EISPIRATEN

I've been reading about the poodle dog bush but have had minimal reaction and exposure to it until this last weekend. The route from Switzer to Red Box was covered with it. I tried to put my arms above my head which only allowed me to get it on my waist as well as my arms.

So what is the reaction to this stuff? I typically get minimal reaction to incidental brushing against poison oak but once it becomes prolonged I usually get a typical reaction. I'm currently into day six of my reaction to poodle dog. The first two days were nothing. By the third day I noticed an edema swelling of the arms and a general itchiness and redness. The swelling was more significant then actual welts or boils. The fourth and fifth day my arms felt heavy with a general moderate itchiness boarding on painful but once again, very little visual redness. This is very different to my reaction from poison oak which when it hits is almost always very pronounced, very itchy, and usually blisters.

I have noticed that anything that has to do with heat brings out more of an outward reaction such as hot showers or exercise. I don't think it will get any worse but can not be sure at this time. My typical exposure timeline has been one week of unpleasantness and then another week to fully go away and am hoping the same with the "dog". At this point I would say that poison oak is more unpleasant then Turricula but who knows, I still have some more time on my hands with this thing. I have not used any calamine or other products on it at this time since it really has been only moderately bothersome. Tonight I may try some product I have for general swelling and itichiness and see if it has an effect.

Sounds typical. For me. it was less severe than PO but also more painful than itchy (like a sunburn). It took a couple of weeks to go away.

Cortisone (or better yet prescription steroid cream) is your best bet, to bring down the inflammation.

Good luck!

So, I was looking for a quick sunset hike and went to Devil's Peak, which is covered in this stuff. I was doing fine avoiding it until I got a little lost (which actually, has happened every time I've been to Devil's Peak, even before the burn) and due to impending darkness, the only quick way to get back was to walk through a field of this stuff. Yay. I had long sleeves and long pants but I was like swimming in it and it was as tall as my head -- so I'm a little freaked out honestly.

So now that I'm officially exposed, is there anything I can do? Or do I just wait two days in anxious horror for my skin to turn red, itchy and full of blisters?

Fels Naptha is a laundry bar soap that has been around for a long time. Look for it in the detergent section / not the body soap area. Apparently it strips away oils. I found it at Albertsons. In my experience it works for poison oak too. Since it strips away oils consider applying body lotion after.

http://www.felsnaptha.com/

Go Silkwood on it - May be too late or you may get lucky - good luck!

From the Fels Naptha website

"Poison ivy resin can remain on your clothes for over 1 year. Washing with Fels-Naptha® will eliminate the dangerous resin from your clothing. Thoroughly wash all of your exposed clothing including hats, gloves, coats and pants in shaved or grated Fels-Naptha® (about 1/16th of the bar). This will effectively remove the poison ivy resin and prevent further outbreak.

No wonder millions of people for over 100 years have been saying, "Nothing can take the place of my Fels-Naptha®!"

Good suggestion, since my Husband is threatening to burn the clothes I was wearing

I'm at 43 hours now and I haven't seen any effects, but most people say it takes 2 full days so I'm not celebrating yet.

And where is Cher when you need her?

I was 2 days in, and pop goes the poodle bush. Then I picked up the shorts I was wearing, then rubbed my eyes I guess after, then my eyes almost swelled shut. I love me some poodle bush!

So I thought I was in the clear because it took almost 5 full days to show up! But show up it did. I'm still itching. Man that stuff is cruel.

I washed my clothes 3x but I'm still a little afraid to try them out again.