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Poison Ivy at Big Sur?

3225 Views 12 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  jorts, 
J
Hey ya'll, I happened upon a Big Sur thread that warned about poison ivy in that area and was wondering if anyone else has encountered this devil plant?

I was out on Sunday and starting itching last night and then bam today I have a pretty full on rash all over my upper body. Additionally I was wearing my gear in the pool last night teaching my friends to roll and I think my pfd/skirt may have poison ivy on it.

Any one else caught poison ivy from big sur?

Also any pro advice for getting it off my pfd and gear? Of course it is expensive stuff and my pfd is pretty much brand new so replacement is not an issue.

Should I do the tecnu thing or is it too late three days after encountering poison ivy?
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streetdoctor
jorts said:
Hey ya'll, I happened upon a Big Sur thread that warned about poison ivy in that area and was wondering if anyone else has encountered this devil plant?

I was out on Sunday and starting itching last night and then bam today I have a pretty full on rash all over my upper body. Additionally I was wearing my gear in the pool last night teaching my friends to roll and I think my pfd/skirt may have poison ivy on it.

Any one else caught poison ivy from big sur?

Also any pro advice for getting it off my pfd and gear? Of course it is expensive stuff and my pfd is pretty much brand new so replacement is not an issue.

Should I do the tecnu thing or is it too late three days after encountering poison ivy?
Click to expand...

I got it ridiculously bad a couple years ago. Zanfel is $20 for a little tube but pretty much saved my life lol.
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J
hey thanks streetdoctor.

Anyone else heading to big sur keep an eye out for poison ivy. I think I left my spray skirt and pfd laying on or leaning up against a patch of ivy and then wore it in the pool last night and got it all over my upper body.
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J
I've found that washing with TECNU helps throughout the course of the rash. Additionally I've always washed everything that I think came in contact with TECNU as well and it seems to get rid of the oils that cause the rash. The last time I had an issue I made sure to never scratch no matter how bad I wanted to and did lots of salt water soaks and it seemed to go away a lot faster. I would wash all your equipment multiple times and wear rubber gloves while you handle contaminated articles. Hope you have a speedy recovery that stuff is terrible!!
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J
My biggest poison ivy issue is that last night (before I realized what had happened) I was half asleep and itching myself all over. Now, spreading poison ivy by itching is of course no bueno, but being partially asleep it spread to a particular portion of the male anatomy which is...um...unpleasant.

After calling all of the pharmacies in the Roaring Fork valley I realized that my only option for procuring Tecnu is to drive to GWS which is about a two hour round trip for me. Therefore, I have concluded that my best course of action is whisky therapy and self discipline not to itch :cool:

If poison ivy is the price of admission at Big Sur, I have to admit that it is worth it. Here's to hoping the level holds through the weekend (and that I have the common sense not to leave my gear in a patch of poison ivy).
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Gremlin
Whiskey therapy has saved me from many hours in the doctor's office. Seems to me to be your best option. In fact, I have a terrible hangnail right now;)
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Chief Niwot
Zanfel is the shit!
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abron
Iwould drive very far to get the right stuff to make PI go away. Heres what I know that works for me...I hit up the "all the above method".
This is for if it gets really bad. which is every time i have ever gotten it. there's no inbetween,(for me) esp if you sleep/scratch on it for 3 days......

1.as stated, Zanfel and technu for your clothes and yerself. ASAP.
2. schedule a dermatologist appt for the same trip to GWS
2. Prednisone if it gets really bad. (Rx)
3. Clobetasol topical cream (Rx: same trip to the dermatologist. its an old school nuke of a cream. not good for you but neither is PI.)
5. keep yourself clean, two showers a day, cleaning the affected area with Zanfel- the ONLY allowed scrubbing. otherwise bite a stick, or a bullet or a bulleit :mrgreen: bourbon or whatever.
all the other folk treatments could help, but dont really change anything.(oatmeal, clay,brown soap, that pink stuff...etc..) you have to dry it out, esp before it blisters.and oozes and spreads. thus the clobetasol.
6. and in the same vein as keeping your rash clean, change and launder your bedding and clothes frequently. dont spread it that way either.

sincerely good freakin luck knocking it out. Down here we have acres of it on the Rio grande, some on the Red River,and mucho at spence hot springs in the Jemez mountains.. that i wont ever go to again. too many drunk people falling in the Ivy on the hike up there... you could get it from the oil floating on the water.
ugh this thread makes me cringe. :knock on wood: it's been a while....
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M
You can order Zanfel through amazon prime with next day shipping :)

Also, the clay trick is for getting the oils off you and your gear BEFORE it becomes a problem. It absorbs the oil I think. It would be a good idea to cover everything in dirt before you head to the river and again after you're done, then rinse with clean water.

Luckily, I think I'm one of the few who isn't allergic to it. Have been in poison ivy before and never had a reaction. But I think you can become sensitized and develop an allergy so the more you expose yourself the greater chance there is of developing the allergy.
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C
everything that is green and three leaved all around at big sur.... especially by the train tracks and downstream of the sidewalk bike path.... IS POISON IVY ... it's everywhere..... careful.
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J
mattoak said:
But I think you can become sensitized and develop an allergy so the more you expose yourself the greater chance there is of developing the allergy.
Click to expand...
I have heard this to be true as well but I have gotten deep into PI several times and, despite my paranoid itching, never developed a reaction. A friend of mine used to be a landscaper who wasn't allergic so he always got sent in to remove the PI and he still doesn't react to it.

I still try to avoid it just in case I do ever develop a reaction, you never know.
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P
"Three Leaves Let it be"
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J
While we are talking about the joy of poison ivy, I have to weigh in on the immunity/non-reactive discussion. I have been in PLENTY of poison ivy and never had an issue. So many times, in fact, that I always ran my mouth about being immune to it. Whelp I am putting my foot in my mouth because I sure can get it now. So basically I went 30 years without it (and it was EVERYWHERE where I grew up) and never got it. The best offense is a good defense so just be super careful and mindful of the stuff which is all over the rivers around western CO.

Let's all hope the level holds through the weekend, I'm thinking we should have another few days of this glorious wave to enjoy.

See ya out there amigos!
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