My husband has his own tree removal business. I'm not sure about other times I've had it, but when I got it this time it was because the poison ivy vine around the tree was about 2" in diameter. He does his own laundry, but all he has to do is look at me and I get it. :).
I know this may come across as being harsh, but if you're going to comment and tell me I must have come in contact with it again, please save yourself the time. I have searched the internet and there are hundreds of sites with the same advice. (please don't take that personal). Out of all the searching I've done I only found one site, with a discussion board, of people just like me. They know for a fact they have not come in contact with it again (its been weeks, months, etc) but yet it has come back in the same exact spot.
This is a picture of my wrist. I only took it to show that my new watch is much bigger and the spot of poison ivy is the same size as my previous watch. If it was caused by this watch the diameter would be much wider.
37 comments:
I'm sorry to hear that you've been fighting the awful poison ivy. knock on wood, I haven't had poison oak or ivy since I was a kid. I guess that is one perk of city life. Good luck. : )
Hmm, sounds like it didn't go totally away. It can be almost dried up, or appear that way, and suddenly appear again. Especially easy if you get the area wet (like washing dishes, laundry, etc.) it loves damp, moist conditions to spread...(you should avoid bathing when it is oozy). Also easy to scratch at it unknowingly and spread it all over...mostly it itches like a bear at night...so easy to do it in your sleep and get it re-activated.
My mom swears by using regular old fashioned Crest toothpaste to dry it up. She is always getting it as she gardens and liberates roadside flowers. ;-)
Definitely don't wear any watch...just the rubbing from movement can spread it...
The pink calamine lotion works great too, but isn't particularly becoming. ;-)
It will go away...it will, it will.
Kimmie
mama to 8
one homemade and 7 adopted
Thanks Kimmie, but is it really possible for it to still be there after 3 weeks? The spot on my wrist looked like I had a burn there for about 7-10 days before it reappeared.
Then it appeared to come back on one of those humid days we had, but it hasn't spread beyond the original points. And after its first day back it hasn't itched at all.
I sure hope you have your poison ivy issue dealt with and it is all cleared up! I miss reading your new posts!
I also wanted to let you know how much I love your blog so I chose you for a "lovely blog award". Just visit my blog to pick it up. :)
http://txbramletts.blogspot.com
Hey my friend
Just wanted to tell you that we have begun Chapter One of Friendship for Grown-ups and that Kid's Club starts today ...3:45 (call me if you need more info).
Hope you are well and hope we can get together soon.
((HUG))
Kimmie
mama to 8
one homemade and 7 adopted
Thanks Kimmie.......
I can assure you that recurring poison ivy is real, since I suffer from it myself. I spent several years of my youth in MN where poison ivy is a very common problem. While my mother and brother are immune, I am extremely vulnerable to the stuff and had one breakout in particular that was so horrible I couldn't even bend my fingers. It took a shot to finally clear it up and was a truly miserable experience.
Anyway, I have not lived in MN for 30 years now. In fact, I haven't lived anywhere that poison ivy grows. Yet every year or two I get a small breakout; usually on the knuckles of my right hand. It seems to be triggered by an extreme temperature shift in the weather, going from cool to hot in a very brief time frame. I am in fact suffering through such an outbreak right now, despite the fact that nothing has changed about my environment or habits other than the temperature.
The bottom line is that you're not alone.
I am dealing with a similar problem. This is the third time in my life that I have had poison ivy. I know I got it on my calf because I remember I looked down and saw I was standing next to the plant when I was picking some berries. However, I now have it in the exact same spots that I got it last two times and they are not near my leg. I am sick of being itchy and I don't know what is going on. I feel for you. NC
I totally feel your pain. I was first exposed really badly in June 2011 and I'm still getting breakouts in the same spots almost 4 months later. It will disappear for a week or two, then come back less severe.
I get the same advice too, "you must be re-exposing yourself to poison ivy", but I'M NOT! 16 days of steroids didn't even do the trick. UGH.
When you find a solution, let me know!
found you on the internet when I was searching this topic. I have it recurring on four different places on my body. I am almost positive I have not been re-exposed. I am sick of being itchy, and I am sure my family is sick of me complaining!
