The single greatest invention ever

[Killer Kitten]

Yes, I admit it. I'm a city kid. So it would figure that one of the first things I do upon moving to the country is go exploring the woods at the back of our house. Later Mike checked out the area and found an amazing amount of poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. I walked right through all of it. In flip-flops.

A day or two later, I'm in agony. Itching so horribly that I'm waking up at night shredding my own skin. Even my eyes were swollen and itchy. Went to the doctor, got a depo shot and a week of pred. Depo shot helped a bit, but after about 36 hours the itching was rallying.

On still another trip to the drugstore I finally broke down and bought the 40 bucks for a one ounce tube stuff. Instant relief, and stayed relieved for hours.

This stuff is wonderful, and a steal at three times the price. I wonder if the inventor would let me sit outside his house and sing his praises?

http://caprx.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CO&Product_Cod e=ZPIC&Category_Code=poi

[Sean of the Thread]

Wow that stuff sounds great. We always used Calamine lotion when I was a kid but that stuff looks like it gets to the root of the problem.

[Wezas]

I had a shitload of poison sumac (vine version) in my yard last year. It totally sucked and was wrapped around everything. A huge dead clump of it is still on top of one of my bushy trees (too high for me to reach).

This year I noticed it's changed form and is now weed-looking and it has thorns. You can still definately tell from the curly off-shoots that wrap around everything.

I may have to check that goup out.

[AnticorRifling]

I love people with no woods skills. :cool:

Farm raised and proud of it.

[Tsa`ah]

Originally posted by AnticorRifling
I love people with no woods skills. :cool:

Farm raised and proud of it.

Better watch it, it won't be long before I'm not the only person called "farm boy" as an insult.

[Syberus]

I thought you were the lumberjack.

[Tsa`ah]

Originally posted by Syberus
I thought you were the lumberjack.

That's because I'm a burely bastard.

On topic though; if you know you have been exposed ... cold water shower and rubbing alcohol.

If you know you're going to be exposed (Wezas ... remove the ivy) use any stick deoderant on your body. It blocks the oil from sticking to your skin. Then do the cold shower and alcohol.

Or drop 40 bucks for one ounce of that oil removing stuff.

[Amber]

Thanks! I've recently developed chemical hypersensitivity which results in periodic reactions complete with rashes, inflammation, and on two fun occasions, swollen shut eyes. Oven cleaner was the first culprit, then air fresheners, then a plastic resin compound, then some unknown substance at an auto body repair place etc. etc. I'm practically living on prednisone, which relieves the inflammation, but seems to do absolutely nothing for the itching. I'm going to have to get some of this to keep on hand for next time. One thing that's worked for me, though it sounds disgusting, is to soak a washcloth in milk and pat that on the itching areas. Doesn't work for very long, but does work a bit. Anyway, thanks for the tip!

[Tsa`ah]

Well the link she provided is for a product that specifically works on urushiol. It's not going to help you with any sensitivities to anything other than urushiol.

If your skin is that sensitive, as mine is, use dove (white bar), unscented non-dyed moisturizers, and ask your doctor about triamcilone acetinide and elidel. I would also look into an air filtration system for the home.


[Edited on 6-5-2005 by Tsa`ah]

[Back]

When I first saw the title of this thread, and the author, I though it might have been naughty. Thats just me though.

[Apotheosis]

I hate poison ivy. Prednisone is the win vs. poison ivy, and I am super paranoid around any place that may potentially have it.

[Gan]

I just bought a tube of Zanfel last week due to a sumac vine whipping around my leg while removing it from my flower bed. Cost me 39 bucks for a 1 oz. tube but after several sessions of use it has eliminated it entirely.

Great stuff. Definately a better route than the old hot water/calimine lotion routine.

[Amber]

Thanks for the tips, Tsa'ah. What I'm hoping is that the product that works so well on removing urashiol from the skin will also be helpful in removing whatever my reactant of the day is. I can't stand being so itchy all the time!

[Jenisi]

Yeah I thought this was about beer.

[Back]

The single greatest invention ever... the Pulitzer Prize goes to... Rudi Gernreich! God bless you and keep you safe.

[Killer Kitten]

Originally posted by AnticorRifling
I love people with no woods skills. :cool:

Farm raised and proud of it.

I'd be your favorite person then. I didn't even know not to go strolling through a patch of potentially lethal foliage in flip flops.

[Killer Kitten]

Originally posted by Backlash
The single greatest invention ever... the Pulitzer Prize goes to... Rudi Gernreich! God bless you and keep you safe.

He died in 1985, I think. If the one on duty when he showed up at the Pearly Gates was a male, though, it's probably safe to say he got right in. :saint:

[Tsa`ah]

Originally posted by Killer Kitten
I'd be your favorite person then. I didn't even know not to go strolling through a patch of potentially lethal foliage in flip flops.

Walk in the woods 101 (for the noobs)

Don't walk in the woods with open toe shoes or shorts, unless you can identify the flora and fauna of said woods on sight, or have a good working knowledge of where not to walk.

Don't eat anything from the woods.

