Oshkosh - A Cautionary Tale

Maverick

Maverick

Line Up and Wait
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Apr 2, 2005
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St. Clair Shores, MI
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Jean
I spent this past weekend at Oshkosh and it was a great time with good friends. But, after a long day of walking from the vintage area to the War Bird area and back, and of course stopping to look at everything along the way. I was fairly exhausted by this time so I found a convenient spot under the wing of an airplane of someone I know in the vintage aircraft area and I laid down on the grass for roughly half an hour.

Late Sunday afternoon I started itching in a couple of spots on my legs and by Tuesday I was just loaded with really itchy lumps all over the backs of my legs and arms and also a few on my back.

Yesterday I went to my Dermatologist who told me I had lots and lots of chigger bites. So, she put me on Prednisone and Pramosone cream and she also said I should take Benadryl. The Benadryl and the cream are really helping with the itching but I suppose it would have much better had I not laid down in the grass in the first place.

With the reaction I had I can't believe I'm the only one so, if anyone else is experiencing anything like this, it could just be the same thing and certainly something to be aware of in future years.

Otherwise this is quite likely the best time I've ever had at Oshkosh and I've been there many times.

Jeannie
 
Jeanie,

I can relate. Karen (wife) and I spent a good part of last week clearing brush from some areas of our yard. We knew posin ivy was present. We prepared as best we could by pre-spraying what we could with Agent Orange and by wearing appropriate clothing and such but we still got zapped. Karen called the doctor and got some pills (might be the same perscription you received). I'm toughing it out with witch hazel and other topical remidies. Best of luck.

Len

PS Make sure you are aware of all other drug interactions. Either the doctor or the pharmacists warned her specificially on one in particular.
 
Maverick said:
Yesterday I went to my Dermatologist who told me I had lots and lots of chigger bites.
Click to expand...

"Bites". Ah, yes, such a nice euphemism. Such a nice way to say, "Burrowed into your skin, secreted a hard tube, and have made themselves at home."

My one and only encounter was while eating blackberries along roadways in NC. The locals told me what they were and to apply clear nail polish to each bite so as to suffocate the little suckers.
 
Ahh Chiggers..know em well..Thanks Gastons :)
I too was told about the nail polish and other tales. not till after i put ruby red nail polish on my legs did i find out that they dont really burrow into your skin, and putting nail polish on em, only makes you look sorta dumb. (although it did match my pumps).
i took some benadryl and got better in a few days. But man those first few days sucked.

Michael
 
Sorry to hear about the 'bites' Mav. Now I'm really glad I didn't stay and watch the airshow with you gals! But I'll take another public opertunitity to say:


THANK YOU FOR THE RIDE!!!!!!! :cheerswine: :blowingkisses: :cheerswine: :blowingkisses: :cheerswine: :blowingkisses: :cheerswine:

Osh was so cool and I wouldn't have gotten there without you!

Missa :goofy:
 
Maverick said:
I spent this past weekend at Oshkosh and it was a great time with good friends. But, after a long day of walking from the vintage area to the War Bird area and back, and of course stopping to look at everything along the way. I was fairly exhausted by this time so I found a convenient spot under the wing of an airplane of someone I know in the vintage aircraft area and I laid down on the grass for roughly half an hour.

Late Sunday afternoon I started itching in a couple of spots on my legs and by Tuesday I was just loaded with really itchy lumps all over the backs of my legs and arms and also a few on my back.

Yesterday I went to my Dermatologist who told me I had lots and lots of chigger bites. So, she put me on Prednisone and Pramosone cream and she also said I should take Benadryl. The Benadryl and the cream are really helping with the itching but I suppose it would have much better had I not laid down in the grass in the first place.

With the reaction I had I can't believe I'm the only one so, if anyone else is experiencing anything like this, it could just be the same thing and certainly something to be aware of in future years.

Otherwise this is quite likely the best time I've ever had at Oshkosh and I've been there many times.

