    Wishing you a speedy recovery!

  12. I usually don’t get it, but I do get poison oak. I’ve also found that as I get older I will get mild cases of poison ivy – as a kid I rolled in the stuff to get out of a sleep-away camp. no dice. Didn’t get it at all.

  13. So, so sorry about the posoin ivy. My husband and I are celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary tomorrow. A very sweet friend of mine was supposed to be in our wedding those 18 years ago. But, two days before the wedding she called to say that poison ivy had gotten the best of her. She had even rubbed her eyes before she knew she had touched the plant, and her eyes were swollen shut. She was not able to stand with us at the wedding (or even come to the wedding!). It was very sad. I hope you fare better!

  14. Oh yuck! I’m sorry you’ve caught poison ivy-that’s a huge bummer! I haven’t ever gotten it yet (I’m searching for some wood to knock on right now) but I’m sure I’d react just like your husband!

  15. Hey Molly… have you ever tried soaking a cotton ball in Tea Tree Oil and dabbing it on your outbreak areas? It’s worked for my mom — she usually gets big relief within about 24 hours.

  16. I also broke out for the first time this summer, and here is some of the stuff I found helpful!!JEWELWEED. it often grows alongside poison ivy – you can google it, or you can look at the post on my blog, singing its praises!! (http://plotfiftyfive.blogspot.com/2009/05/ah-jewelweed.html) use fresh or in a tincture (i made one with alcohol)Oatmeal and baking soda – my first outbreak was really annoyingly itchy and making oatmeal on the dry glumpy side with some baking soda, then waiting until it had just cooled abit (don’t want to trade a burn for the rash!), glomp it on and let it dry! It was a bit masochistic, but kind of wonderful.

    GOOD LUCK! the best thing is to treat it before it’s appeared – rubbing everywhere with jewelweed if you’ve been exposed, washing with Burt’s Bees poison ivy soap…ah, next time!debbie

  17. Burt’s Bees makes a great poison ivy soap. It works really well to dry up the spots and helps with the itching. We also wash with it if we think we’ve been exposed. Good luck!

  18. Oh, no fun! My husband is just getting over a case right now. He got it tearing out shrubs around our house. His started out as a fairly minor case on his arms, but it just kept spreading and spreading, so he went and got steroids. (pills, not shot) I’d say go do that ASAP, especially if you have a wedding to go to on Friday. Here’s to healing quickly!

  19. So sorry about that. I know well that ‘pride” having been attached (I swear it jumps out at us) as the hubby is allergic. Ugh. Hope the Caladryl helps!

  20. molls, in a fit of cabin fever, last winter when we had a warm spell, I went out at 5 months preggers to do yard work and came back in with poison ivy across my tummy, the backs of my hands, inner arms and then transferred it to my inner thigh because I sleep with my hands tucked in between my legs. My mid-wife found me highly amusing. ;o)

    Sorry your stuck for the wedding…good luck with some of the cures the girls have posted!

    Smooches,kk

  21. Oh, how awful! We don’t have any poison ivy around here, to my knowledge. I’m sure our homeowner’s association would forbid it in no uncertain terms anyway. 😉 Google says it does grow in this part of the states but I’ve never seen it; guess I’ll have to be extra careful at Girl Scout camp since I don’t even know what to look for.

    I hope you recover quickly!

  22. Ouch! I have never (knock on wood) had poison ivy, but it looks miserable! I am not roughing it anywhere either (unless you count mowing the lawn) so I don’t have any opportunities for exposure.

    I hope you feel better soon 🙁

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