The "Combined" Poison Oak Thread :-)

Discussion in 'Health' started by Mikie, Jun 15, 2016.


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  1. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Tony @AKAKTM is busy on Facebook posted stuff like this...
    I think you should know as well.




    Toxicodendron radicans, or "poison ivy," is a poisonous flora that is widely popular in North America and Asia. Just about everyone has come into contact with the dreaded plant. If you are planning to go on a camping trip this summer, be aware of this plant's appearance. They are commonly green with three leaves, but can also change color in the fall to red or orange.

    Here is a phrase to help you remember: "Leaflets three; let it be." If you happen to rub up against poison ivy, follow this man's simple steps to avoid the itchy, red rash that develops. Urushiol is an oil-like chemical in poison ivy that causes the reaction.

    Urushiol is particularly problematic because it's invisible and easily transfers from one object to another. For instance, if you're working outdoors and you accidentally touch a piece of poison ivy with a rake, the urushiol will stay on the surface of the rake for days or weeks after making contact. As a result, there's always a possibility that you'll develop a rash just by touching the surface of the rake.

    Jim Brauker, Ph.D. demonstrates how to remove urushiol from your skin using some basic household soap and a damp washcloth. According to him, "You don't get a poison ivy reaction just because you got the poison ivy on your skin, you get it because you didn't effectively get it off your skin." Simply follow his instructions in the video below and you'll never have a poison ivy reaction again. The process is easier than you would imagine.

    Don't forget to SHARE this useful information with your family and friends!
     
  2. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    That's why i like the orange pumice soap from thee auto parts dealer....2 28 oz tubs for $6.

    Pumice in the soap acts as the friction of the washcloth....but I don't have to be concerned with washing the washcloth when I am done.
     
    Redman, Luis, Mikie and 2 others like this.
  3. rossage

    rossage iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    East Sacramento
    Name:
    Ross Lawson
    Current Bike:
    Highball
    I use the mechanic's wipes from Costco. Removes the oils, one side is rough for deep cleaning, they're cheap and easy to carry.
     
    Cyclotourist, Redman, Luis and 4 others like this.
  4. SoCal_Rider

    SoCal_Rider Member

    Location:
    Temecula/Murrieta
    Name:
    Ryan
    ...as I sit here with my right arm itching with a PO rash. Just a minor one. Wiped down post-ride but obviously not quite good enough.
     
    Mikie and Cornholio like this.
  5. rossage

    rossage iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    East Sacramento
    Name:
    Ross Lawson
    Current Bike:
    Highball
    Watch the video-you gotta do the scrub.
     
    Mikie and doublewide like this.
  6. doublewide

    doublewide iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Mark
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Tallcan
    Bubba Scrub???



    All good info! :thumbsup:
     
    Redman, ridinrox, scan and 4 others like this.
  7. Cornholio

    Cornholio iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    B
    Current Bike:
    Huffy
    Wonder if the same applies to poodle dog bush? Shortly after Strawberry Peak trail opened back up after the fire my buddy took me up there and that stuff was everywhere and unavoidable. I did not get a rash and definitely came into contact with some but I am not sure if it's the 30 minute scrub fest I had when I got home, if I just don't react to it, or if it was my first contact with it and the next time it will strike. Not a ton of info on poodle dog since it only blooms after fires or other earth trauma.

    I have never had a reaction to PO although I've been exposed to it a bunch and others that were with me got it bad.
     
    rossage and Mikie like this.
  8. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
    I used Zanfel when I got poison oak last summer. Its pretty expensive, but saved me from getting it worse than I didn't use it.
     
    Mikie likes this.
  9. rossage

    rossage iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    East Sacramento
    Name:
    Ross Lawson
    Current Bike:
    Highball
    Just saw that on another site. I could only do that by mistake!

    I never caught poodle dog either. I was in it so thick on the Rim trail off Mt Wilson, that it stuck to our brake levers and gloves like furry resin. Not an itch, but I did the scrub, and I tossed the gloves.
     