Don't feed the bears.

hahahahahaha @ Tsa'ah having sensitive skin

[Tsa`ah]

But I have a large penis.

a large SENSITIVE SKIN HAVING penis

[Tsa`ah]

Don't hate on my sensitive skinned penis.

[edited to add ~LARGE]

[Edited on 6-5-2005 by Tsa`ah]

I'm not hating. The girls are

The greatest invention hasn't been invented yet, which would be teleporters.

[Killer Kitten]

Originally posted by Tsa`ah

Walk in the woods 101 (for the noobs)

Don't walk in the woods with open toe shoes or shorts, unless you can identify the flora and fauna of said woods on sight, or have a good working knowledge of where not to walk.

Don't eat anything from the woods.

Don't feed the bears.

I'm never walking in the woods again unless I'm clothed in a Sherman Tank. And a head-to-toe white suit with its own air supply.

Bears aren't even the half of it. What the HELL are the huge brown things that look like gigantic mutant prairie dogs? I saw one amble across the yard yesterday, and I swear there was a small child in it's mouth.

Living in the country is very pretty, and I love the relaxed pace of life and how friendly the people here are, but how does anybody survive the killer plants and all these animals that are just roaming around instead of being in zoos? At night there are all these BUGS flying around and making really creepy noises... I have to play recordings of sirens and traffic sounds just to fall asleep.

[xtc]

Originally posted by Tsa`ah

Better watch it, it won't be long before I'm not the only person called "farm boy" as an insult.

The fact you were raised on a farm is one of your few redeeming qualities :P

[Snapp]

Is Zanfel paying you for this thread, KK? ;)

On topic though, this is the one poison ivy treatment my Pharmacist swears by and I've heard nothing but praise from my customers. Luckily, I seem to be immune to poison ivy somehow. Three of my friends and I were all hiding in a bush (long story-don't ask) that had poison ivy wrapped in it... all three of them got major rashes, I didn't.

[Tsa`ah]

Originally posted by Killer Kitten
I'm never walking in the woods again unless I'm clothed in a Sherman Tank. And a head-to-toe white suit with its own air supply.

Wuss.


Bears aren't even the half of it. What the HELL are the huge brown things that look like gigantic mutant prairie dogs? I saw one amble across the yard yesterday, and I swear there was a small child in it's mouth.

I don't know where you live, so I couldn't tell you. If it ambled, it wasn't a prairie dog. During the day, it wasn't an opossum. Hard to say.


Living in the country is very pretty, and I love the relaxed pace of life and how friendly the people here are, but how does anybody survive the killer plants and all these animals that are just roaming around instead of being in zoos?

Well we generally learn from experience, or from the experience of others what is harmful and how to avoid it. I'll deal with fields of poison ivy over carbon monoxide and noise.


At night there are all these BUGS flying around and making really creepy noises... I have to play recordings of sirens and traffic sounds just to fall asleep.

It will grow on you after a while ... except during cicada season ... then you'll go insane.

Since we're rolling into mosquito season, I'd advise you to get used to deet or start bat colonies.

Also, one plus I'm sure you have noticed is the night sky and depending on where you are ... the northern lights. One of the things I love are the birds. Wood peckers and some bird I've yet to identify (sounds like a small child laughing) are completely relaxing. I'll lounge on the back deck and tell my girls that the laughing birds are poking fun at wood peckers that miss the tree and bonk their heads.

All said and done, there are too many positives in my book for rural living in comparison to urban.

[Jazuela]

If you're experiencing itching from allergies you could -try- using tea tree oil. It can be used as a topical analgesic and helps get rid of itch and burn caused by hives and other allergic outbreaks. You get a bottle of the pure oil, pour just a couple of drops on a cotton ball, and *gently* dab the affected skin. Don't ever rub it especially if you have blisters. And keep it out of "bodily openings" such as your eyes, nostrils, etc.

It's non-toxic, good for your skin, safe to use externally EXCEPT recent studies have shown that a very VERY small minority of people are allergic to it. If you have a friend who has a bottle, you could use a drop of theirs as a test to see if it's fine for you. Chances are it is. The test (I don't remember the reference but it was one of those medical journal research magazines) said something like 1 in 20,000 people will actually have an adverse reaction, and that the reaction is very mild and goes away within an hour or so.

[Killer Kitten]

Originally posted by Snapp
Is Zanfel paying you for this thread, KK? ;)

On topic though, this is the one poison ivy treatment my Pharmacist swears by and I've heard nothing but praise from my customers. Luckily, I seem to be immune to poison ivy somehow. Three of my friends and I were all hiding in a bush (long story-don't ask) that had poison ivy wrapped in it... all three of them got major rashes, I didn't.

Zanfel doesn't have to pay me. I'd pay them to do their ads, I'm so grateful for their product.

At the zoo I got rashes all the time, it was inevitable when dealing with the domestic exhibits because I'm allergic to straw and hay. I have never, ever had a rash like this one. If I hadn't gotten the depo shot from the doctor and then found Zanfel when the itch was starting to return suicide would have been a serious option. I was waking myself up at night literally shredding my own skin. I was half blinded and clawing at my own eyes. It was really Godawful.

If Zanfel wanted me to, I'd have its babies. I'd dress up as a tube of the stuff and walk all over town advertising it if they asked me to.