Poison Ivy/Oak - Are You Allergic?

[atomik kinder]

Originally Posted by Sussudio

not sure if i still am, but when i was 10 i must have played in it unknowingly and literally an entire half of my face "broke out." i looked like two face...it was not a fun week

I have never had a the displeasure of running into poison ivy or poison oak, but there are a lot of other things I have allergic reactions to. A couple years ago, I was being careless while washing windows. I rubbed some sweat off my forehead and thought nothing of it. The next morning, I had a small read itchy spot. Throughout the day, it had gotten progressively larger and more raw looking. It even became swollen. The next day, which happened to be a Monday, I had to go back to work and it had spread to my hands. I guess the skin on my hands was less sensitive since it took longer for them to react. I had other spots on my face where I had touched, on my leg behind my knee, I must have had an itch there or something.
My boss was freaked out, as was everyone else in the office. I assured them I wasn't contagious. I ended up going to the doctor and got some, what he described as super Benadryl and some ointment that cost $75! The pills were only $10. It took three weeks for it to finally go away. I should have taken pictures, but I am glad that I didn't. I don't want to be reminded of it.

So, I wouldn't want to know what would happen if I ever ran into poison ivy or poison oak.