  10. DangerDirtyD

    DangerDirtyD iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    Chicken Nugget
    Current Bike:
    2018 Guerrilla Gravity SMASH
    In all seriousness if you get it on your cycling gloves it can get on your face and on anything else you touch. On the bright side, gentlemen, if you happen to go pee without removing your gloves, the sensation for the next week or two is awesome!
     
  11. Oaken

    Oaken Well-Known Member

    Location:
    OC
    Name:
    CeeJay
    I think poodle dog is due to tiny hairs, so it may not help.
    Dawn dish soap in the shower works great for the oak. Cuts the oil.
     
    Mikie likes this.
  12. SoCal_Rider

    SoCal_Rider Member

    Location:
    Temecula/Murrieta
    Name:
    Ryan
    How about a thread dedicated to first person stories of encounters with the evil weed?

    I'll start. Maybe some of you know how much I hate PO. It seems like it's a factor in many of my rides. I can usually spot it and avoid it...even at full tilt. If exposure is a possibility I scrub down post-ride. I'll leave the washes, remedies, etc for another thread.

    It's been 25+ yrs since I've had more than a few annoying spots here and there on my arms or legs. (Well I did get a pretty good case of Poison Ivy 5 years ago when riding back East. But that's because I have no idea what Poison Ivy looks like.)

    Well last Monday I started to break out with a rash on my arms...and I could tell it was gonna be bad. Little patches of rash here and there I can deal with, but both my inner forearms were bumping up. I had a few 3" x 3" spots that were fully blistering.

    By Tue it was getting gross and I took to wearing long sleeves at work so I wouldn't leak bodily fluids everywhere. Tue after work I decided to see the doctor. Two shots in the butt and some pills and I figured the rash would be gone in a day or two.

    Well the swelling went down, but the blistering and itching didn't go away. It's now been a week since I first started blistering and the oozing has finally stopped. One arm is starting to flake, so hopefully the other isn't too far behind.

    Here's a pic of the worst 3x3 patch as of today. Picture this all blistered and oozing and then picture multiple spots on both forearms. I won't gross you out more than that.
    image.jpeg

    What bothers me about this breakout is I don't understand how I got it. For me a breakout occurs 4-5 days after exposure. This puts exposure on a group ride I did. We did ride in a dry creek bottom that is lined with PO. I know I didn't have any direct contact...even with twigs. So my two theories are: 1) contaminated dust and or airborne leaves are to blame. It was hot that day, so I was extra sweaty. And I was following a few guys that were kicking up dust. 2) Oils got on my tires which then got on my forearms when I loaded my bike in the back of my truck. #2 seems more likely, otherwise I think I'd have PO everywhere.

    Anyone else have PO at the moment? Thanks for playing along. :(
     
  13. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    Ouch... You're not going to like me. Although I've had outbreaks from poison ivy as a kid, I've never had any issues with poison oak, even when I know for sure that I've been in contact.

    The "leaves of three, let them be" advice applies to poison ivy, as well as poison oak... Next time you're back east, watch for the cluster of 3!
     
  14. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Yikes - that's nasty. Sorry to hear about it. I've never been afflicted by PO. Fortunate I guess, but I don't ride Joplin when it's overgrown, and I've managed to stay clear elsewhere. I am sure I will get my chance. Some folks have bigger reactions than others when it comes to sunburn, poison plants and bug bites. My wife attracts biting insects like crazy and welts up for days after mosquito bites. I gat a few, and they go away in less than 12 hours. Lucky (so far - knock wood). "That's the impression that I get."

    Again - sorry to hear you are so afflicted. :( Heal soon friend! :thumbsup:
     
  15. SoCal_Rider

    SoCal_Rider Member

    Location:
    Temecula/Murrieta
    Name:
    Ryan
    Yes I hate you. Neither my wife nor son get it. I hate them too. :laugh:
     
  16. SoCal_Rider

    SoCal_Rider Member

    Location:
    Temecula/Murrieta
    Name:
    Ryan
    @herzalot that's true about mosquitos and gnats. My wife definitely attracts them more than me. Probably because she smells so much better than me though.
     
