Help - how do I get rid of poison ivy?

[fooler]

PSA - Do not burn Poison Ivy or Oak. Only makes it more dangerous as the oils are released into the air and are then inhaled into the lungs.

CattyLady4eva - When you are done at JSwan’s come on down to my place. I am, like my Father, highly reactive to basically anything green and especially to the Poison Ivy/Oak plant. On more than one occasion I have had to take oral steroids and prescription grade anti-histamines + prescription only ointments.
Until you have been covered, from scalp to torso and down both arms - spreading to the legs, with a severe itchy, weeping, and in some places raw rash you can not comprehend our reaction.
I treat Mother Earth respectfully in all things except Roaches, Fire Ants and Poison Ivy/Oak - on those 3 we have war :lol:

[Alagirl]

@fooler;5692854

PSA - Do not burn Poison Ivy or Oak. Only makes it more dangerous as the oils are released into the air and are then inhaled into the lungs.

CattyLady4eva - When you are done at JSwan’s come on down to my place. I am, like my Father, highly reactive to basically anything green and especially to the Poison Ivy/Oak plant. On more than one occasion I have had to take oral steroids and prescription grade anti-histamines + prescription only ointments.
Until you have been covered, from scalp to torso and down both arms - spreading to the legs, with a severe itchy, weeping, and in some places raw rash you can not comprehend our reaction.
I treat Mother Earth respectfully in all things except Roaches, Fire Ants and Poison Ivy/Oak - on those 3 we have war :lol:

I don’t think they are children of mother earth…I don’t even think the devil would cook something this sinister up!

[alabama]

My mom is incredibly sensitive to PI and I am getting more and more sensitive as I get older. :no: My mom once got it so bad she had it IN her eyes! :eek: She had to be on a series of shots to get rid of it.

I don’t care what kind of chemical I have to use to get rid of it, I’m gonna use it!

[cai]

I have gotten SO sensitive to poison ivy too. I can just look at it and get it everywhere. I’ve tried every crazy remedy the internet can cook up for PI.

I had a breakthrough in treatment with this last go round! Had a horse with an abscess that I was alternating poultice/soaking and thought hey…um, poultice for PI–maybe it will draw it out? Well, clay poultice helped, BUT clay facial mask (I used a cheapo grocery store one with avacado/oatmeal) worked better than anything I’ve tried except a steroid shot. I just left it on–walked around with dried green blobs all over me (lovely!) as long as I could (or had to be seen in public). I was shocked how well it worked for the itch and it healed beautifully and quickly.

[Alagirl]

@cai;5693759

I have gotten SO sensitive to poison ivy too. I can just look at it and get it everywhere. I’ve tried every crazy remedy the internet can cook up for PI.

I had a breakthrough in treatment with this last go round! Had a horse with an abscess that I was alternating poultice/soaking and thought hey…um, poultice for PI–maybe it will draw it out? Well, clay poultice helped, BUT clay facial mask (I used a cheapo grocery store one with avacado/oatmeal) worked better than anything I’ve tried except a steroid shot. I just left it on–walked around with dried green blobs all over me (lovely!) as long as I could (or had to be seen in public). I was shocked how well it worked for the itch and it healed beautifully and quickly.

LOL, does it matter if you look hideous with rash or oatmeal on your face?! :lol:

[BuddyRoo]

I’ll tell you what NOT to do. DO NOT BURN IT. Even if it’s “dead”. The oils get released into the air and then you end up with poison ivy crap in your airway. BAD.

Please feel free to roundup til your heart is content though.

[hundredacres]

[QUOTE=CattyLady4eva;5692528]
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, NO MORE ROUNDUP!!! These chemicals throw the earth out of balance…This stuff is partially responsible for the degradation of our planet. God put every little being on this Earth for a reason, and thats not to destroy it. There is a delicate balance in nature, and with pollution and man-made chemicals, we have gone way past the line. I urge you to consider organic practices, such as fixing the ph of the soil. Do research! If you kill the planet, you kill our (God’s) children. Blessings![/QUOTE]

Ummm…balancing the ph in the soil will not kill poison ivy.

Why do people go on an on about that? My garden has perfectly balanced ph and EVERYTHING grows well in it because it is wonderful soil - including weeds. That is the absolute dumbest thing I have ever heard and I don’t have a clue what it’s supposed to mean.

My husband just knocked some PI out with 2-4D this year - we’ve noticed a lot in the fields this year too. And for what it’s worth, I had a plant that kept returning on the edge of my garden where I wouldn’t use spray so I smothered it one spring with a thick pile of fireplace ash and it has never come back (nothing has!).

[foundationmare]

I know poison ivy very, very well. For many years. I’ve had outbreaks in every square inch of my body. Yep. EVERY square inch. Be careful about pooping in the woods…

There is a new product, I think called Zanfel, that is supposed to be a panacea for poison ivy outbreaks. A drug rep left some information at the office today and one of our PAs said that many of her colleagues confirmed that it works. There are very specific instructions for it’s use but, apparently, it bonds with the oil that causes the irritation and enables it to be washed off.