For ANYONE trying to make any sort of argument that it didn't go away, was re-contaminated, re-exposed, or something else similar, please spare us.
Poison Ivy does come back in the previously affected area after being exposed to heat. I don't know why and apparently the medical community doesn't either. In fact, they don’t seem to know. So, I am asking everyone reading this who has RECURRENT Poison Ivy rashes (rashes that went away for 6 months or more, and then returned in the exact same same location, in the exact pattern) to please post what you are experiencing. I ask the Doctors viewing this to perk up and do not try to diagnose what you think you see. Listen. Treat this as research.
I'll start.
In the 1990s I was working my way thru college doing landscaping. I knew I was allergic to Poison Ivy and avoided it, even resorting to wearing long sleeve T-shirts and gloves taped to the sleeves to avoid contact. Eventually I received a rash on my right inside of my forearm from the wrist to about halfway up to the elbow. It was poison ivy. I knew exactly when it happened and how and didn’t have access to any water to rinse off Using the common treatments, Calamine Lotion, Benadryl, etc... it disappeared after a couple of weeks.
I am now 51 years old and am 25 years removed from that event. However, the temperature has started to rise here in Alabama and I spent a good bit of time working in the garage this week moving boxes and furniture. Somehow - and I can't imagine how - the heat and sweat resulted in a rash on the inside of my right forearm from the wrist to about halfway up the elbow. That pattern is recognizable. I have seen it repeatedly over the last 25 years, often 2-3 years apart from the last episode. This is not re-exposure. This is recurrence:
- My air conditioning went out in my home overnight about 5 years ago and my right arm under the pillow that night became very warm and the rash reappeared, itching and all.
- I went fishing in New Jersey on a very hot day and the rash reappeared. We were on a boat over salt water the entire time. The boat was docked at an inlet the entire summer. No chance of PI contamination from the boat.
I could go on but you get the point, and I’m not alone. I have had numerous episodes where I can verify that no exposure took place. The only thing I can figure that is possible is a hypersensitivity to poison ivy spores or pollen during the spring, as a result of being exposed earlier in life. It is the only thing I can point to that I would not be able to 100% rule out. Is this possible?
I am a 30-year-old female in NYC. A year and a half ago, I got poison ivy after hanging out in Central Park. It was extremely severe: it was all over my legs, both legs, front and back. After a week it appeared in smaller patches on the inner sides of both wrists. It took months (and several weeks of oral Prednisone) for it to go away.... The weirdest thing is that my legs (which had the biggest, most severe original rash) NEVER had recurrences. But in the 1.5 years since then, both of my inner wrists have had repeated flareups. I am now in the midst of a flareup on both wrists - and I definitely have not been near poison ivy! It's snowing outside! I got poison ivy in June 2013. It is now Feb 2015!
I am a 35 year old female who lives in Southwest Louisiana. I have a huge old oak tree in my front yard. I have tried to avoid it over the years but the beginning of 2014 I broke out on my left arm under my wrist and 2 spots on my thighs. Within 7 months of that year, from April to October, the poison oak rash reappeared two more times. The 3rd time I had it I finally went to the doctor, got a steroid shot and cream. Yesterday I cut grass for the first time this year on a riding lawnmower, around the dang tree, and today the rash reappeared under my wrist. I did not touch the tree or any limbs. I believe in recurring poison ivy or poison oak and it is annoying!!
The first time I got poison oak was 5 yrs ago. I was 7 months pregnant and very miserable. It took me several weeks to get rid of it. Last spring I got it so bad that I had to get a shot and a round of steroids to get rid of it. A couple days ago I started itching in the same exact places as before. I haven't been re exposed so wth? People think i am crazy when I tell them it is poison oak but I haven't been in contact with the plant. I wish someone would figure out a cure.
Hi All - I'm glad to see I'm not alone! I was exposed to poison ivy in May of this year and developed a horrible rash mostly on my right forearm. After three rounds of steroids, all seemed to be clear, save for some unattractive scarring. But since then, I've had new rashes pop up in the exact same spots where the poison ivy rashes were the worst. It's different ... more of red, bumpy rash that stings and scabs, but doesn't seep. Seems to pop up when I've been in the sun or humidity. I haven't found anything online to medically substantiate that this is a recognized issue, so it's frustrating. I'm about to go back to my GP, who originally treated the PI, and also going to try my dermatologist. We'll see!
