OT: Warning....

I feel your pain! A couple of years ago I was in the same boat. Didn't know what any of it looked like and managed to have all 3 simultaneously! Talk about ugly. I don't think there was a spot on my body not covered. Still not really sure what the poison oak looks like but I manage to have other people do most of my weeding these days. Or I'm covered head to toe, wash all the clothing immediately after buy itself and then take a cool shower.

Good luck.

Kim in NJ

Hope this clears up soon. Barbara in SC

My wife has the same sort of reaction. I am now the official outdoor custodian. No negotiations possible. She stands at a distance and points. Case closed. John

None of those in the UK, but we do have giant hogweed, which is possibly even nastier (blindness, burns that need skin grafts).

Fortunately it's as easy to identify as a giraffe in your bathroom.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- e m a i l : j a c k @ c a m p i n . m e . u k Jack Campin, 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland mobile: 07800 739 557 Twitter: JackCampin

John, good woman! good husband! your 'girly' tote wonderful btw. Kate, glad you ds is ok. hope you don't go through that again! TAria

My wife has the same sort of reaction. I am now the official outdoor custodian. No negotiations possible. She stands at a distance and points. Case closed. John

Those plants are completely miserable! I feel very, very lucky NOT to have any of them in my yard, and according to my neighbors they are not in the immediate neighborhood, either. My gardening problem is a particular variety of spider that lives in one bed full of native violets. Three years in a row I got bitten when weeding that area, and now I only reach in with a hoe!

I did get stung by a wasp last week, but that was entirely my own fault. I was in the kitchen making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, got a bit of jelly on my hand, and didn't have a towel handy. Since I was going to jump into the shower very soon and toss those clothes into the washing machine, I took the lazy way and wiped my hand on the back of my shorts. Big mistake! Before my shower, I went outside to close the garage and get the dog inside, and felt something on my backside and slapped at it. Well, it was a wasp drawn to the jelly smudge, and when I slapped at him he stung me -- through my shorts and undies!

So sorry Kate. I know this will make you just hate me. I can walk through, roll in, pick by hand, practically eat it, and poison ivy doesn't bother me a bit.

Bert has very sensitive skin though and one little spot, a whole week later grew to the size of a small saucer on his front thigh and oozed for about six weeks. Through gauze and his pants. He was so miserable

Mary, only got stung once climbing onto the roof with my Grandpa when I was about 10. Disturbed a nest under the eave and it stung me right on the eyelid. Not hard enough to release it's stinger and I had to reach up and pull it off. Still gives me the creeps.

Steven Alaska

If anyone needs a good over the counter medication for this, try Zanfel (I think that's how it's spelled). It's expensive but worth it. I'm highly allergic but I can use this one time and it is cleared up without spreading. It feels like a gritty soap and you lather it up and let it set for a bit. I used to take the preventative shots but they were recalled by the USFDA and now I rely on this. Moni

Starting to quit itching... finally. And my eye actually opened this morning -- although is still slightly swollen. Two days into the prednisone appears to be helping!

Thanks for all the wonderful information.

Is this who I think it is?? Welcome to RCTQ!

Karen, Queen of Squishies (Karen Tucker)

Found this link,

http://pois> Starting to quit itching... finally. And my eye actually opened this

I've been around a while but don't write very often. Moni