Bash The Rash

Back in 2004, my family wanted to move out to the country. We
bought a ranch in an area hit by the Firestorm of the year before. Some
plants thrive on burned areas, and maybe poison oak does too. One week my
teenage daughter and I went hiking, and we were in shorts.

We heard about poison oak, having been warned by the realtor a few
weeks before. I'd never been around it, and didn't know if we were allergic
or not. We stomped around for an hour, and I recall that we hadn't stepped
on any plants. We just about ended the hike and looked at each other,
smiling. "Nope, I guess we aren't allergic to anything." I grabbed a
handful of what later proved to be poison oak, and like a smart aleck,
rubbed it all over my bare calf. "See, nothing happened."

That day, no reaction occurred to my daughter or myself. "Ha ha! We aren't
allergic!" I would live to eat those words. a week later. At first, there
were a few blisters, then more. Soon my right calf was on fire, and I rushed
to the local country doctor. He gave me pills and a hydrocortisone shot. He
laughed as he took a photo for his collection, saying he'd never seen anyone
have this badly of a reaction.. I didn't mention that I'd been fool enough
to rub it all over my leg.

After 6 months, the blistering and scabbing stopped. I had tried every
topical treatment available in our little mountain town. None of the
treatments worked. If I had had Ivy-Cleanse and Ivy-Soothe then, I would
have healed up sooner, and if I had had Ivy-Block before my hike, I wouldn't
have this embarrassing story to relate to you now.