# Poison Sumac.How long does it last?



## avalancher (Aug 6, 2010)

I have always kept an eye out for poison ivy and sumac,but a month ago i went chasing after a round that got away from me on a job,if it had managed to get all the way down the hill it would have been bad news for me.House below in the valley probably would not have appreciated a 30 inch round of red oak crashing through their roof top.
With that being said, I found myself in a nice tangle of poison sumac,a first for me.Not a big deal,but in the efforts to stop that friggin round my pant leg got pulled out of my boot on up to my knee,and I got a good dosing of rash to remind me that not only is oak heavy,its friggin fast on a 40 degree slope.

Question is, how long is this rash supposed to hang around?Its been over a month now,and my leg looks like a pack of rabid cats make a habit of following me around and trimming up their claws.The rash is blistering and bleeding and really doesnt appear to be getting any better.I have tried all the usual remedies for poison oak and ivy, and nothing works.Anyone experience anything like this?


----------



## CrappieKeith (Aug 6, 2010)

cut it back to a stump....maybe going to see a general practitioner might be the best bet.
If calomine doesn't work...I got nothing for ya. Man that's gotta be getting painfull...itching is funny....blisters...bad news.


----------



## Mike PA (Aug 6, 2010)

It shouldn't last that long and definitely shouldn't still be bleeding - unless you are lacking in will power and keep from scratching it. You don't strike me as being short on will, so I'm guessing something else is going on. Get to the doc. It'll be worth it.

FWIW, I use Zanfels for contact with urishiol, which works extremely well. It ain't cheap, but it does seem to work.


----------



## forestryworks (Aug 6, 2010)

poison ivy (oak and sumac cause the same rash) when i got it, the rash always lasted two weeks, and only in one spot.

typically when it blisters, that means you got about a week left.

that's my experience.

go see the doc. he'll probably give you a steroid shot.


----------



## avalancher (Aug 6, 2010)

Going to the doc is out of the question,in our little town all the docs do is refer you to a specialist over in Knoxville,over an hour away.When earlier this year I cracked my skull and developed mastoiditus,our local doc treated me for an ear infection for over a month before sending to a real doc who promptly ordered the CT scan and MRI that probably saved my skull.I go to the doc only when ordered at gunpoint by the missus,I cant walk anymore,or if all else fails when hell itself freezes over.

I can generally tell when my wife has had enough and is to the point of making me go to the doc.I get TV dinners instead of good home cooking,she has a headache every night for a month,and someone keeps hiding my cereal cup every friggin morning.


----------



## bass_on_tap (Aug 6, 2010)

Find Tecnu products at CVS and Walgreens, near the itch stuff. It really works. Not spam, just trying to help.


----------



## dingeryote (Aug 6, 2010)

Two weeks or so. Hard to tell, cuz I am always findng another batch to make life miserable.

Get to the Doc. Tell him it's poison Ivy, and ya need a script for a cycle of predisone and a tube of Diprolene.
Make it easy for him.

If ya wait too long you're just risking infection and making life miserable.

Good old Benedryl will knock down the itch a bit, but if it's still driving you nuts for this long, the exposure ya got is deeper and more serious than usual.

Get it fixed!!!

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


----------



## Muffler Bearing (Aug 6, 2010)

This will help:

http://www.bacardilimited.com/brands_bacardi.html


----------



## smokinj (Aug 6, 2010)

bleech in the tub trick!


----------



## TreePointer (Aug 6, 2010)

dingeryote said:


> Two weeks or so. Hard to tell, cuz I am always findng another batch to make life miserable.
> 
> Get to the Doc. Tell him it's poison Ivy, and ya need a script for a cycle of predisone and a tube of Diprolene.
> Make it easy for him.
> ...



:agree2:

Blistering/bleeding is the your cue to be cautious about infection and get proper medical attention. You don't want anything like a staph infection to develop.


----------



## vincem77 (Aug 6, 2010)

I get poison ivy every summer whether im near it or not. Tecnu has worked at stopping the itch and slowing the spread in the past. I have since found "Jason Satin Shower Body Wash, Tea Tree Melaleuca". I use it every shower and have found it to be by far the best prevention. May sound a bit girly but it removes the poison ivy oils better than anything i've come across. I no longer get huge outbreaks just a spot here and there that last a day.

