What Poison Ivy Feels Like - My Experience

By Jeany Miller

The first time I got poison ivy was at the age of 23.

I had no idea what the red and itchy rash was on the inside of my wrist. Panicked, I showed it to a co-worker, who sweetly told me I had an allergic reaction to my laundry detergent or shower soap. I was skeptical because I hadn’t changed either of those in a long time, but I figured she was right and let her rub some cortisone cream into my wrist.

Although the cream didn’t help much, those brief moments when she touched the ugly red bumps were heavenly. The itching was very nearly driving me mad.

Scaring My Mom

That weekend, I went to my parents’ house and stayed overnight. I showed the red patch of skin to my mom because I was growing increasingly alarmed. It had spread and now encompassed roughly three inches of my inner arm.

My mom immediately went hysterical, and she packed me and my purse into the car.

We drove more than one hour, trying to find a doctor who was open on a Saturday. Of course nobody was, and we finally went to an urgent care clinic.

I was promptly diagnosed with poison ivy and given two prescriptions: one for steroids and another for itch ointment.

My poison ivy eventually went away, although it did leave a scar along my wrist.

My Second Run-In With Poison Ivy

I was lucky enough to go eight years before I suffered another bout.

That one was so severe that I had patches of red bumps on my face, up and down my arms and legs and on one shoulder. I couldn’t sleep at night because every movement made one part or another itch like crazy.

I had to finally give in and go to the doctor.

After a second visit, two months and two prescriptions of steroids, my skin cleared up. I could at last sleep peacefully.

Okay. This is Just Getting Ridiculous!

So this year, determined to never go through another summer like the previous one, I decided to spend most of the warm-weather days tucked safely inside my house. The only time I went out was to walk my dog. I didn’t bother trying to get a beautiful golden tan, I didn’t plant flowers and pull weeds, and I didn’t sit on the deck in the evenings to watch the sun set.

Still I got the dreaded poison ivy.

It first appeared on my toe, spread to my leg and made its way up my arm.

I truly had no idea how I had become infected. I was so careful to avoid all plants, and I deliberately stayed on the road each time I walked my dog. After the previous summer, I didn’t want to take any chances, and even grass seemed risky.

So what had gone wrong?

That Darn Dog!

It seems my dog himself was actually the culprit. After careful deliberation one night – during which I couldn’t sleep because of the itching – I wondered if Rocky was somehow transmitting poison ivy to me. He walks anywhere and everywhere, despite my unadventurous steps, and is drawn to ditches with tall weeds. Dogs and cats rarely suffer the allergic effects of poison ivy; their coats usually protect their skin from contact with the plant’s oil. That very oil can, however, adhere to their hair and later be transmitted to human skin. Each time I hugged or petted Rocky, I actually put myself at risk for catching poison ivy.

So... If that wasn't it, what SHOULD I do?!

So, I missed out on summer all for naught. I still got poison ivy, and the source was the most seemingly unlikely of all. Even now I am contemplating how to avoid this miserable trap next year.

Do I keep Rocky from walking in his beloved weeds?

Or should I simply move to the desert and give up the lush green of my Michigan home?

I don’t have a solution yet, but this much I do know: I will never go back on steroids for the treatment of poison ivy, because they make me feel insane. I get hot and irritable, which is really no more ideal than the extreme itching.

Also, I’ll never miss the beauty of another summer. Maybe I’ll just wear long sleeves and pants instead?

PHOTO CREDIT: mullica