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Recurring Poison Oak!

I was badly affected on the forearm by mistakenly cutting Poison Oak with a chainsaw. This was two full years ago. It was treated with Prednisone, properly tapering off. With absolutely no possibility of contact since then, the rash has recurred in EXACTLY the same 10" X 1" spot caused by the pitch from the chainsaw blade. Does the Poison Oak oil lie dormant in the skin and periodically resurface?
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Avatar universal
I too want to add my story. I got poison ivy (which cleared up) but with that I got another poison that I believe was poison oak. I am seriously allergic to both so i was given prednisone that I took 2 ten day packs but the patch on my knee that was the size of a canning lid was bright red and would periodically get rash and itchy. Everything I tried would make it more itchy. Cortisone cream,  Benadryl cream, calendula cream and etc. I finally can say I believe the skin becomes very sensitive and compromised. My allergies are very bad to start with, so I believe prednisone only made it worse even though it saved me from it getting worse. I have noticed taking Benadryl orally helps for the itching and yes I believe food will always be an issue to stir it back. I noticed cashews or red raspberries also stir it. I ate one red raspberry and 10 mins later the itch started. So my common friends for what it’s worth I believe if we have allergies now, and it seems we do, this will be the compromised area or also cause dermatitis in other areas. After our skin is an organ of our body too. One last thought. When I was a kid in the 50’s and 60’s I always got it in the summer. My mother took me to the dr and got one shot and it would go away. I wonder what it was?  It could not have been prednisone because I don’t believe that was a discovery at that time. Any suggestions?    
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Avatar universal
Hello, I have what I believe is a flare up of an old poison Ivy rash.  First exposure was late August. New rash without exposure started  last week so around the same time. Its in the same spots and similar in shape.  I typically do not eat peanuts a lot but recalled eating a mixed nuts that included pistachios. Which I have gathered from internet research contains the same urushiol oil in the shells. I will report back if I find some kind of pattern in the foods I eat etc. I hope more people report if they are having issues. would like to know how and why this happens. Have read others comments here:  https://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dermatology/Recurrent-poison-ivy/show/967225

I think there is definitely something going on that is yet to be explained by medical science.  I hope eventually they can figure it out. I really do not want to have this happen every time I enjoy nuts, mangoes, or just because its the anniversary of my initial contact with the plant.  (initial contact being the extreme exposure in summer of 2017) I know I got it when I was a kid so I am not sure when my actual initial contact was. I have read that initial contact doesn't produce a rash at all because immune system doesn't quite know what to do with the oil.