    Mikie and herzalot like this.
  17. pperrelle

    pperrelle iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Oracle, AZ
    Name:
    Paul
    Current Bike:
    Ripley V4 & Ripmo V2
    Luckily, I've been just like Faust so far. I know I've made contact, but never had any issues. I'm hoping that I am immune. However, I'm sure the Poison Oak Gods are reading this right now and my next ride is going to end badly!
     
    Mikie likes this.
  18. gunga din

    gunga din Member

    Name:
    steve villmer
    from what I have read and heard from a friend who gets it by looking at it, there is no immunity to oak. it gets easier each time .The oils can last up to a year on any clothes, packs , shoes tires. and so on .Dish soap with a shower will cut the oils. good luck by the way, its poison year round.:poop:
     
    Mikie likes this.
  19. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
    Use Zanfel to get the oils out. Its kinda like a pumicey paste. But works really good and reduces the outbreak. Got thrown in a big bush of it last summer at MDO.
     
    Mikie and Cyclotourist like this.
  20. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    Unfortunately, I have become quite allergic to this plant again as well as others.

    Poison oak: My worst experience took place on the Central Coast. We were doing a group camp at Plaskett Creek on HWY 1. The pile of wood we were burning was resting on top of a poison oak bush but nobody noticed (perhaps excessive alcohol dumbed our senses?). A few days later, the rash began and this included on my face and neck as well as the usual places like arms and legs. The rash got so bad that my eye lids swelled shut and I was blinded. I looked like Rocky Balboa after a fight. I couldn't work or drive and I looked completely different. It was scary! My friend carted me to the ER where I was given a shot of cortisone. That did the trick and after 2 days, I was rapidly becoming functional again.

    Poodle dog bush: I wouldn't wish this stuff on my worst enemy. It grew all over the San Gabes after the Station Fire in 2009. I was unfamiliar with it at the time and it got me. Not a massive rash but the effected areas were grotesquely swollen with a constant flow of ooz running out of each effected area. I actually contracted a secondary infection, bacterial, due to this stuff. I was given a cortisone shot and antibiotics.

    Scorpion weed: Never heard of it before this Spring but it is sprouting at an alarming rate in the desert SW. I rode through field and after field of the stuff while we were out at Havasu and a few weeks later, I am still suffering from the rash. A buddy who has also been infected in the past says that it left scars on his skin! The rash only itches for the first 24-48 hours, right when it's getting started. After that, when it becomes more developed, it burns.

    In my teenage days and 20s, I was allergic to these plants and then for a stretch of years, it didn't bother me. I have always been an active hiker/outdoorsman so I am constantly exposed to these plants. In my 40s, I became allergic once again and that allergy remains. You don't even have to touch these plants. They release a fine mist into the air and if that mist makes contact with your skin or clothes, you may develop a rash.
     
    Cyclotourist, Mikie, Danmtchl and 4 others like this.
  21. Redman

    Redman iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Henderson, Nv
    Name:
    Kevin
    Current Bike:
    SC OG Hightower 29'r
    brutal encounters. wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy. just as a few others have stated... never an issue w/ me and i've had many encounters. Even fell over into a bush of p.o. more than once. hope you heal up qucikly @SoCal_Rider .
     
    Mikie, Danmtchl and Sasquatch9billion like this.
  22. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    I hope he's healed by now...it happened last August :geek:
     
  23. Redman

    Redman iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Henderson, Nv
    Name:
    Kevin
    Current Bike:
    SC OG Hightower 29'r
    download.png
     
  24. Rumpled

    Rumpled Well-Known Member

    Location:
    OC
    Name:
    Jim Martin
    Current Bike:
    2018 Specialized Epic Carbon C
    I get it real bad. Still recovering from a bout about a month ago on the singletracks in Blackstar. Had a couple of 3x3 patches like above; except mine turned black. Went to the doc and honestly, I think he was afraid to look at it. Got the steroid shot in the butt and a week long oral course. As well as a steroid cream. It really helped a lot.

