Went camping and fishing last weekend after hitting the OBF brewer's festival in Ptown. Didn't have any symptoms in the Willamette valley, but I got this nasty rash on the hands when I went to the coast.

Slept in a "goodwill" sleeping bag that was loaned to me, long story. Didn't take clothes off and only got a hand rash from whatever, I suspect the ODB, old dirty bag. After checkout the ODB went into the dumpster there. I itch lots.



Best,

ODB was probably owned by some homeless douche bag or some dirty hippie from Portland. ewwww

You get what you pay for but those Old Dirty Bags need to make a living too I guess.

I agree with hank, having had the poison oak rash a great numbers of times. The oils can stay active on surfaces for a while.

+1,000

Either you got into it somewhere...

Or a person did who formerly owned your ODB, and 'donated' it because that $hit can be really, really hard to wash out of affected materials.

Ring worm or Poison Oak. Trust me when I tell you that whatever you do, DO NOT pull yer' pud while in this condition. THAT will NOT end well.

Did you burn the bag?

Personally, I'd tuck that bag aside for when a good fishing buddy needs to borrow one. Being a good friend like that is what makes the world go round...:)

Seriously though, if it's poison oak, soak & lighly scrub your hand in straight gas for a few minutes each day. It breaks the oils down better than anything else (an old Mid West Poison Oak and Ivy trick). You'll smell like gas, but your heal time will be half that of anything else - even prescribed ointments, creams etc...

Good luck,

Its poison oak. Or worst case of the herp ive seen.

The increased cancer risk may not make this treatment worthwhile.

I would make baking soda water as about as hot as I could stand it and soak. The hot water opened up the pores and the baking soda helped dry up the poison oak.

TECNU, there is no substitute.

Yeah, poison oak makes sense. I am really allergic to it, but I never went anywhere near it, we only went out on the boat and drank beers in camp... Didn't think it would be active in that ratty old bag, but it makes sense. glad I slept fully clothed but wish I would have gloved up first.

Thanks,

My gf is going through this currently. She had a small rash on her leg that spread bad. She got on meds and it went away but its starting to come back in the same spot on her leg so she actually needed to go give a skin sample at the doctors so the can find out what she is allergic to. We originally thought hers was poison oak as well.

Poison oak symptoms don't last long compared to an allergic reaction so hopefully that's what you got.

Sh!tty deal.

Glove up before you pull your pud...Good luck,
SZ

Scabies

Probably a used bag from occupy Wall Street.

haha

Ol' dirty bastard was picked up at goodwill by a friend awhile ago. She's into hippie stuff like buying nasty $hit from goodwill and walking around the woods barefoot (for real). Somehow, I got the bag in with my gear.

Getting ready for camping with my brothers and grabbed it since it had a new looking compression bag on it.

Open it in the tent and discover I had it. Yuck, but it hadn't been used for a year so it's good to go right?

Live and learn.

Put some cortizone on it and had some relief.

Cooties look em up

Small pox. Nice knowin' ya.

Retribution from an Indian giver.

I have gotten it, and cleared it up with Technu (Made in Albany OR!) but then I REALLY got it while fishing the Deschutes with driftfishnw. My arms looked like a stuck them in a deep fryer. Nastiest thing I have ever experienced. Dr said it was either an extreemly potent batch of PO, or my allergy had grown more sensitive. Prescribed me Predisone and oh my God did it clear it up fast. I'm not even going to hesitate if I get it again... straight to the Dr. for Predisone.

You may want to look into it.

You can become sensitized to poison oak. You can also get a nasty case if someone is burning brush that has poison oak in it and you get the smoke on you.

Was there a pooch around camp? Easiest way by far to get poison ivy or poison oak, especially on your hands, is with a dog around...they run in the bushes and get the oil on them, typically around their heads, and you pet them...and a bit later your hand looks like yours in the pic.

Fish on...

Todd

"Retribution from an Indian giver"

As one of the half breed Indians on this board, don't drag me into this. Well, half of me....

Cooties,
Not lethal unless you die.

DO NOT SMOKE WHILE USING THIS CURE!

Thanks for the insight guys. Yesterday I didn't know wtf it was, but now it is definently not cooties, smallpox or the herp, just poison oak.

I got it three weeks ago while hiking in CA, and it is the same $hit again. Not sure where it came from, didn't use any of the same gear last weekend as I did in CA.

Also, Todd no dogs around camp, but that is killer advice that I will put to use, makes sense they're gonna get into those bushes and transmit it.

I'm still thinking it was the ratty sleeping bag for now. It's good we had the nastiest smelling site in Umpqua lighthouse state park since it was very convenient for me to toss that f'er into the dumpster across from us. Site smelled like rotting crab, fish guts, and whatever the Yurter's where having for dinner whenever the wind blew to us which was always.

Rash is running it's course...

Hard to go out in public and deal with people at this stage, they think I have some transmittable strain of leprosy and only take my cash reluctantly.

regardless of where it showed up, why not be smart about it and go see a doctor to make sure its PO and not something way worse... regardless of what it looks like... its not normal...

Smartest thing I have heard redhook say is go see the doc. Looks like cooties though.

City slickers...
Obviously poison oak. Plenty of good men go out and work in that stuff up to their neck...get covered with it, and simply go to work the next day. Don't scratch it any more than you must, wash entire body with dish soap asap, drinking alcohol and/or exposure to hot shower will light it up!

I know all to well how much a case of this stuff can bother a guy, but it really isn't anything worthy of crying about.

eugene,

Seems odd its not on the palms of your hands or your neck or face if the bag was contaminated.

Its not a rare situation, that allergic reactions come out of nowhere and have to be investigated to find the source. If they are hives, then it will get progressively worse as you repeat the contact with the food or chemical.

Some bad medical advise being given here. Twitch however was spot on about the Tecnu, get a bottle at your local pharmacy and follow the directions. Or go to your Dr. and get on some prednisone.
Do not wash repeatedly with gasoline.
Do not wash with water so hot you can barely stand it.
Do not sleep in DOBs from Goodwill.

What about shingles?

Another common weed/plant caused rash in the PNW is Cow Parsnip aka Hogweed, Pushki, etc.

It's VERY common in the PNW and causes a similar rash.

messing around with ODB now is likely to give you herpes, aids and the zombie virus. way to go ass, you just caused 2012.