When I had my extreme cases, I found liquid dish soap like dawn to also work well at cleaning up the large blistering areas. It completely dries the skin since it's so highly concentrated. Also make sure you wash all your gear that might have come into contact. Otherwise you are just reinfecting yourself over and over.


----------



## nomak (Aug 6, 2010)

back 17 yrs ago before I knew what poision sumac even was I got into it pretty bad.. so bad that I had to go to doctor and get shots of something one day a week two weeks in a row along with some topical creams but I think it took a month before it was copletely gone... so you wont catch me near that crap anymore...im not allergic to ivy or oak,,


----------



## RandyMac (Aug 6, 2010)

Try a paste of baking soda, it will dry the blisters. However if your skin is sensitive, you may be trading PO rash for some other rash.


----------



## floydjr. (Aug 6, 2010)

fels naptha soap in the grocery laundry section...use it on the rash and wash any woodcutting cloths in it. oldtimers around here swear by it. it works and
will help without having to go through the white coat syndrome. I get it every
time I head to the overpriced witch doctors.


----------



## brushbandit (Aug 6, 2010)

Sorry Floydjr but Fels Naptha doesn't do squat and if you have a bleeding rash a month after exposure you need medical attention because Poison Oak, Sumac, Ivy rash shoiuld be long gone. I've had terrible cases of PI with nasty oozing blisters and they never lasted much more than 2 weeks.


----------



## vincem77 (Aug 6, 2010)

I wash my sheets every 1-2 days as well if i have it bad. You spend all night rolling around spreading the oils on your sheets.

Even with medication from a doctor it can still spread if you haven't cleaned the oils off everything you've come in contact with.


----------



## davec (Aug 6, 2010)

dingeryote said:


> T
> Get to the Doc. Tell him it's poison Ivy, and ya need a script for a cycle of predisone and a tube of Diprolene.
> Make it easy for him.



Note well this advise.... Too many doctors play the odds for too long. If you are a young healthy looking guy with chest pains, why would I think you could be having a heart attack? That's only old fat guys.... Until you drop. "Heh, should have checked that...." Well if you tell them what you have and what to do about it, you'd be surprised how often they will go along with it, or some close variation of that. It seems kinda sad that you have to tell them what your diagnosis is, but I have found this to be true too often. ...And then sometimes they surprise you and figure out you have "X" when you had no idea "X" even existed. Go figger...

-Dave


----------



## amateur cutter (Aug 6, 2010)

vincem77 said:


> I wash my sheets every 1-2 days as well if i have it bad. You spend all night rolling around spreading the oils on your sheets.
> 
> Even with medication from a doctor it can still spread if you haven't cleaned the oils off everything you've come in contact with.



I was under the impression that the rash is a reaction in the body too the oils, & once the oils are washed from the skin it's no longer contagious. IE your sheets wouldn't be able to spread the rash once the skin is clean. Any oil on clothes or anything else will cause a reaction in anyone that is exposed though. I got into sumac bad about 25 years ago, & it lasted over a month. I finally did the steroid shot, & it cleared up very quickly. The old wives tale is if you get it 7 years in a row you become immune, & I think that may be somewhat true. I got some more exposure every year in a row for a long time, & each time the reaction was less. To this day, I get exposed 3-6 times a year, & may get a few bumps that go away in 2 days time. I'm fortunate that I don't have to worry much about it anymore, but I don't let the wife anywhere near my cutting clothes or boots. 
If it hasn't gotten better by now I think I'd bite the bullet & see the man with the needle, as was stated infection is a very real threat on broken skin.
Personally, I wouldn't do the bleach, if you wouldn't drink it, keep it off your skin, the skin is porous, & bleach, chlorine is toxic. Just my .02 Good luck. A C


----------



## vincem77 (Aug 6, 2010)

amateur cutter said:


> I was under the impression that the rash is a reaction in the body too the oils, & once the oils are washed from the skin it's no longer contagious. IE your sheets wouldn't be able to spread the rash once the skin is clean. Any oil on clothes or anything else will cause a reaction in anyone that is exposed though.



I agree, but if it lasts that long you are reinfecting yourself somehow. So i treat it like is still contagious and just clean everything that comes in contact with that area until its cleared up.

The shots at the doctor did very little for me.


----------



## Mike PA (Aug 6, 2010)

If he is reinfecting himself, that is a simple fix of washing everything. However, this does not sound like that, as it is unlikely he is reinfecting himself in the exact same place a month later. He simply isn't healing.

