Re: Poison Oak warning

Ibcalrr, I got into the poisen oak at Deep Creek many years ago and the lesions started showing up a couple of days later. Before that I did not even know I had contacted any poisen oak. It took about three weeks before the affected areas on my arms and legs began to get better. During the first couple of weeks at times brand new spots got lesions that were ok before. I looked through lots and lots of websites looking for listed treatments for the itching and sores. Trying to get sleep at night was the worst with all the itching. One thing I did find at one website that worked the best was getting into as hot of water as you could reasonably stand for about 15-20 minutes would help ease the itching for long periods, like many hours. We have a hot tub so before going to sleep at night I would get in it and soak for a while. When you first get in the hot water the affected poisen oak areas will itch like crazy. What this treatment does is overactivate the histamines in the body that cause the itching, hence the increased itching when exposed to the hot water, but then the amount of your bodies histamines gets used up such that when you get out of the hot water the histamines are exhausted for some hours. Doing this helped me alot in getting rest at night, since for me the allevieated itching affect would last for most of the night. All of the other treatments/medications that I tried did not work near as well as the hot water soaking. Good luck Ibcalrr. Hopefully you will find something to help you get through all the itching easier. If you don't have a hot tub just soak the same way in your tub at home.