    About 10 years ago I had an even worse case. I would cover it in gauze, and then two ace wraps. It would still ooze through jeans over that. Went to the doc, it was all over my legs and arms, some of my torso and a good amount on my butt. Female doctor examined me and then asked if she could bring someone to look at it. She brought in all of the clinic's medical staff - another doc, 2 PA's and 3 nurses to look at my butt. She explained to them that it might be the worst case of PO they see in the their careers.

    My brother was a helo paramedic up in Ukiah and once while working a fire got a bunch of oil from the fire in his lungs and vapor into his zipped open flight suit. That was a week or so in ICU for him.
     
    Cyclotourist, Mikie, Danmtchl and 5 others like this.
  25. no worries

    no worries Member

    Location:
    Mission Viejo
    Name:
    Brad
    Current Bike:
    Jeffsy CF Pro 29
    I almost want to just rub some on my leg. You know, just to find out if I'm allergic.

    I see it everywhere and often disrupt my ride to stay well clear of it. I can't imagine that I've never come in contact, yet I can't think of a time I know I absolutely did.
     
  26. littlewave

    littlewave Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Newport Beach
    Name:
    Brett
    Current Bike:
    GG Smash (Alu)
    I get it pretty bad, and have had it three times so far this year. Seriously considering knee high socks. Religiously washing with technu before getting in the car has helped.
     
  27. Sasquatch9billion

    Sasquatch9billion iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    trinidad j. mendez
    I came home this week from a trip up north and I was itching on my legs and all over my torso. I'd only gone on one hike and didn't remember seeing any P.O.
    It was really starting to freak me out. I was getting ready to call the doctor, then I remembered that I'd been playing football in the grass with just shorts on, and, I'm really allergic to grass. A Hydro cortisone rx and otc allergy meds took care of that.

    I am curious though, what do you guys carry or do out on the trails when you know that you've made contact?
     
    Mikie, Danmtchl, mike and 1 other person like this.
  28. littlewave

    littlewave Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Newport Beach
    Name:
    Brett
    Current Bike:
    GG Smash (Alu)
    Cover up, and what isn't covered gets washed with Technu as soon as I get back to the car. Also, everything goes in the laundry when I get home.
     
  29. Luis

    Luis iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Sylmar
    Name:
    Luis
    Current Bike:
    La Diabla
    Yikes! I've never broke out in a rash like that. Looks really unpleasant for sure.
    I'm one of those lucky people that are not sensitive to PO like that but that doesn't make me immune to that stuff. Therefore I developed a routine when I know I'll be riding around PO or PD.
    Before it sit down in my car and bask in the post ride afterglow, I make sure that all the clothes on my person end up in a plastic bag. I also carry this stuff to get the PO oils off any exposed skin, legs, arms and neck.
    IMG_0579.PNG
    If I don't have time to change my shorts, I make sure to put a towel down on my car seat.

    I've trampled through waist high PO in the Gabrielino around newcombs pass and had to use my bike as a shield when pushing through some poodle dog bush. Guess I've been lucky to just have a couple of itchy bumps here and there.
     
    Cyclotourist, Mikie, Danmtchl and 4 others like this.
  30. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    One thing to remember..... @Luis just said above about using his bike as a shield to push through it......

    The oils from PO will stick to your bike, your shoes, you helmet, your pack.

    Be sure to clean all these items if you think you have been exposed to it. Nothing worse than going nowhere near for a while, yet getting a breakout because you were leaning over your bike working on it.
     
    Faust29, Cyclotourist, Mikie and 6 others like this.
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