Av - if you refuse to go to a doc, at the very least you need to keep washing the area with soap and warm water and use an antibacterial cream to help the healing process. This should not be lasting this long. Don't be so dang stubborn. Even an incompentant boob can help with this. Prednisone works wonders.


----------



## MotorSeven (Aug 7, 2010)

A dose-pack from your Dr. of steroids is the answer...fantastic stuff. In the mean time, boil a small amount of water, dump a healty amount of salt into it, stir it up until the salt dissolves making a paste, let it cool then apply liberally before bed. It makes a mess, but re-apply in the morning & as needed. This dries it out quick. 
Don't mess with any lingering infection, that is blood poisioning. A bud of mine ignored an infection on his leg for too long...he is now on dialysis & is lucky to be alive.

RD


----------



## angelo c (Aug 7, 2010)

avalancher, 
If you've had this festering for a month you need to see someone for a script of Prednisone (steriods) like yesterday. If it is bleeding and still open you have to be scratching it. As has been said, you are definately the type who could resist the urge to scratch. believe me the best cure for Poison Ivy, oak and sumac is washing your self and clothes asap and NOT scratching it immediately after contact and or until its gone completely. 

Scratching is the enemy...think of it as letting a "Liberal" under your skin..of course it's going to be a irritant but eventually it will go away ! When I am in the woods I always assume I am in Poison something and won't even react to flies or any bites at all. The itching just makes it worse. 

Oh and about the Dr. thing...some MD's are just as lazy as the people with the rotting firewood on the front lawns. 

Hope its gone by the time you read this post.
A


----------



## SkyP (Aug 8, 2010)

nomak said:


> back 17 yrs ago before I knew what poision sumac even was I got into it pretty bad.. so bad that I had to go to doctor and get shots of something one day a week two weeks in a row along with some topical creams but I think it took a month before it was copletely gone... so you wont catch me near that crap anymore...im not allergic to ivy or oak,,



Are you saying you are allergic to to poison sumac but not poison ivy/oak?
The chemical that causes the problen, urushiol, is present in all 3.

As for the prednisone packs...they work wonders on PI but beware they can really screw with you in other ways...when I've been on them I don't sleep but a couple of hours a night (which is good of you have lots to do) and my emotions get all wacky..I would not make big important decisions when on them...they really mess with your mind, at least on me.


----------



## Cambium (Aug 8, 2010)

I'm a victim and sensitive to that stuff. There's 3 kinds. Poison Ivy(the deadliest) Posion Oak(tolerable) and Poison Sumac(like moquito bits that go away quick)

1 month? You need to go to dermotologist. 

That Technu stuff is great! I always have it handy...They have an oil cleaner and a anti itch combo. If I think I touched the poison plant I rub the oil cleaner on my skin... 

I know this is preventative and you're looking for solutions after the fact...

*Try these things::*
~ Jump in the Ocean (salt water will dry it and relieve the itching)
~ Baby Powder to keep it dry until it fades away
~ No showering, no rubbing, no scratching, no heat exposure(above 70degrees)!
~ Dermotologist but be prepared to hear about medication so they can profit
~


----------



## CountryBoy19 (Aug 8, 2010)

davec said:


> Note well this advise.... Too many doctors play the odds for too long. If you are a young healthy looking guy with chest pains, why would I think you could be having a heart attack? That's only old fat guys.... Until you drop. "Heh, should have checked that...." Well if you tell them what you have and what to do about it, you'd be surprised how often they will go along with it, or some close variation of that. It seems kinda sad that you have to tell them what your diagnosis is, but I have found this to be true too often. ...And then sometimes they surprise you and figure out you have "X" when you had no idea "X" even existed. Go figger...
> 
> -Dave


I agree... back when I was in college we had a free doc on campus that we could go to. I got into PI really bad one time and had it all over, in-between fingers, on my eye lids, pretty much everywhere I touched because I had no clue that I had gotten it on my hands until afterwards. I told the doc exactly what it was... he said,"No, I don't think that's what it is, it just doesn't quite look like it." So he gave me some stupid itch cream and sent me on my way. Went back 3 days later when 30% of my body was broken out in rashes and he finally relented that it was PI and he gave me the shot. Insist that it is poison ivy/sumac/oak and that you need put on the good stuff right away.