Anyway. just wanted to post my little story.
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Avatar universal
Same here! I've had recurrent poison ivy my entire life, haha. I laugh only because most people think I'm crazy when I say that. Glad you folks understand. My recurrences are always when I've accidentally eaten either mangos or cashews. I get it across my forehead, hair line, and along my jaw line...so I'm quite the beaut every time it goes down (aka right now)!
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Avatar universal
It is so awesome to hear this from other people! I feel like I’m crazy! I got a terrible case of poison ivy/oak about 6 years ago. Doctors, prednisone, whole 9 yards. Since then I have had recurring symptoms that have continually worsened over the years. I get terribly itchy red bumps all in the same places I had the problem in the first place! It is baffling! I wish I could get some answers for this..
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1 Comments
Same here! I've had recurrent poison ivy my entire life, haha. I laugh only because most people think I'm crazy when I say that. Glad you folks understand. My recurrences are always when I've accidentally eaten either mangos or cashews. I get it across my forehead, hair line, and along my jaw line...so I'm quite the beaut every time it goes down.
Avatar universal
Well, for those who used prednisone, prednisone weakens the immune system and also causes a great number of other problems, including, in some cases, hallucinations. Therefore, it may very well have caused your poison ivy to return, worsen, or both. I have wondered if the poison ivy urushiol oil can travel to other bodily locations through nerve endings, but there are other bodily pathways that may allow it to travel to other spots on the body. These might include one of the layers of skin, the lymphatic system, or the circulatory system. Like I said, I've wondered. I'm not saying this happens. Also, maybe the oil is on something that touches other parts of the body at a later time.  
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Avatar universal
I ran into poison ivy 9 years ago! I have avoided it like the  plague !!!!!! I have had it flare up now 4X and today is day 2. I do have an autoimmune disorder and do my best to keep it in check....... it's Back... I treat it like I did the first time, wash with the scrubs I have and it usually lasts about 2 weeks:(   The first time I got it, it lasted 2 months..... it is awful.
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Avatar universal
Maybe the oil isn't the problem causing the recurrences.  I wonder if cells that mediate immune response, like mast cells or lymphocytes get sensitized, and are more likely to get triggered by irritants other than poison oak/ ivy.
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1 Comments
I'm so glad I found this chat thread with everyone's comments and stories because I got a really bad case of poison oak on a hike in Marin just north of the Golden Gate bridge in the Headlands on 09/04/16. I got poison oak all over my face, body, shoulders arms, butt crack, penis, scrotum sack, thighs and calves/legs. I went through pure hell for 2-3 weeks. I took 6 days of prednisone. On day 4 of prednisone, my belly swelled up so bad that I couldn't wear my pants! The worst of my rash was in my belly/oblique area. On day 5, my scrotum sack swelled up about 6 times the size of normal (larger than a grapefruit) and my penis swelled up 4 times the size as normal except for my penis head which stayed normal (looked like a freak show) so I went to the Stanford ER and they prescribed a topical steroid and pills to help with the itching. Then, 2 days later, more poison oak rash spots started popping up which was a day after my 6 day prednisone was finished. I then went to see a doctor who gave me a steroid shot in my arm that lasted 10 days according to the doctor but I felt it lasted 3 weeks. That doctor also prescribed me ambien to help me sleep since I couldn't sleep more than 2 hours a night due to the prednisone and itching. I went to an allergy dermatologist who told me to take oatmeal baths which helped with the itching a little and was therapeutic. It's been 36 days since I got poison oak. I still have a few areas where I'm not completely healed up but yesterday I started getting little tiny spots (poison oak) in random areas and some in the same areas I had poison oak before. This time it's much less itchy and tame but hopefully it doesn't get worse tomorrow. I'm convinced that this allergy is in my body internally somehow and is now resurfacing to my skin. Crazy! I hope I don't have this problem the rest of my life like some folks say have happened to them. I love mangos but will not eat a mango for 6 months from now and then eat one to see if the poison oak comes back. That will be the true mango/poison oak test for me. I hope this story helps! Cheers!
Avatar universal
Wow! Thse posts are very interesting and confirm my suspicions about the possibility of recurring  poison oak or poison ivy. My husband and I were married a little over a month ago and we went camping for our honeymoon. On  one of our outings we were looking for fossils in a wooded area. We both got poison oak or poison ivy , but mine seemed much worse. His seemed to go  a normal course  for poison oak or ivy.  But mine has acted very differently this time.  I am very allergic to poison ivy but have never had  the struggle that I am currently working through. Over the last month my poison ivy has at times looked like a 3rd degree burn, and had the expected redness, oozing, and swelling. Slowly it had been healing... but not fully. It seems like it is going away then comes out again. For the past 2 days my skin has been fairly  clear, but, once again... I woke up last night and this morning with many pimples in the exact same area where the severe blistering occurred. The itching in these same areas is  intense. This has been the pattern for the last 5 weeks now. Ivy dry, cortisone, ice and even some hives tablets have given me little relief.
Another interesting  point is that I have been enjoying  Chobani mango  yogurt periodically for the 5 weeks .  Hmmmmm ...  Coincidence?
No, I do not think doctors fully understand the human body.
Becky in Va
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Avatar universal
I should have read this thread earlier years earlier. I got bad poison oak in 2011 that I didn't have treated immediately like I should have. Every now and then the rash comes back for a about a week then goes away again. I got it again today, read this thread, and realized I ate a mango yesterday. Whoops! No more mangos for me.  

