Is this a Poison Oak Reaction?

[ohyeah89]

I rode Marshall Canyon on Saturday and before even going there I was super paranoid about all the P.O. there. The trail is pretty wide though and I was really observant and didn't crash into thing. I was even the resident P.O. expert for the ride, everyone in my group asking me if this or that was PO at different times (haha OH THE IRONY!!!).

After the ride or the next day (can't remember which) I noticed what I thought was a scratch on the back of my calf. Didn't pay much attention since I'm used to my pedals scratching the hell out of my legs. Nothing special.

Then yesterday (more than a day after my ride at Marshall) I had noticed my scratch had become inflamed and felt a slight burn. Kind of like what you get when a cat scratches you and the scratch rises kind of like a hive. No big deal still, right? My pedals tear into me all the time.

Then today I woke up and HOLY CRAP does it BUUUUURN!!! It's no longer inflamed/hivey looking but more rashy looking. Whenever I brush it up against ANYTHING, no matter how soft or hard, it BURNS!!!

BUT it does not itch (yet?)! And it is in a particular shape not like your usual rash (haha, T for Tara!). Also, another small patch of the same red stuff developed overnight on the back of my thigh. I'm including pictures. I have never had PO before could this be it? I tried putting some benadryll on it (one of the intended uses was for PO) and that freakin hurt!!! Not itchy at all though. Any ideas? I don't want to go to the docs if it's just P.O. THANKS!

[dfacerdm@cox.net]

yes! poison oak. it'll be ok in a few days. the dripping puss will not reinfect.

i wash really well after rides. i have gotten it so bad it looked like I had been attacked by a shark.

[Pakuadragon]

Looks like poison oak to me, better get some calamine lotion on that as soon as possible before you accidentally scratch it and spread it somewhere else on your body.

[boboso]

Poison oak - if you look at the second pic you'll see it on your hammy too.

Make sure to wash all clothes worn (separately) and your bike as well (based on the pedal comment). I had poison oak show up days after a ride due to it probably being on the bike, as well as on my ears (due to my dog secretly sleeping on our bed during the day).

If it gets worse, see a doc. Don't scratch.

[davidB]

oh you'll know definitely in the next 24 hours anyway, but i'd say yes knowing marshal canyon.

you set your bike down for anything? if so, very likely the pedal got some oil then came in contact with your leg. If not, a bunch of other ways it gets spread.

1) watch how quickly is spreads if you aren't careful
2) it may not itch now, but when it does don't scratch

*lessons learned the hard way*

[onegymrat]

Hey Tara, I'm there pretty often, and never have had a rash like that before. Perhaps you backed into something, while resting on a trail? I only know of that one spot (don't know the name of the intersection but there's a sign which warns you of PO), otherwise, no clue where else it could be.

[PacMan]

I'm pretty sure that's poison oak. It usually takes 24-48 hours to show up after you've been exposed.

Don't worry though--you cannot spread the rash by itching it. You can only spread the rash by spreading the Urushiol oil and if you've taken a shower, there isn't anymore on your skin.

http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/fastfacts.html --these facts apply for Oak too.

I'm suffering with you, as I picked up a huge Poison Oak rash after my ride Saturday:

[davidB]

^^except when your skin develops a billion little oil bumps, so you pop them when you scratch and spread it all over

[PacMan]

Originally Posted by davidB

^^except when your skin develops a billion little oil bumps, so you pop them when you scratch and spread it all over

Nope. The liquid in the blisters will not spread the rash. It is not Urushiol oil.

From the Poison Ivy/Oak Myths in the link I gave:

Breaking the blisters releases urushiol oil that can spread: Not true. But your wounds can become infected and you may make the scarring worse.


Here's another link with good info: http://knoledge.org/oak/#spread

[davidB]

whoa. my spread to places all over in the week or two following

and i have scars still really visible a couple months later

[dirtvert]

taking an antihistamine can help, too. the good news is that, after a while, you can get desensitized to it. i can walk through it now without any ill affect. i often do...