I can't believe all these people have the same problem and doctors don't have an answer for why it's recurring.
I got poison ivy earlier this year around Father's Day, I live in BC. Tonight I got my first recurrence and it freaked me out! I've never heard of it before. So it's nice to see we have a tribe hahaha.
But on a serious note, I think it definitely makes sense that heat would cause it to act up! I've definitely not been around poison ivy but it's been super hot in my inlaws house at night and at our house we keep it cool mostly. You can never go wrong with talking to our doctors about this uprise of people with the same problem and maybe one doctor or more will start to look into it.
Peace and love all!
I got poison ivy on my toe in 2007. After a topical steroid and antibiotics because it looked infected, it finally cleared up. Here it is 2016 and I am still dealing with recurrences. It has gone away for years and then randomly flares up. I have had at least 7 recurrences and I do not have the same socks or shoes from 2007, so there's no possible way I'm coming in contact with poison ivy or its oils. I'm sick of this!
Wow! I am shocked at this responses here. I have been battling a simple exposure on my wrist to poison oak that has now spread over almost my whole body... and its been two months now
... I have been off steroids for 4 days now after beign on them for 2 and a half weeks... but it is coming back again. It just wont go away! Also, I am pregnant, so I hate being on steroids, ugg but I am wondering if I should try another round. Planning to talk to my doctor today and then get a dermotologist recommendation too! Thank you all for sharing! Its so sad that so many others have gone through this but its also such a comfort to know I am not just completelt crazy...
Wow! I am shocked at this responses here. I have been battling a simple exposure on my wrist to poison oak that has now spread over almost my whole body... and its been two months now
... I have been off steroids for 4 days now after beign on them for 2 and a half weeks... but it is coming back again. It just wont go away! Also, I am pregnant, so I hate being on steroids, ugg but I am wondering if I should try another round. Planning to talk to my doctor today and then get a dermotologist recommendation too! Thank you all for sharing! Its so sad that so many others have gone through this but its also such a comfort to know I am not just completelt crazy...
Just found this. "The underlying skin proteins remain sensitized to urushiol, for quite some time in some cases several years, hence the slightest newest recent exposure to urushiol in certain individuals will cause you to experience for a second or third time a newer rash. Breathing in the flower pollen also in certain individuals will cause them to develop a rash."
This sort of confirms my earlier theory. I'm going to start checking pollen counts when I'm outside at my home now. This makes complete sense to me.
It's autoimmunity called "hypersensitivity". Once your immune system is triggered it is for life. These things are genetic. Like celiac. I have NCGS I know what I'm talking about. But it's the reason doctors can't do anything about it. It's also the reason steroids is the cure. If you really understood what your body is doing you would just start to be glad you didn't have something worse cuz it's all you can do; be glad that your handicap is such a minor one.
It's autoimmunity called "hypersensitivity". Once your immune system is triggered it is for life. These things are genetic. Like celiac. I have NCGS I know what I'm talking about. But it's the reason doctors can't do anything about it. It's also the reason steroids is the cure. If you really understood what your body is doing you would just start to be glad you didn't have something worse cuz it's all you can do; be glad that your handicap is such a minor one.
I'm so happy I'm not the only one, maybe someone will see this and figure it out. I had a horrible sumac/ivy outbreak this year on the undersides of my arms and down the sides of my body. Basically from my wrists to my hips from trimming some bushes in a tank top and carrying the branches to a fire pit.
It was the worst I've ever had it, I was covered in huge red welts and hundreds of blisters, 2 rounds of steroids (ivy came back worse after the 1st round) did nothing. I was off work for a month. Only thing that helped was taking cool baths in 10 cups of baking soda (which does burn your skin, but it cleared up the ooze). Baking soda is cheap in bulk at Sams and Costco.
After it cleared it up, I thought it was over... but it returns to the same areas anytime I'm exposed to heat (if ac is out in summer, tropical vacations, hot tubs, baths, warm sweaters, etc) I develop the same huge red welt-like rash in the same area that burns constantly, itches, and is very hot to the touch for atleast 2 weeks.