Also, your doctor doesn't believe you, tell them to look in the New England Journal of Medicine from 1998 for "The Mango-Poison Ivy Connection".
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1 Comments
Wow this is crazy.. I had some kind of poison on my forearm I got in the woods of Delaware like 2 or 3 years ago. It has just reoccured  now for the second time & I just checked the tropical Yoplait yogurt I've been eating & sure enough the 3rd ingredient... Mango. This is strange!!
Avatar universal
yep, I had poison oak REALLY bad all over a month ago, it took nearly 3 weeks to get rid of it. lo and behold, it healed on my back only to start up again after it was healed! wtf! insane.
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Avatar universal
I had a bad case of poison oak 20+ years ago. It went away and the would re-surface every so often - mainly when i was hot. Then that all stopped and I thought it was really gone. Recently my back when out, and at the same time, the poison oak resurfaced! But not in the same places. I can believe this has been in me all this time. And it moves around. What to do? Yes - the Dr.s do not know, or they do not want to know!
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Avatar universal
Me too! I am very allergic to poison ivy, and I have found it to recur in the middle of winter in the very same location and same shape, with the same unmistakable itch, which no chance that I touched the plant or clothing that came in contact with it. I believe it does lie dormant and recur. My doctor thinks I'm crazy, but I know what I'm experiencing! It's good to know I'm not alone!
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Avatar universal
Me too! I am very allergic to poison ivy, and I have found it to recur in the middle of winter in the very same location and same shape, with the same unmistakable itch, which no chance that I touched the plant or clothing that came in contact with it. I believe it does lie dormant and recur. My doctor thinks I'm crazy, but I know what I'm experiencing! It's good to know I'm not alone!
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Avatar universal
I want to add to my post of Jan 24, 2015 about poison oak with regard to lotions. When soothing the itch with cold tap water or ice the skin can become chapped and that too can cause additional itching. So, out come the skin lotions. I tried Aloe Vera and St Ives and in both cases it made the itching as bad or worse than before. Finally I tried Vaseline petroleum jelly and got total relief. Initially after I applied the Vaseline there was some itching but I could still run my hand under the cold water tap to get relief without further drying out the skin because the Vaseline stayed put. A short time later and into the next day I kept the skin lubricated with the Vaseline and the itching had stopped completely even though some small bumps are still on the skin. So if you have  a problem in an area that is covered with clothing you may want to apply a light dressing over the Vaseline so it doesn't come through. Other than that I hope this helps someone.
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Avatar universal
Although I live in a wooded area I'm not sure exactly how I got what looks like poison oak on the top & side of my my left hand. I'm thinking that it is possible I got it from my cat who is out in the woods all the time. That was a couple of years ago. At the time I started putting my hand under cold water or use ice cubes to sooth it. I had to do it many times during the day when the itching returned but over the course of several months it was reduced to the outer most limits of the circle and then finally went away. After about two years the itching returned to the same area but with the cold water I have been able to keep it from blistering. I did have a stressful situation recently and perhaps that is why it re-emerged; but don't really know. Anyway once again I am keeping it at bay with the cold water or ice which allows me to be comfortable during the day and at night when I sleep with an occasional treatment during the night if I make a trip to the bathroom. I expect it will go away again but now believe it is here for life waiting to emerge  whenever conditions are right for it. Whatever that is. Hope this helps.
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Avatar universal
Although I live in a wooded area I'm not sure exactly how I got what looks like poison oak on the top & side of my my left hand. I'm thinking that it is possible I got it from my cat who is out in the woods all the time. That was a couple of years ago. At the time I started putting my hand under cold water or use ice cubes to sooth it. I had to do it many times during the day when the itching returned but over the course of several months it was reduced to the outer most limits of the circle and then finally went away. After about two years the itching returned to the same area but with the cold water I have been able to keep it from blistering. I did have a stressful situation recently and perhaps that is why it re-emerged; but don't really know. Anyway once again I am keeping it at bay with the cold water or ice which allows me to be comfortable during the day and at night when I sleep with an occasional treatment during the night if I make a trip to the bathroom. I expect it will go away again but now believe it is here for life waiting to emerge  whenever conditions are right for it. Whatever that is. Hope this helps.
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Avatar universal
My experience with this mysteriously appearing recurrent poison oak is the Zanfel helps nicely. Mine seems to be going through the exact same sequence (regarding distribution on my skin) as the original case, (approximately one month ago) only more accelerated. It has only been recurring for 5-6 days but already I have the healing serous crust of late stage healing up. I am so glad I'm not alone with this! Sorry to hear of you much more serious case. Good luck!
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Avatar universal
Well, i have another story! And to those that say poison ivy/oak can't reaccur in the same spot over and over....for YEARS....with no exposure, well...ha...they're WRONG!

