Randy, I completely understand your bout with poison ivy. I had the same experience in 1999 when I purchased 3 acres of virgin property covered with brush, and what I found out after my first day clearing out the brush (by hand), poison ivy and poison oak. The first day of work I was in flip flops and shorts. What a dummy I was however I had never been around poison ivy as I spent the last 30 years in the Marines and was in the western pacific. Anyway, after a couple days my lower legs looked I had a really serious case skin rot. The itching was the worst ever. Shots of steroids, all kinds of topical so-called poison ivy medications did nothing to alleviate the itching and oozing. In a last ditch attempt to find relief, I turned to a really old Marine Corps First Aid manual. It said to soak the affected area in hot water at a temp that you could handle. It stated that as soon as the really hot water contacted the affected area the itching would increase a lot. This is the hot water drawing out the histamine from the rash. After a minute or two the itching would subside and disappear. This treatment would also expedite the rash healing and the itching would be eliminated for up to 24 hours. I tried this treatment immediately and it really, really worked.
Herb