Poison-oak self-exam

  • 1.5 inch wide swath on left leg from top of foot to knee, ✓
  • Left ankle, front to back, ✓
  • Right ankle front to back, ✓
  • Top of right foot, ✓
  • Two quarter-size spots and one half-dollar-size spot on right leg, ✓
  • Small spot above right knee, ✓
  • Genitals, ✓
  • Inside belly button, left and right sides, ✓
  • 3-4 single spots around belly button, ✓
  • 3 lines below belly button, ✓
  • Inch long stripe above left eye, ✓
  • Spot beneath suprasternal notch, ✓
  • Spot underneath right armpit, ✓
  • Swath inside left elbow-pit, ✓
  • Left wrist, ✓

For more information, see Western Poison-oak and Urushiol-induced contact dermatitis.

The good news is the fluid draining out of blisters all over my body isn’t contagious.

The bad news is, THERE IS FLUID DRAINING OUT OF BLISTERS ALL OVER MY BODY!

Update: The grossest thing about poison-oak

Saturday, November 26, 2005 1:45am
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12 comments

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Katie
11/26/05 5:45am

You poor thing! I once had poison ivy and reacted so badly because I hadn’t grown up with it that they got extra doctors in to confirm the diagnosis. I empathise with the oozing. Did they give you any of that pink stuff?

Katie
11/26/05 5:45am

Oops. wait, just realised that it sounds like I think poison oak is poison ivy: what I meant was, if you didn’t grow up around something your first exposure is beastly.

Andrew
11/26/05 6:29am

Thank you for sharing… and I hope that you are de-oaked soon.

robin
11/26/05 7:27am

Oh, Justin, I’m so sorry to hear that. Sounds awful. Get rest, get well.

Kristina
11/26/05 9:04am

Um, OW! That sounds hideous. Hope it’s gone soon!

marcia
11/26/05 1:10pm

awwww, sweetie!
No pictures for this one then?

justin
11/26/05 4:23pm

Yeah, umm, posting photos of this would just be cruel (to you all). Basically it’s worse on my legs, in particular my left leg which looks like I’ve had some kind of chemical burn. Everything else just looks like a red rash that itches. My belly button is kind of swollen.

justin
11/26/05 4:28pm

My favorite poison-oak moment so far:

Getting down from the chair at the barber this morning and noticing that my left leg had oozed right through my pants in several spots!

PI is my nemesis
11/26/05 6:20pm

Have you discovered yet that hot water feels SOOOOOOO good on the wounds? Try it as hot as you can stand. When I had a bad case of PI [steriods were the only thing that helped], the hot water treatment was probably the most pleasurable thing I could ever imagine feeling. And I’ve always had a pretty good imagination.

corey
11/27/05 11:22am

i can confirm the hot water phenomenon. strange sensation. something about histamine release

justin
11/27/05 12:12pm

oh yeah. hella orgasmic. hot shower this morning.

guess
3/18/06 12:35pm

I have this rash on my ankle and it really itches bad…and it is kinda swolen(the spot that itches) kinda like a bug bite…its red and bumpy.What do you think that it is?