About 5 years ago i got poison ivy really bad! I had been redoing a yard, and practically rolling in the stuff. On prednisone and any other stuff i got get my hands on. Just about the time one spot would clear up..another would appear. From my ankle, back, butt, fingers, chest, and a little on my face. I bought a lose long dress to wear, cuz i was covered in pink lotion...lol

Anyway, every 6 months or so, i have an outbreak about the size of a quarter come out on a 'scar' at the top of my butt! I kept doing research to see if this was normal. Everything i read said it is NOT POSSIBLE! This morning i had an itch. Like a small pimple. I knew immediately what it was. I told my friend about it. (prior to this) and he was skeptical. 2 hours later it had grown. Tomorrow i will be miserable. It doesn't last that long...about a week! But i know what it is...and NO IT IS NOT HERPES! lol It's poison ivy that lays systemic in my body! Doctors don't know everything apparently!
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7007192 tn?1386988117
I am going through this very issue at this time.  About this time of year in 2011, I had my first and a horrible experience with poison ivy rash.  I cut our own Christmas tree at one of those farms and apparently cut through very mature poison ivy vines, ripped them out of the tree with my gloved hands.  I had lesions on my lower torso, left thigh, and particularly my left forearm.  It was really gross and kept going and going.  I took a lot of photos.  Friends commented that I had leprosy, gangrene or such.  It finally went away after what must have been a month.  I was on both topical steroids and had a brief and intense dose of prednisone - a several day "pack".  I could not believe how much fluid oozed from my arm over the course of several weeks.  It was so gross!

Well, I have had absolutely no exposure to the outdoors like this and yet, I had itchy spots appear in the same generalized areas as before - not as severe (yet), but uncomfortable.  I was able to stop scratching the arm and even though the large bumps are very swollen (raised >1mm above mean surface), they have not begun to discharge.  My left thigh is another matter.  The rash is about the size of small banana and the middle has an oozing area, about the size of 2 U.S. quarters.  I tried to make due with the first aid kit at work today, but it oozed through my pants all day.  So gross.  Fortunately, I was able to avoid interacting with people today for the most part.

This is insane.  The professionals tell us it can't be and yet here we are with these symptoms.  I do recall my dermatologist told me in 2011 that the areas that were compromised may scar and be sensitive going forward.  I wonder if this isn't what's up.  Really, we talk of "having poison ivy" or "having poison oak", as if that were a condition.  The oil is just the trigger - the nasty freaking trigger.  What I'm and you're going through is a reaction.  So it stands to reason what my dermatologist was telling me could explain this on some level.  Why these spots only?  Well, I am extremely stressed and getting very little sleep at present.  The weather very recently changed to very cold and the heaters are on in full force.  So the air is dry.  I drink way too much caffeine.  My skin is generally already sensitive, even when I'm sleeping and not drinking so much coffee.  So it gets really dry and all of my skin is shocked generally the same... but the areas that were whacked by poison ivy 2 years ago, they are somehow more sensitive / weaker.  So they display the issues.

This is my theory for now.

Good luck to all of you!

