[pct-l] Poison oak rash

[Mary Kwart]

Hi:

I used to use a chainsaw cutting fuelbreak for the Forest Service in
northern California and got poison oak all the time. They issued a
naptha type soap and we would take a hot shower using it right after
exposure, before the rash started. This really helped moderate the
outbreaks. When I was exposed to nasty poison oak while constructing
fireline in California (really engulfed in patches of it, throwing it
off the cleared line)  I would have a nasty reaction where I would
swell up--so several times I got a cortisone shot from doctor  after
being exposed. This is something you don't want to do a lot because it
is a powerful drug--but it moderates or gets rid of the response
entirely. 

--Fireweed