Of course this doesn’t address the destruction of the offending plants. I agree that it should NOT be burned as the volatile oil will be airborne and dispersed over a large area.

When my Mom was pregnant with my elder brother, she got a bad case of poison ivy because she and my dad were clearing landscape on their property and burned the pile. She contracted a debilitating case of poison ivy and, when she went into labor at the height of her outbreak, her father (Dad was in Korea), made her put a paper bag over her head because he was so distressed about her appearance! Can’t make this stuff up! The hospital was going to deny her admission and Papa threw his weight around and got her taken care of!

I’ve got a litany of poison ivy stories, none of them very pleasant, but Mom’s experience is a family legend!

[fooler]

@foundationmare;5694230

I know poison ivy very, very well. For many years. I’ve had outbreaks in every square inch of my body. Yep. EVERY square inch. Be careful about pooping in the woods…

There is a new product, I think called Zanfel, that is supposed to be a panacea for poison ivy outbreaks. A drug rep left some information at the office today and one of our PAs said that many of her colleagues confirmed that it works. There are very specific instructions for it’s use but, apparently, it bonds with the oil that causes the irritation and enables it to be washed off.

Of course this doesn’t address the destruction of the offending plants. I agree that it should NOT be burned as the volatile oil will be airborne and dispersed over a large area.

When my Mom was pregnant with my elder brother, she got a bad case of poison ivy because she and my dad were clearing landscape on their property and burned the pile. She contracted a debilitating case of poison ivy and, when she went into labor at the height of her outbreak, her father (Dad was in Korea), made her put a paper bag over her head because he was so distressed about her appearance! Can’t make this stuff up! The hospital was going to deny her admission and Papa threw his weight around and got her taken care of!

I’ve got a litany of poison ivy stories, none of them very pleasant, but Mom’s experience is a family legend!

Thanks for the info on the new product. One DR prescribed Betamethasone Dipropionate gel - wonderful stuff, but it has “been on back order” for the past several years.

Your poor Mother!!
I was 13 yo in my first PI/PO attack. It started when we were cleaning our then home lot so Daddy, who was really reactive to PI/PO, could walk about safely. What started with 2 spots on each forearm morphed into a rash from head to torso and heading to the legs. My eyes were almost swollen shut, my mouth was twisted and my ears stuck out more than normal:eek:. And on top of that my cat had her kittens in the house. All of those feline bodies attracted fleas. Daddy and our family DR both decided I looked like I had “beaten with an ugly stick” You gotta’ love those quaint Southern’isms:D

[fooler]

[quote=foundationmare;5694230]
I know poison ivy very, very well. For many years. I’ve had outbreaks in every square inch of my body. Yep. EVERY square inch. Be careful about pooping in the woods…

There is a new product, I think called Zanfel, that is supposed to be a panacea for poison ivy outbreaks. A drug rep left some information at the office today and one of our PAs said that many of her colleagues confirmed that it works. There are very specific instructions for it’s use but, apparently, it bonds with the oil that causes the irritation and enables it to be washed off. . . ./quote]

Itching has been crazy last night and today so I reviewed Zanfel online then bought some this afternoon. First it is rather pricey in comparison to other treatments out there. $40 for 1 oz tube containing approximately 15 treatments.
However. . . the first treatment provided the best relief I have experienced for several days. Going out for the midnight check on the critters which results in sweating, then irritation of the breakouts. So expect to do another treatment before going to bed.
Thanks again for the info Foundation Mare

[cyndi]

[QUOTE=TrueColours;4952786]
We have poison ivy and oak everywhere and I keep it at bay with aggressive mowing around the pastures so it is basically self contained to the “wooded areas” only

It also wont thrive in sunny areas so if you are able to remove some/all of the shade it needs to proliferate you are a few steps ahead as well

Nasty stuff. I was weeding the garden last night and as I was pulling up some weeds bloody poison ivy plant was right beside it so inside I went to scrub down with a degreaser and then some alcohol for good measure and that seems to have done the trick - no worse for wear today … you apparently have 10-15 minutes to degrease before the toxins enter through your skin …

It doesnt seem to bother the dog, cat or horses, but you just have to be careful as if you touch THEM after they have touched IT, you can pick it up from them as its an oil base and stays on their costs for quite some time

Good luck![/QUOTE]

If my poison ivy didn’t grow in sunny areas, I wouldn’t have any! Mine does not know it’s not supposed to grow there. It grows everywhere - shade, sun - it is not picky. RoundUp will not kill mine - I have to use Brush B Gone to get rid of it. But since it’s in small places virtually all over our 12 acres, in 9 years I have yet to eradicate it. doubt I ever will. and I am hihgly allergic - but generally get it from touching cats/horses who’ve been in it, as noted above.

I’ve done tons of research on it, since I am SO allergic. You have really more like 8-12 hours to get the oil off your skin before you will have symptoms. the problem is, once it’s on your skin - you end up spreading it to other areas very quickly since you probably don’t know it’s on you.

Putting any kind of lotion on your skin will act as a ‘barrier’ to the oil and give you more time to scrub it off before you suffer ill affects.

[Laurierace]

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