Photo by z.about.comLeaves of three, let them be...
1. If your husband has a run in with poison ivy and breaks out all over his forearms, then transfers it to his waistline, he really will be miserable, even if he doesn't complain. (And can this sentence be any longer?)
2. It will take about 3 or 4 days of suffering before you can convince said husband to see the doctor for a steroid shot and stronger skin cream.
3. The offending oil in poison ivy, urushiol, is so potent that a drop the size of a pin head can affect 500 people. Really!
4. Anything that comes in contact with urushiol can cross-contaminate other things. If you wash your infected clothes with other stuff, you now have a bigger problem. Soap and solvents won't necessarily eliminate the oil. If you are very sensitive skin, you may have to get rid of anything with the oil on it.
5. The rash and itchiness can last for weeks, even with treatment.
6. The oil can stay on clothes and objects for years.
7. Poison ivy can irritate the skin at any time of the year, with or without leaves, and the plant can be a shrub, spreading vine, or a climbing vine.
8. Burning poison ivy makes the oil go airborne and is potentially fatal if inhaled.
9. Scratching the rash and blisters will not spread the irritation! Where it develops is where the oil touched. Also, the rash can develop over a number of days, making you think it is spreading. Of course, if you keep touching affected articles, you can reinfect yourself until you scratch all your skin off.
10. It can take days for the rash to develop, so you have no idea what things you own are affected, thus necessitating massive and repeated laundry sessions and the possibility of throwing out everything you have touched in the last week. A full load of shoes, belts, and hats makes a heck of a racket in the machines!!
Now everyone go out and have fun this summer! Just look out for anything that looks like a shrub or plant or vine, especially if it has leaves on it or not!!
4 comments:
According to Dr. Barefoot's research, cheesecake does wonders for the discomfort caused by poison ivy.
Your discomfort, not necessarily his.
;D
My daughter was telling me something last weekend about rubbing the inside of banana peels on poison ivy to help it heal faster. I haven't researched it to find out if it's legit or not. I've never had P.I. I got my dad's good genes, I guess- he's not allergic either. My Mom, she can look at poison ivy and get it!
Good luck, Give your hubby a hug if he can stand it.
Judy
I had poison ivy a couple times as a kid since I was always playing in the woods. I soon learned to keep away from it.
I was going to say give poor hubby a hug but only do it if you are dressed in one of those bio-hazard suits. ;)
Poor Stud Muffin. I hope he's feeling better soon. You know, there's hardly ANY poison ivy in Las Vegas and NONE at Cheesecake Factory!!
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