Most godawful case of poison oak right now. Hands, feet, legs, stomach, arms, fingers, neck, face, nose, ears, eyelids.
I’m not showing you pictures because I don’t want to sicken you. I look like a walking infectious disease.
Going to the doctor tomorrow. Crossing fingers for a very strong dose of corticosteroids. I am dyin’ ovah heah.
curvylou 
October 18, 2015 at 8:09 pm
They should give u a big shot in the rump, in the meantime o.d. on benadryl.
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 18, 2015 at 9:38 pm
God, please let them give me the big shot in the rump ASAP. I gave it to Matt, too. I am in the doghouse.
LikeLike
October 18, 2015 at 8:26 pm
Eeeeew! Hope you at least had a good adventure while you ran into it.
LikeLike
October 18, 2015 at 9:39 pm
Well, I did have an adventure while I ran into it. I was digging up yellow dock for dyeing, up at Twin Peaks. It was a fantastic day, but I’m not sure whether or not it was worth it.
LikeLike
October 18, 2015 at 9:39 pm
And HI, Mary Louise!!
LikeLike
October 19, 2015 at 6:52 am
Backatcha, Robinsky!
LikeLike
October 19, 2015 at 7:05 am
Sometimes I have those encounters while mushroom hunting. I’ve learned to wear surgical gloves, keep waterless handcleaner in my kit to use when I’m done collecting, and remove my clothes first thing when I get home. If I think I’ve really gotten into it I’ll take a shower and put my clothes–inside out, the way I took them off–into the wash.
I’ve found that a stream of very hot water, as hot as you can stand, on the affected part(s) takes away the itch for eight hours or so.
Good luck!
LikeLike
October 19, 2015 at 7:23 am
What makes me so angry is that I know these things! I knew I’d been exposed! I knew I should come home, wash exposed skin and tools in Technu, then do the cold shower with loads of soap routine. You know what I did instead, Mary? I took a hot bath. I sat and bathed myself in urushiol for an hour. One of my stupider days, let me tell you. I like your ideas of bringing handcleaner, using surgical gloves in the field, and throwing the clothes inside out into the washer. Just bringing the gloves and handcleaner would be a reminder to me, although I’m not sure if I’ll ever need one again. This is so super harsh. It’s REALLY good to hear from you, particularly here, and particularly on this. I know you know this stuff.
Any good mushrooms lately??
LikeLike
October 19, 2015 at 7:26 am
And… three hot showers in the past 24 hours are the only thing that”s made it bearable! I’m so grateful I learned that trick on my previous bout.
LikeLike
October 19, 2015 at 7:33 am
Ahhh, good. I’m glad you know that trick. It can make things bearable.
Nope, no mushrooms lately. But if it continues to rain perhaps. We’ll be in the Bay Area around Thanksgiving and I’ll be sure to go chanterelle hunting. We don’t have ’em around here and I miss them a lot. The thing about chanterelle, apropos to this conversation, is they like +exactly+ the same conditions as poison oak! So you’ve given me a timely reminder, we don’t have poison oak around here either.
LikeLike
October 20, 2015 at 3:35 pm
Oh girlfriend! I had it in August for the first time in my life. It was awful! Get to the doctor for sure. On the heels of mine, I had my first ever outbreak of shingles. I felt like I was under attack. Get better soon. 😱
LikeLike
October 20, 2015 at 4:37 pm
Thanks for the good wishes! I went to my doctor yesterday, as soon as they were open, and begged her to see me without an appt. She took one look, said, “Get in here,” and wrote me an rx for predinsone, which is currently saving my sanity.
LikeLike
Pingback: Shiny! | curvylou