I know there must be a story here............but I probably don't really need to hear it! In fact.... I really do not want to hear it!
I know that pain all too well. I have woken up with one of my eyes completely swelled shut, my lips swollen to the point I had to drink out of a straw and my nostrils swelled shut. There is not a place on my body I haven't gotten it and I can tell you we all think we know the worst place and its not in the pants....between the toes absolutely laid me up. Could barely walk and couldn't get shoes on. How have I gotten it everywhere? As a kid, I didn't know what it looked like or didn't pay attention. Have walked barefoot through it before but the the biggest culprit is transferring it from your hands to every part of your body you touch before you wash the oils from your skin.
Ouch man, so sorry to hear!! Is it that some are just more severely allergic to it? I can't imagine having it all over like that. I had a bit on my forearms, top of my right hand, and a bit on my waistline (because my pants kept falling down) and that was enough!
I got it often as a kid, so bad I would have to stay out of school. One who is bad allergic can get Ivarest or similar product to not only treat after you get it but also to use when you are around it. You can get it off you when you return home and all is well if you do it pretty quickly. Makes me think of native americans who could have gotten exposed by a wildfire burning it. Wonder what spirit they thought cursed them if they got it inside their nose and mouth, etc. from the smoke.
Yes, some people are highly allergic to it while others don't have any reaction at all. My dad could roll in the stuff and never get it. Thankfully, those horrific bouts have subsided as I've gotten older but each time I get it, I still end up on Prednisone.
My Mom was never bothered by Poison oak, ivy, or sumac. Both my brother and I are very allergic. Even after washing clothes that had oil on them, I would get random rashes if I wore that item months later. They have very effective soaps now to remove or neutralize the oil on skin or clothing. I get a slight rash on my lips if I eat cashews which are in the same family as PI. My brother kept getting rashes between his fingers when working on aircraft electrical systems (he has an air frame and power plant license). Turns out cashew oils and plants were used in certain electrical components and insulation. My bother in law shot a mule deer in eastern Oregon feeding in a patch of green shrub. It dropped on the spot and he waded in and drug it out. Got a horrible rash. Turns out that poison oak is a favorite mule deer food. Go figure! Have not had any encounters with PO (common near the coast in Washington State) lately and hope I never do again!! Same for you jrider, hope you never have to deal with it again!
The last two summers I contracted a case of PI. All my life, I have never been bothered by the stuff....ever! Like The Wood Wolverine said, it has just begun in "older years". I didn't know what it was the first year it happened. The 2nd year, I must have contracted it while spraying to eradicate it. That weed killer didn't work fast enough for my tastes! It is a miserable affliction to deal with.