BTW, funny you mention this because I just got into PI cutting wood the other day and it's starting to show up... just small spots here and there... I may stop at the doctor tomorrow after work (btw, I can see the docs office from my bedroom window so it's an easy visit).


----------



## PA Plumber (Aug 8, 2010)

Zipped right through this thread; Did I miss the picture?


----------



## TreePointer (Aug 8, 2010)

PA Plumber said:


> Zipped right through this thread; Did I miss the picture?



I don't think so. We're all itching to see one.


----------



## PA Plumber (Aug 8, 2010)

TreePointer said:


> I don't think so. We're all itching to see one.



That response is oozing with wit!


----------



## avalancher (Aug 9, 2010)

Well,the missus pulled out the TV dinners on me Friday night, and also insisted that I had better sleep with one eye open if I dont want a 2x4 up alongside the head,so off to the doc I went on Saturday morning.They didnt have any openings,but promised to "work me in".

Its amazing what you can find to do in a waiting room with 37 hours of time to kill.I fixed their lamps sitting on the coffee table,one was flickering and the other wobbled.Replaced a couple of burnt out bulbs in an office,fixed a wobbly table for the receptionist,and in general made a nuisance of myself until it was my turn.I had just managed to pull the mirror off of the wall in the mens room when the nurse found me and even though I explained that the crooked thing had ticked me off every time I go in there to pee,she thought it was best that I wait in the doctors examing room.

I had to settle for the magazines there,they locked the tools back up in the closet and even cautioned me that I had better not pull my pocket knife out for any reason except maybe to ward off any evil spirits that always hide in the half naked posters on the wall.Do they really think that puts you at ease, a picture of a some guy with half of his head sawed off to show you his brains?
By the way,Uncle Mustache,you now have 166 reproductions of your 'stache in our local doctors office,complimentary of a budding artist and a real nice ballpoint pen left on the counter.Even the chicks look like you.Never heard of a Viagra pen before, but it sure draws nice.

Well,the doc showed up.I talked and pointed, he listened and scraped with what looked like an Army surplus hunting knife that had last been sharpened in 1602 and finally agree that I had a problem.I sure was glad I hadnt been imagining it.
He gave me a shot in the butt,and a prescription for steroids like some of you mentioned.And what a pill that is.I really thought there had to be a mistake,I ended up having to take 6 pills at a shot that first day, and the dose decreases each day after that.To tell the truth,I really dont like those pills!Cant sleep,edgy as a constipated walaby,and ate more food in the last two days than even Oprah puts away.Our minister on Sunday kept shooting me nervouse looks,I guess the ruckus out in front of church wound him up a bit,but that is another story.But,they seem to be doing the trick,I can now walk around Walmart without leaving a trail or carrying a mop,and thats a good thing I reckon.Although it really was handy for my daughter to find me in that dang store.

Thanks for all your suggestions everyone!


----------



## Mike PA (Aug 9, 2010)

Glad to hear that the missus has some sense. Too bad I can't rep her - she's earned it.

It's amazing how you can turn a trip to the doctor into an entertaining story.


----------



## PA Plumber (Aug 9, 2010)

Great story and entertainingly written, Avalancher.

Almost seemed like I could "hear" a little drawl when reading your post.


----------



## dingeryote (Aug 9, 2010)

About time ya went in and got juiced up!!!

Bieng "Edgy" on prednisone is putting it lightly for some folks.

I get plumb Homicidal. But the stuff works when you get a bad case and are borderline psychotic anyhow, the trade off is a wash.

Stock up on Telfa pads for the oozing. They don't stick to the yellow crusty stuff.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


----------



## Wife'nHubby (Aug 9, 2010)

Avalancher:

Good to hear you are on the mend! That prednisone stuff is wicked but does the job. 

Some time ago hubby was having a medical crisis and I was sick at the same time. The dr. prescribed prednisone for me. In dealing with hubby's sickness and pills, I miss read the dosage on my prednisone - I was supposed to take 2 pills three times a day for x days. Well, that first day I popped 6 pills all at one time. As I was swallowing them - it dawned on me what I had just done! Whew! Talk about the Energizer Bunny! 

Now, as to the being awake 24-hr. side effect: Suggestion - stay away, far away from any mechanical equipment while under the influence of prednisone. You could ask me how I know but I'm not saying! 

Shari


----------



## Haywire Haywood (Aug 9, 2010)

avalancher said:


> ruckus out in front of church



You're not typing. This is a problem. 

Ian


----------