So far the only thing that helps me is taking 1000mg tumeric pills 2-3x a day when I get the rash. It doesnt cure it, but it tends to bring the rash/heat down quicker. I didnt have any tumeric with me on vacation and the rash stayed strong my entire 7 day trip (and through the next week).
I'm not a health nut by any means, but I read about the tumeric somewhere and I've tried everything else, so I have it a go. I hope this helps someone.
Doctors have recommended/prescribed everything from OTC creams, sprays, tecnu, etc. I've bought it all and nothing works. Replaced all blankets/clothing or anything that might have been "infected". Had a company steam our house/furniture twice. Scrubbed down the whole house with rubbing alochol. Nothings worked.
Fingers crossed someone figures this out.
Have recurring rash every spring then not again for a while. Friends think I've had exposure but it happens with snow on the ground or without leaving the sidewalk. It's like I'm super sensitive then immune for rest of year despite plenty of exposure. I've read that eating a few leaves when plants are young give immunity & figure my body is doing this automatically?
Thank goodness I found this site! Just this a.m. woke up with a spot of RECURRING poison ivy near the corner of my eye, that first occurred back in late October, 2016 (it's now January 2017). Nothing seemed to work for over a month when first acquiring it, until I used a topical antihistamine (Benadryl), which cleared it up fairly quickly---NOW it has recurred just this a.m. and I live in Montana where there is 2 feet of snow on the ground!
Thanks for all of your posts, it has helped me know that I am not CRAZY!!!
I have the same reoccurring poison oak from 4 years ago. I was 7 months pregnant and got a severe case of poison oak that was thick and hot to the touch on my face, arms and belly. Since then I have had reoccurring rashes in the same location and my son who I was pregnant with at the initial contact gets poison oak rashed so bad his entire face swells up. My other three children and husband get rashes but never in the same location or so severe. This has to be systemic. It is really frustrating that the medical community has little to no knowledge on how to treat this.
I was wondering if you ever figured out any answers about why it reoccurs. I had a very bad case of poison ivy last May and I ended up being allergic to the medicine and had horrible hives. It took me 2 full months and $1000 to get rid of it. The worst part is that I had a patch on my face that has no reoccured in the exact same spot every 2 months. I've had it like 5 times now in just one particular spot on my face. I've seen a dermatologist about it, but she literally has no idea what could be going on. She tried an acid peel, but it didn't work because as I sit here now the red blisters are back. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
34,M,Tx. last month I was exposed to poison ivy. I had a rash on my forehead and my testicles. Woke up this am and the exact pattern on my forehead returned aswell as testicle itch in the same spot. I have def not been in contact with the the plant or oil. The weather here just went from warm to cold for 1 day and back to warm.
I woke up sweating this am also which i don’t normally do. The air conditioning was on.
I took steroids for poison ivy after camping in September 2018 (in Ontario, Canada). It was on my feet (top and bottom), in between my toes and on my legs. It cleared up fine. Now, 8 months later the blisters have re-appeared in the area it was most severe. Less than 2 weeks ago I returned from a trip to India and was exposed to extreme heat and humidity 43 degrees celsius. I have not been camping and have not be exposed since my return. It makes sense to me that exposure to heat has prompted the blisters to rise again.
Please do no not eat or feed anyone poison ivy. This comment has to be a troll.
Wow. I have the same story. I live in southeastern Massachusetts and was first exposed as a kid. Now, almost 40 years old, I still get the rash from time to time. It typically occurs in between my fingers, but this time I noticed something interesting. I got the rash roughly 3 months ago, at the beginning of the summer. It lasted about 2 weeks and went away completely. I remember specifically these 2 blisters that were identical, right next to each other and bigger than the others. Here we are at the end of the summer, and we just went through a prolonged heat wave. Without being exposed to the poison ivy again, the rash has come back in the same exact spot and those 2 larger, identical blisters have shown up in the same exact spot. One interesting thing I noticed from a post was that pistachios contain the same oil and I ate some of these 2 days before this broke out again. Not sure if it was that, the head, or a combination of the two, but this is definitely not re-exposure to the plant.