[mt dew]

It sure looks like PO to me. You may have backed into a branch which had no leaves on it so it was not obvious to you. The branches even with no leaves on them are just as potent as the leaves themselves (trust me i learned the hard way). Keep some caladryl lotion on it to dry it out and help with the itching. As mentioned before wash all your clothes worn that day separate and even your bike, but don't worry it WILL NOT SPREAD once the oil is all off. Good Luck!!!

[PacMan]

My wife just got home--Tecnu to the rescue!!




It's too late to stop the rash, but this stuff is also supposed to help the itch. I'll also start carrying it in my gear bag.

[ohyeah89]

THANKS everyone who replied! Just as I feared. I didn't even think of P.O until I was out grocery shopping today. I can't wait to tell my riding buddies, they are so gonna laugh as I was the "sweeper" (ie last one, trying to keep up with everyone) and I was looking out for PO the whole time since the trail through the canopy there at Marshall isn't that challenging. I would call out "PO to your right! to your left!" etc etc. SOOOO IRONIC!

Here's my hypothesis as to how I got it (and borrowing from previous posts):

Originally Posted by davidB

you set your bike down for anything? if so, very likely the pedal got some oil then came in contact with your leg. If not, a bunch of other ways it gets spread.

Originally Posted by mt dew

It sure looks like PO to me. You may have backed into a branch which had no leaves on it so it was not obvious to you. The branches even with no leaves on them are just as potent as the leaves themselves (trust me i learned the hard way).

My leg was definitely scratched before it developed PO so it was either one of my pedal screws with the oil on it or the branch with no leaves that swiped me. I'm leaning towards the latter since like I said I was REALLY vigilant as to where I put my bike down and stood to rest. I do remember my leg getting scratched by a low branch/plant/weed/something at one point during the day so I bet that's what it was!

DAMN! haha guess it was just my turn...

Thanks everyone! *Goes to search past PO threads to know what to expect and do.*

[PacMan]

OK, Tecnu is awesome. My leg has been on fire for hours. I actually heard the Poison Oak laughing at the Calamine lotion I was putting on it.

I just treated the area with the Tecnu (rub/massage in for 15 seconds, rinse with cold water) and my leg feels like it has no rash. I'm sure this is just the first of many treatments I'll need to do (directions say "use as needed"). But when nothing else has helped, Tecnu is giving me some respite.

I highly recommend it to anyone else suffering!!

[goldrunner]

Take some nice COLD showers or baths. Hot will only inflame it more. There is also a Benadrly spray that stops the itch pretty quick.

[Wicked Smot]

Originally Posted by goldrunner

Take some nice COLD showers or baths. Hot will only inflame it more. There is also a Benadrly spray that stops the itch pretty quick.

This is NOT medical advice, but when the itching gets really bad, if you run scalding hot water over it, you will experience about 3 seconds of pain followed by a total euphoria for about 15-20 seconds. Then, the itching will stop for about 4-5 hours.

I had a really nasty PO rash on both legs a few months back that caused lymphedema so bad I couldn't get one of my shoes on. The swelling continued for 4 weeks until finally I got fed up and took some prednisone which wiped it out in a few days.

I took 4 scalding showers per day for those 4 weeks. Logic may tell you that the hot showers contributed to the swelling but so what...the sensation it produces is so amazing that I sometimes miss my PO rash...that was a joke...but not really.

By the way...you should avoid ANY topical Benadryl product including the Benadryl spray and Calidryl lotion (Calamine is OK). Topical Benadryl products can cause you to develop an allergy to oral Benadryl. It is safe to take oral Benadryl though, it is just the topicals that do this.

[davidB]

Originally Posted by Wicked Smot

This is NOT medical advice, but when the itching gets really bad, if you run scalding hot water over it, you will experience about 3 seconds of pain followed by a total euphoria for about 15-20 seconds. Then, the itching will stop for about 4-5 hours.

^^^truth. the best part of PO was the showers. Orgasmic enough my arm or leg would just lock itself and my eyes would shut. Hot as you can stand, and it has that same relieving feeling you get when you scratch.

[osmarandsara]

I picked some up in Tecolote Canyon in San Diego and the rashes were still around 14 days after my ride...........this was back on August 2nd, definitely can still see light-colored scars where the PO rashes used to be

[PacMan]

Just one quick updat