Poison Ivy Removal Inc.: Identification, Control, Itch Relief

As a young boy growing up on Long Island, my favorite pastime and greatest love was playing outside close to nature. I can remember playing in what was then considered relatively fresh, unspoiled, heavily treed and wooded areas complimented by areas of mixed ground vegetation, which included Poison Ivy/Oak, English Ivy, Swedish Ivy, Cat Briar, wild Tea Rose, Honeysuckle, Crown Vetch to name but a few. Poison SumacIn addition, the outlying surrounding meadows were equally comprised of several similar mixed areas of Poison Ivy/Oak, wild Raspberry/Blackberry/Mulberry, wild Strawberry, Ash Maple/Box Elder, along with Sumac in all of its variant forms.

By the time I reached 14 years of age, I had already contracted Poison Ivy at least 60 times, but never managed to figure out what the plant looked like, ---- Sumac (large)

since it had so many permutations and variables it was next to impossible. There were at least 5 known varieties growing then on Long Island, and I am sure that in this regard nothing much has changed. Since the poison ivy plant's leaves closely resembles so many other types and kinds of more desirable native vegetation it was virtually next to impossible for me as a young child to be able to distinguish one from the other, leaving best chance best guess as my guide. With fate left to chance I went about my business without so much as ever giving a second thought to my travails. Consequently I paid the price, as I was usually head deep covered with poison ivy rash and scratching like a hound.

Mysteriously this rash would always manage to start at my toes first (as I walked barefoot back then) and worked it's way out and upward next spreading itself over my feet, climbing up the back of my both my calves and thighs heading straight for well... you can only imagine, then continuing on above upward to my face, nose, neck, arms, hands and fingers. Seems that there wasn't a day that did not go by where every square inch of my body was covered either with poison ivy rash or calamine lotion to relieve the itch. Since I was perpetually steeped in PI rash from head to toe I learned to incorporate the color pink into my daily wardrobe, since at the time nothing else seemed to work better than calamine lotion which my mother would ritualistically drench me in daily from toe to head. I suffered miserably not only from the incessant itching and oozing blisters but from the taunts and ridicule of my playmates. Going to school (something I loved to do) became a living nightmare stemming from the ridicule and fun poked at not only the poison ivy rash but also at the pink stuff that was covering me all over from head to toe. In return all I could do was grimace and run away itching, emotionally upset and in tears. My only sweet revenge was that I would dare to chase away all nay sayers. Those who got to close to me as they taunted me were only met by my running after them with my then still dripping oozing arms, by scaring them away with the thought that if they should ever make contact with me, they too would be cursed by this insidious squeamish colored yellow ooze with dried flakes of pink calamine lotion. Like voodoo, I had the power to get even, and so I did.. Now there was a redeeming empowering moment.

So my real choices back then were either to continue scratching as I did until I bled, or resolve myself to wearing the much hated and dreaded color pink and learn to like it. As a child, I never gave much thought to getting rid of the poison ivy plants themselves from where ever I walked, played or sat. Hence my idea was created to control and remove poison ivy.

---- SUMGROWTH (large)

For me to this day, I'm still not so sure which was worse; was it the itching & scratching, the bleeding and oozing, or the emotional upset associated with being ridiculed by fellow classmates for wearing the color pink. For me it boiled down to wearing the color pink. What I did learn through living through this emotionally nerve wracking time, was that the Poison Ivy plants showed me tenacity and persistence paid off, since the plant survives today amidst the harshest of growing conditions and toughest environments - no matter what it survives year in and year out. I have learned how to weather life's greater disappointments by persisting through the difficult times and trying harder. As for me liking the color pink I finally found a place for it in my wardrobe, as for the itch I still can't say since I haven't figured out yet a way to get around it - but don't worry, I will. I'm persistent and working on it!