HT's can get you Poision Oak

[WRUE951]

Last week we went up to our local lake for a quick week stay and some fishing.. By brother was out on the Kayak while i was lazy on the lawn chair drinking a beer.  He is trying to reach me on the HT but he is breaking up.  I get up and walk up a small hill to my left.  He says he caught a couple trout and hading back in..  I retreat back to my beer.  Well, after coiuple days latter, my legs are itching and oozing.   A visit to Urgent Care last night confirms, I have Poison Oak all over my legs.  I have never had this crap but i can tell you it is driving me nuts.  Hopefully these steroids will kick in..  Dammmmm    I remember waling thrugh some small brush on that hill, but was too busy trying to reach out on the radio to be concerned of what i was walking through  

[SteveShannon]

7 minutes ago, WRUE951 said:

Last week we went up to our local lake for a quick week stay and some fishing.. By brother was out on the Kayak while i was lazy on the lawn chair drinking a beer.  He is trying to reach me on the HT but he is breaking up.  I get up and walk up a small hill to my left.  He says he caught a couple trout and hading back in..  I retreat back to my beer.  Well, after coiuple days latter, my legs are itching and oozing.   A visit to Urgent Care last night confirms, I have Poison Oak all over my legs.  I have never had this crap but i can tell you it is driving me nuts.  Hopefully these steroids will kick in..  Dammmmm    I remember waling thrugh some small brush on that hill, but was too busy trying to reach out on the radio to be concerned of what i was walking through  

Yikes!

[WRUU653]

That sucks, I know what you’re going through. When I was younger I wasn’t affected by the stuff so I would be the one to clear it out. Then in my twenties I was hiking through it to a rock climbing location and yep same story. I went to the doctors and he says “you have poison oak”, but I don’t get it I tell him. He explained it’s an allergy, one that most people have and you can develop an allergy at any time. I avoid it obsessively now constantly pointing it out when the wife and I go hiking with the dog. I have a friend that can’t get sap from pine trees on him after years of handling them for a family Christmas tree farm he became allergic.
Damn poison oak oil can stay on things that touched it too and get you a second time, wash anything that you think it might have touched. I got it off my mountain bike two weeks later because I missed a spot cleaning the bike after a fall into it. Worse part was I didn’t get it the day of the fall as I got it all off me in time but the next ride I got it off the bike. 

[FishinGary]

"Leaves of three, let it be!" Poison Oak/Ivy/Sumac always has this leaf configuration. If a plant has three leaves, that doesn't necessarily make it poisonous, but the ones that are will always have this configuration. Here we have California Blackberry, which also has three leaves an often grows right along with Poison Oak. It's not poisonous, but the thorns are another matter.... 

[WRYZ926]

9 minutes ago, FishinGary said:

"Leaves of three, let it be!" Poison Oak/Ivy/Sumac always has this leaf configuration.

Poison ivy and poison oak can grow in bush form or vine form. It is very easy to identify as a vine versus grape and other types of vines. Poison ivy and oak vines will always have a lot of air roots that clings to what it is growing on versus free hanging.

[WRUE951]

50 minutes ago, WRUU653 said:

That sucks, I know what you’re going through. When I was younger I wasn’t affected by the stuff so I would be the one to clear it out. Then in my twenties I was hiking through it to a rock climbing location and yep same story. I went to the doctors and he says “you have poison oak”, but I don’t get it I tell him. He explained it’s an allergy, one that most people have and you can develop an allergy at any time. I avoid it obsessively now constantly pointing it out when the wife and I go hiking with the dog. I have a friend that can’t get sap from pine trees on him after years of handling them for a family Christmas tree farm he became allergic.
Damn poison oak oil can stay on things that touched it too and get you a second time, wash anything that you think it might have touched. I got it off my mountain bike two weeks later because I missed a spot cleaning the bike after a fall into it. Worse part was I didn’t get it the day of the fall as I got it all off me in time but the next ride I got it off the bike. 

yea, it's pretty misserable. .  She told me to use Dawn Soap for my baths for next two weeks.  They gave me a Kenalog steroid shot that helps (barley) with itching but still oozing this crap..   

[WRYZ926]

I try to avoid poison ivy/oak when possible. It's weird that sometimes I will breakout in a rash and other times I won't. One thing that will also help dry it out is put some epson salt in your bath.

[Lscott]

1 hour ago, WRUU653 said:

Damn poison oak oil can stay on things that touched it too and get you a second time, wash anything that you think it might have touched. I got it off my mountain bike two weeks later because I missed a spot cleaning the bike after a fall into it.

So you got an itch you couldn't scratch in public. That must have been a miserable experience.

[WRUU653]

1 hour ago, Lscott said:

So you got an itch you couldn't scratch in public. That must have been a miserable experience.

No not that. The bike had cables that ran down the right side which I guess I didn’t clean, ended up on my right knee which wasn’t great when you can’t wear shorts at work. 

