Kevin;

My brother Bill and I were Eagle Scouts, and had learned how to recognize Poison Oak. However, we went on a marshmallow roast one evening with a group of friends and my brother was sitting downwind directly in front of a large fire on the beach. It was dark except for the light from the fire.

One of the guys was throwing leaves into the open fire. The next day my brother was taken to the hospital, as the leaves were Poison Oak, and his nose, lungs, eyes, etc. were affected. He was one sick puppy! After a few days in the hospital and many shots he felt better. The external rash lasted for weeks. It turns out that I am not allergic to Poison Oak. However, the doctor said your body changes with age so you should always stay away from that stuff.

Tom


>Hi, Tracy,
>
>Thanks for your message. All I can say is...Ouch...I've been in Louisiana in the summer (I used to live in Atlanta), so I can imagine the heat the other conditions made it even more horrible.
>
>I got it from an intense yardwork session, all over my legs, stomach, and arms. I was wearing gloves, so fortunately my hands and face were spared. Could have spent the Sunday working on my home-grown .NET framework, but I decided to be a normal husband for a change. (silly me)
>
>I checked out the site 'poison ivy hall of shame', and the pictures on the site were similar to my condition. Worst part was on my legs, which looked like someone had beaten and whipped them with sharp instruments.
>
>Most of the over-the-counter stuff either didn't work or was too irritating. Only thing I found that helped was calamine spray (of course, it made me look like I sprayed pepto bismol all over myself!) I had to get two shots, and was on 80 mg of prednisone.
>
>They also gave me hydroxyzine for the itching, which is something they often give dogs. I made a great discovery....one hydroxyzine pill, two spoons of Benadryl, and two bottles of Guinness = one VERY good night's sleep! (I should send that formula into the guys who make those silly Guinness commercials on TV...you know, the ones that end with 'BRILLIANT!!!')
>
>It's finally clearing, though I've had a few minor rashes pop up in the last week. I've been told it could be another month to clear. I never knew this stuff was so dangerous. I read stories about severe cases where people wound up in the hospital with terrible illnesses. So I think in the future I'll settle for a crummy looking lawn.
>
>Kevin