Jeannie
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that you had a bad time with these critters. Hope it gets better for you soon. Your tale brings me back remember when I had a ROTC Encampment for Survival Training. We had a group of ROTC Cadets who had been out and a lot of them received chigger bits. When I came into the base to get another group a cadet ran up to me and told me that one of there class mates was up in the shower in extreme pain. This was a group that I was to escort out to the field for training. When I went up there to see what way wrong I found a young man in the shower screaming. Seems he decided to keep the chiggers from biting him by spraying the insect repellant OFF on 100 Percent of his body. Now I am here to tell you that there is some areas of the body that should never receive OFF Spray. When Mr and Mrs EMS arrived to take him to the hospital he would not come out. Mrs EMS went in and forced him to come out. I still can see that sight this day.
 
Len Lanetti said:
Jeanie,

I can relate. Karen (wife) and I spent a good part of last week clearing brush from some areas of our yard. We knew posin ivy was present. We prepared as best we could by pre-spraying what we could with Agent Orange and by wearing appropriate clothing and such but we still got zapped. Karen called the doctor and got some pills (might be the same perscription you received). I'm toughing it out with witch hazel and other topical remidies.
Click to expand...

In case you didn't already learn this, the effect of poison ivy comes from an oil secreted by the plant and that AFaIK the severity of the problem can be significantly reduced by washing the affected areas with soap as soon as possibly after exposure.
 
lancefisher said:
In case you didn't already learn this, the effect of poison ivy comes from an oil secreted by the plant and that AFaIK the severity of the problem can be significantly reduced by washing the affected areas with soap as soon as possibly after exposure.
Click to expand...

There are specialty soaps available which are formulated to treat Poison Oak. Poison Ivy may/may not be the same although it seems as if they are the same as far as the oils being the main culprit. Regular bar soap has had limited results on most people I know. I think the specialty soaps have a higher [lye].

Y'all will laugh, but the most effective remedy for me is a hot shower, the hotter the better. As hot as you can stand it, then a little bit more.:yes: Two or three of these showers dry out all the oil. 2 days no more itching and scratching. <one week to clear up the skin. An added benefit is the near orgasmic relief produced while in the shower. Kid you not it works, even on the most severe cases.
 
lancefisher said:
In case you didn't already learn this, the effect of poison ivy comes from an oil secreted by the plant and that AFaIK the severity of the problem can be significantly reduced by washing the affected areas with soap as soon as possibly after exposure.
Click to expand...

I've heard (can't cite) that cold COLD water will neutralize the effects of the oil. As soon as I'm done working in poison suspected areas, I run clear cold water from the hose over the areas, then head for the showers.

Maybe I can find something on google...
 
I'm not a doctor, but I've read a rather convincing book about poison oak/ivy. this is what I remember of the gist of it.

The plants contain an oil which, when it gets on the skin, causes a histamine reaction by the body, basically an alergic reaction. It is not the oil that caused the itching, but rather the body's reaction to the oil.

The sooner you get the oil off, the better. The book recommended "not hot" water and good soap, or one of the washes (Tek-Nu or similar, if I remember correctly). As the itching is actually caused by the immune reaction, many of the home remedies are ineffective. Once the oil is removed from the surface, scratching should not spread the itching. The best treatment is topical applical of benedryl or an antihistime.

Clothes and pets remain contaminated until washed throughly.

Some people don't have the reaction to the oil, and appear to be immune. This immunity is not necessarily permanent, and people who can pull it off trees like ordinary ivy can get very bad reactions later in life

Disclaimer: this may all be a load of bunk.

Tyler
 
I used to think immunity was a hoax. And an acquired immunity was simply out of the question. My 1st exposure to oak resulted in an extremely uncomfortable outbreak which encompassed everything from scalp to toes. I mean every nook and cranny. That was in the summer so I sat through the July 4th festivities looking like Casper the Ghost because of the Calamine lathered on thickly.

Now, I may get a slight rash on the inside of my forearms. This even though I haven't changed from the activities which brought on the condition formerly described.

I had heard chewing on the leaf of the plant that bites would aid in developing the immunity. I don't know if it has but whatever it was I do not get anything more than a slight rash.
 
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