[Lscott]

58 minutes ago, WRUU653 said:

No not that. The bike had cables that ran down the right side which I guess I didn’t clean, ended up on my right knee which wasn’t great when you can’t wear shorts at work. 

[WRTC928]

8 hours ago, WRUU653 said:

That sucks, I know what you’re going through. When I was younger I wasn’t affected by the stuff so I would be the one to clear it out. Then in my twenties I was hiking through it to a rock climbing location and yep same story. I went to the doctors and he says “you have poison oak”, but I don’t get it I tell him. He explained it’s an allergy, one that most people have and you can develop an allergy at any time.

Urushiol dermatitis is a phenomenon of repeated exposures. Almost nobody has an outbreak the first time they encounter poison oak/ivy, but repeated exposures sensitize the immune system to react more strongly each time. That's why so many people report that they never had it as a kid but have developed it later in life. 

[WRUE951]

48 minutes ago, WRTC928 said:

Urushiol dermatitis is a phenomenon of repeated exposures. Almost nobody has an outbreak the first time they encounter poison oak/ivy, but repeated exposures sensitize the immune system to react more strongly each time. That's why so many people report that they never had it as a kid but have developed it later in life. 

Seasonal allegories never bothered me until two years ago.  I dread when late feb early may comes around.   My wife used to deal with allegories then about 5 years ago just out of the blue the allegories never bothers her anymore. ..  Weird how the imune system works.  

[FishinGary]

11 hours ago, WRUE951 said:

yea, it's pretty misserable. .  She told me to use Dawn Soap for my baths for next two weeks.  They gave me a Kenalog steroid shot that helps (barley) with itching but still oozing this crap..   

Hang in there, man. The steroids will help, and hopefully not have too many side effects.

[WSEZ864]

20 hours ago, FishinGary said:

"Leaves of three, let it be!" Poison Oak/Ivy/Sumac always has this leaf configuration. If a plant has three leaves, that doesn't necessarily make it poisonous, but the ones that are will always have this configuration. Here we have California Blackberry, which also has three leaves an often grows right along with Poison Oak. It's not poisonous, but the thorns are another matter.... 

Good rule for Poison Oak & Ivy, but not sumac.

Poison Sumac is not three-leaved and is entirely different looking. Sumac leaves are "pinnate" (resembles walnut leaves), with 7-13 paired leaves on a stalk. Sumac is also usually found as a small tree with a woody trunk.

[url]https://www.healthline.com/health/outdoor-health/poison-sumac#identify[/url]

[WSDE760]

2% diphenhydramine HCI pump spray is my go-to.

I get generic at my local dollar store.

[Davichko5650]

On 5/28/2025 at 9:31 AM, WRUE951 said:

   A visit to Urgent Care last night confirms, I have Poison Oak all over my legs. 

No bueno there my friend.  I am fortunate in that I am not affected by PO, PI or Stinging Nettles. My wife didn't believe me about the PI, until I picked up a bunch from a plant in our back yard, and suffered nothing. The hill behind our garage is covered in the stuff.  She, OTOH, is very much affected by them all. Makes hiking our river land an adventure in avoidance for her where I just plow on thru the itchweed...

[WRUE951]

1 hour ago, Davichko5650 said:

No bueno there my friend.  I am fortunate in that I am not affected by PO, PI or Stinging Nettles. My wife didn't believe me about the PI, until I picked up a bunch from a plant in our back yard, and suffered nothing. The hill behind our garage is covered in the stuff.  She, OTOH, is very much affected by them all. Makes hiking our river land an adventure in avoidance for her where I just plow on thru the itchweed...

You are very lucky..   this stuff really sucks!

[WRTC928]

3 hours ago, Davichko5650 said:

I am fortunate in that I am not affected by PO, PI or Stinging Nettles yet. 

There. I fixed it for you. 

[Davichko5650]

18 hours ago, WRTC928 said:

There. I fixed it for you. 

well, it's been 69 years so, I think I'm in the clear there?

[WRTC928]

5 hours ago, Davichko5650 said:

well, it's been 69 years so, I think I'm in the clear there?

There's no way to know. It could still happen. I had a patient who got his first outbreak at 84. Before that, I might have thought that at 69 you'd be safe.

[Davichko5650]

2 minutes ago, WRTC928 said:

There's no way to know. It could still happen. I had a patient who got his first outbreak at 84. Before that, I might have thought that at 69 you'd be safe.

As far as Ivy, still immune as of last weekend.  I'll know about the Oak, sumac and stinging nettles this weekend after we visit the river land...

[WRTC928]

Just now, Davichko5650 said:

As far as Ivy, still immune as of last weekend.  I'll know about the Oak, sumac and stinging nettles this weekend after we visit the river land...

I'm not wishing it on you. I hope you never get it. I'm just saying, don't feel crapped on if it happens.