Chris
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Avatar universal
I have a similar issue; I got a really bad case of poison oak two years ago, which went systemic, and I had to take prednisone for quite a while before it got better. Ever since then, if I eat anything with mangos in it, or sweetened with mango juice, I will have a recurrence of a rash in the exact same spots! (Mangos are in the poison oak family.) Also, any kind of skin irritation (I am prone to contact dermatitis as well, and I'm reactive to metal also) may cause those spots to erupt in a rash again. I hate taking prednisone, due to the many uncomfortable side effects and weight gain, but so far that is the only thing that can calm my skin reactions down. All I can figure is that it is some kind of auto-immune related thing, that my skin "remembers" where it was damaged and any kind of irritant will make it rash up.
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Avatar universal
I was covered in poison oak in 2001-2002 at a maintenance job and I've had nothing but problems with my skin ever since. I've been to allergists, they keep saying it's a coincidence and I had a pre existing condition (contact dermatitis) and they're extremely dismissive of my story. I've had to take zyrtec ever since (we're on 13 years now) and it's the only thing that helps. Both forearms, my hands, my left eye and my legs were covered and completely swollen and are still sensitive. I was working with guys who thought it'd be funny to do this to the new guy (me), to clear brush and send me in knowing I didn't know what I was dealing with. Anyway, the reason I'm on here is that I've had a huge problem with my right hand, to this day the palm blisters up from touching old metal, cardboard, dust, etc. The allergists keep saying it's contact dermatitis and that I already had it, but this never ever happened until I was covered with poison oak and now it runs my life. I was very active before this, now I have to work my life around it. I've only started to take off most of the 70 lbs the prednisone had put on me being the case was so severe, it really turned into a long term nightmare. I would LOVE to hear that someone had an idea of something I could do to calm this blistering down. Maybe a shot of some kind? The reason I've gone to allergists is to ask that question and they poo poo the whole thing, which just adds insult to injury. If anyone has any similar problems or ideas, I'd be hugely grateful. Thanks
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Avatar universal
Thanks for your comments - now I don't feel so alone!  My story is that I was dragging a poison oak "tree" after cutting it and somehow the sharp trunk got between my gloves and sleeve and cut my wrist!  I immediately applied Technu as deep inside the cut as possible and on the skin of my arm.  Sure enough, I developed a bad rash at the site of the cut and the rash continued to pop up in a variety of spots over the next month.  The worst were two large oval areas on the tops of both thighs---the right one was larger and it became severely edematous and eventually developed oozing ulcers!  By the end of 2 months, all was well and I went a whole month without a rash ...until 3 days ago when both thigh lesions re-appeared suddenly!  They are growing and getting itchier as I write this.  Would love to know the medical mechanism for recurrent poison oak without re-exposure.  
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Avatar universal
I got poison oak about 2 months ago and it was the worst thing that has ever happened to me physically.  It started on my neck and spread all the way around it, down my chest, up to my face, all around my stomach and hips, down the front of both legs to the backs of my calves...it was bad.  I was miserable for 3 weeks and almost couldn't function for the first 2.  Needless to say it finally went away with treatment and I have been symptom free for a month. All of a sudden 3 days ago I wake up itching...look at my leg and I've broken out in the rash again. I did began my work out regiment 3 days ago since summer is quickly approaching and I am 100% positive that I washed and cleaned EVERYTHING that I had with me that day 2 months ago and haven't been re-exposed.  The only thing that can explain this is that I have irritated these poison oak foreign bodies that are obviously still circulating my lymphatic system possibly through excessive sweating.  If this IS the case then poison oak has now become the bane of my existence.  Oh if I could just go back 2 months ago and just be more careful.
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Avatar universal
I had a bad case in December on my knee mostly, which kept popping up in random places on my body, elbows, hips...finally got rid of it.  Felt an itch last night, looked at my knee and there was a fresh set of blistered up poison ivy!! What is going on??  I have been stressed out all week, could that have ANY connection?  Only other possiblity, a blanket I used, may have been touched back in December...but how long does it stay on fabric, and also, what are the odds it would appear same spot on my knee from that anyway?  Not likely, I think.  It seems like it's just harbored in my body and chooses to re appear.  Glad I'm not crazy or the only one experiencing this strange reaction.
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