Thanks for everyone's story. It helped me realize I'm not alone in this. Hopefully the medical community can use this info to help research this problem.
This doesn't look like poison ivy. It is suspiciously smaller than the watch and the same shape. Could be contact dermatitis. The round red area with clear center could also be fungus.
Poison ivy vesicles are small and clear and there are many close together, it's quite distinctive. I've not been able to find where anything else looks like it. Usually you can also see a pattern of where you brushed against something. And it would be rare for an area affected by poison ivy to be very small and exactly round.
I contracted poison ivy 7-4-16 over my upper arms and chest from my darling dog who rubbed all over me after being frightened by lightning. It was the first exposure and it lasted about six months! Now, over 2 years later, I'm experiencing an outbreak on my upper arm again - horrible itching, burning, sores EXACTLY the same as the ones I went to a dermatologist to have treated, where she injected them w/a steroid two years ago. I saw earlier someone said something about eating pistachios...I just purchased my second bag in probably a month (and probably not had for the two years in between) and here I am. Maybe there is something to the oil in them! Don't know, but I'm NOT HAPPY.
I am so glad I found this site, and know I am not alone. Picked up an old cloth bag (I think this is the cause), and got the rash on the inside of both elbows. Didn't have health insurance, so just used over-the-counter stuff. The inside of one elbow still flares up, even after the rash there seeming to go away. Going to have to read everyone's responses, and keep track of diet and etc to see if there is anything that precedes a flare-up. It could be stress or sugar intake. I teach and practice hot yoga, but that doesn't seem to be related.
So I am not crazy. I was exposed this spring when the previous homeowners didn't disclose a serious poison ivy infestation. After all the rains, I went to deal with the grasses that were suddenly 6 feet tall and got nailed with the stuff. Never had it before to the best of my knowledge. Every few months, it pops back up on one place. And I know I've not been re-exposed. I'd searched online and saw no reference to that being a thing. Not looking forward to this spring, when I am sure it's going to rear it's ugly head once again and I'll probably get exposed in some way. I doubt I'll ever get it totally eradicated, because the naturalized space in the field across from me is terribly infested too - I am guessing birds fly right over and drop seeds in my yard. Good times.
OMG it's so great to know I'm not the only one!!
Here's my theory .... I first contacted poison oak when I was a kid. My mom put calamine lotion all over it, day after day, until it cleared. But it didn't really clear, it just got pushed down into my body. Then, years and decades later when I came into contact with it again, the crap in my body was reactivated. And now it keeps coming back, periodically and randomly, though it seems to happen during particularly stressful life situation times.
I haven't found an ultimate cure, but I have figured out how to manage it, how to live with it WITHOUT shoving it back into my body through drugs or calamine or whatever. The trick is this:
1. Get into the shower and run the hottest possible water on the rash, for as long as you can stand it. (This seems counterintuitive, but trust me. I got the tip from a hiker who was exposed regularly and it saved my life.) You'll have the most intense "hurts so good" experience of your life. Keep it going as long as you can. Then, blast the rash with the coldest shower water possible.
2. Occasionally I spritz the rash with apple cider vinegar, but only occasionally because this tends to dry it out to the point of being painful.
3. Get some coconut oil, or avocado oil, or some oil that's nice for the skin. Add a drop or two of blue camomile essential oil, and/or several drops of THC/CBD oil if you can afford either or both, otherwise just use the oil. Gently apply to the rash and keep clothes off it for as long as you can.
This process allows me to sleep for about 4 hours when the rash is fresh. I get up in the middle of the night and repeat, and I can sleep until morning which is a miracle compared to the agony I lived through before I knew how to manage it. Also, I carry a small jar of the oil mixture to work and apply it around lunchtime, and then I can get through the rest of the day until I race home and hit the shower again.
My sympathies are with you all, thank you for sharing your stories.
I have the same experience with nightshade. I was infected several summers ago. Its oil causes a poison ivy like rash and itchy blisters. A trip to the doctor and steroid skin cream knocked it out. It comes back pretty much annually on my left shin and ankle. It’s been hot and humid here, and this month was pretty stressful. My ankle now has red, itchy bumps on it. It’s back.
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