They call it poison for a reason

[kdm0811]

This week, a perfectly healthy friend of mine passed away from multiple organ failure as a result of exposure to poison ivy.

Be careful out there guys.

 

[cowboy357]

I,ve never heard of that before , but not only sad to here , Good to know . thanks for the warning . Sorry for the loss of Your friend . Bob

 

[LeadPoison]

Wow. Very Shocking. I never knew that could happen.

I have heard of someone who burned the vines and inhaled the smoke and got poison ivy in his lungs. He was hospitlaized for several days, but made it through.

 

[Conservation]

Sorry to hear that. Be sure to put wild parsnip on your list not to touch also. It seems to be taking over here in Illinois, and it is nasty. Some call it mustard weed. It welts up much worse and faster than poison ivy, and if the blister pops, the liquid from the blister spreads it some more. I have a high tolerance to poison ivy, but my mother sure doesn't. My tolerance to wild parsnip is just about nothing.

 

[psj12]

Yes, I have heard of it. When we were kids my brother got it bad. He was very sick and in bed. I remember having to help put folded towels under his legs to soak up the fluid that was draining from them. He ran a very high fever and was admitted to the hospital for quite som time. My brother was always alergic to it. Even someone burning brush quite far away would start him.

After he was recovering from his worst bout as a child we went to the beach camping and the doctor warned my mother not to let him near the water as his wounds would become infected. Feeling sorry for him and not being terribly bright children we helped him sneak away and go swimming. Within a couple days his poison Ivy started drying up and my mother was astonished at this miraculous cure until we told her why, and what we had done. Even though this was the cure it didn't help my burning backside. From that day on as soon as he caught it he would go to the ocean.

 

[Transit]

Some people are very sensitive to the stuff. I know someone that is sensitive to the poison ivy pollen. Just wispier "poison ivy" and he breaks out.

 

[two_bit_score]

This week, a perfectly healthy friend of mine passed away from multiple organ failure as a result of exposure to poison ivy.

Be careful out there guys.

Can you please provide some additional details? Not that we just want gory stuff but there has got to be some more to this.

Was it inhaled? Forest fire and he got in the smoke? Knocked out in a patch and didn't come to for hours after rolling all over it? What? Did he have some other condition or disease that made it worse for him?

 

[Skyco]

Sorry for your loss, two_bit_score .
I too would like to know more about how this happened.

 

[kdm0811]

He was 58 years old. He got into the stuff while he was using a string trimmer in short pants. The poison cause his lower legs to blister and swell just as you would expect. But then his liver and kidneys shut down from the strain. He was dead 10 days after exposure.

 

[two_bit_score]

He was 58 years old. He got into the stuff while he was using a string trimmer in short pants. The poison cause his lower legs to blister and swell just as you would expect. But then his liver and kidneys shut down from the strain. He was dead 10 days after exposure.

Thanks for the additional info. That does explain a lot. Anyone could get a bad case of PI from doing that and if it covered the legs that would be a very large area of the body for the liver and kidney's to fight off infection from.

One more question did he know he was alergic to it?

 

[kdm0811]

I don't know. But I do know that a person's allergies change over time. I was once immune to the stuff (till I got it really, really bad).

 

[two_bit_score]

I don't know. But I do know that a person's allergies change over time. I was once immune to the stuff (till I got it really, really bad).

Thanks. I am really allergic is the reason I wanted to know more.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

He was 58 years old. He got into the stuff while he was using a string trimmer in short pants. The poison cause his lower legs to blister and swell just as you would expect. But then his liver and kidneys shut down from the strain. He was dead 10 days after exposure.

Very sorry to hear this....My thoughts & prayers go out to all that knew him.

I'm allergic to it real bad.... I have never heard nothing like this before.

Thanks for posting this because people need to know.....But it's sad to hear about your friend.

 

[whistlepig]

I am not allergic to poison ivy. My brother is. We both cleaned out a fence row of poison ivy years ago. He went to the hospital for several days. I didn't even get a blister. I also have a friend that is allergic to poison ivy. He burned some poison ivy in a brush pile and inhaled it. He barely survived the stay in the hospital. He was a young man at that time. My wife is allergic to poison ivy. If I have worked in poison ivy and not washed well before I went to bed she would break in to boils from the poison ivy left on the bed sheet. I think some of us that are immune take this for granted. I have seen more young and healthy people in harm's way from poison ivy than any other plant in nature. It is to be taken seriously.

 

[jimmyj]

What a terrible story! Very sorry to hear about it.

What a good warning to the rest of us though so thanks for sharing. I had a pal who once was rototilling out a patch of (he didn't realize) poison ivy. He had blisters all over his legs as big as silver dollars and about an inch high. Some were even bigger. The doctors took pictures of it for their records. He was about 20 at the time but fortunately he did not have any long term consequences.

I hate poison ivy.

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

wow.....i've never thought of death, just being irritated.....

thanks for sharing, it'll sure make me think next time....

my thoughts and prayers will be with you and his family....

edit: the best thing that i did was learn how to recognize it......

 

[Transit]

You have to be very careful of cross contamination; the oil-resin has a very long life.
Even if you use work gloves to protect yourself, the outside of the gloves may be dangerous for weeks. Touch something with the gloves on, a door knob and the next person will pickup the resin and if they are sensitive. Well you know what happens.

PS that means tools too and work clothing, sit on a chair and the next day you have it.

 

[CurlyDave]

In my area we get poison oak instead of ivy. I have always heard that the oak is stronger, but have no scientific evidence.

Anyone who works outside has to learn to recognize the plant.

I always wear long pants & sleeves, no matter what the weather, shower as soon as I come in from any outside work, and never burn any of it.

I also keep away from other people's burn piles, you never know what they put in there.

If you are susceptible, I have found the pumice go-jo (not the slimy stuff) to be as effective as the special cleansers, and cheap enough for use every day. The other thing is that I carry disposable rubber gloves on the tractor, and if I have to relive myself in the woods I put them on before hand. Transfer of poison oak or ivy oil from his hands to his hoo-hoo is guaranteed to make a man miserable for at least a week.

 

[kdm0811]

Been there.
Done that.
Got the gloves.

 

[Sackett2]

In my area we get poison oak instead of ivy. I have always heard that the oak is stronger, but have no scientific evidence.

I had not heard that one was stronger than the other; but after seeing some of the pictures posted on TBN, of the HUGE trunks of poison Ivy climbing trees-
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/140855-my-war-poison-ivy.html
I'll stay with the poison oak.