I had poison ivy nearly 20 times as a kid. It was brutal. However, as an adult, I've only had it maybe twice, and they weren't that bad. Really, all I managed it with was some self discipline. While it took a while to clear up in the infected area, it didn't spread because I refused to scratch it. As a matter of fact, I was walking around in it in shorts the other day, fishing from shore at a local lake, and I know it contacted my skin. And I wasn't able to wash it off for a couple hours, so maybe having it so many times my body has built up an immunity (doubt it). A friend once told me that simple brushing up against a leaf will not infect you, that you actually have to break it so that the juice contacts your skin. I've never been brave (or dumb) enough to personally test this theory. I believe the "poison" gets under your fingernails and spreads by further scratching. It typically took a couple days for the rash to appear after being exposed to it, then didn't completely clear up for a couple weeks at the most. The effects vary drastically from person to person. While I had it nearly 20 times as a kid, my brother, who pretty much explored the same areas I did, never had it once and has still never experienced it. Same story with my kid, thank God, and I know he's been in it. There was a neighbor girl who last year had it so bad she couldn't leave the house for a week. Her face was so swollen she could hardly see. Really bad. When I was a kid a friend of mine used a leaf as toilet paper on a camping trip. He had it pretty bad, as you can imagine. He ended up being hospitalized for a couple days when it spread everywhere, including underneath his eyelids. Sounds like some good advice from TJ there and if you've never had it, I would encourage you to take it seriously, since you don't know exactly how your body will react.
