I have poison ivy. Last Friday I was taking out the rest of the hedge behind the back patio and I came across something that looked suspiciously like budding poison ivy. I just tore out the vines and dug up their roots and threw them away. By Saturday I had two patches of poison ivy erupting on both my forearms. Despite lathering myself in an oatmeal paste (the only treatment that works for me is to dry the poison ivy patches up with oatmeal) it has spread all over my arms and I have a spot of it on my face near my left ear. To keep from itching myself crazy I've been soaking in Aveeno (more oatmeal) baths. It does take away the itchiness, but soaking in the tub twice a day isn't all that practical.I've battled poison ivy outbreaks my whole life. Once, when I was ten, I sat in poison ivy while taking a break from swimming at Perry Lake. By far the worst case of poison ivy I've ever had, in the most sensitive place imaginable. I couldn't sit down for weeks. Oh, and worst 'cure' I ever tried was applying boiling hot poultices made from goldenseal to the effected area. First off, it didn't work, and second it stained my skin green. I looked like Swamp Thing, or at least a walking fungus.
So, anyway, I've got the hedges all out and tulip tree planted to provide shade, eventually, for the patio. But damn.
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