Dear purpleinopp 8b AL,

Do you sleep on a mattress? If so, you may have bedbugs. Call an exterminator.

Thanks for the replies & suggestion. I appreciate any straw to grasp at and/or thoughts anyone has.

There is a few-years-old discussion on the perennial forum about plants that can cause a rash, but I read that over a couple times and didn't find anything I haven't touched many times before.

Of course I sleep on a mattress, but my partner doesn't have any of this rash (which appeared suddenly after several days of the first yardwork of the year).

This Wiki article includes some plants known to cause contact dermatitis. The 3 suspects are Quercus - I moved a lot of oak leaves last weekend. I was surprised to find this on the list since I've never heard of anyone being allergic to oak leaves, and the regular Quercus article on Wiki doesn't mention contact dermatitis.

The other two are greater celandine and English ivy. I did take some cuttings of my potted variegated Hedera helix, but can't figure how that would have yielded rash spots on my legs. I guess I could have transferred the oil from arm to leg when I sat down to rest. The celandine doesn't look familiar by flower or leaf. Would that be a "normal" weed for this area? I think I would have noticed yellow sap if I pulled some up?

This happened last spring also, although just on 1 wrist. This year I've managed to get it on both forearms & a few spots on my legs. It is concentrated on the "bottom" of my forearms, right where I would have had the most contact with the leaves I was picking up by the armload.

There is also grape ivy growing in a few spots that I probably brushed against, but unless I've developed a new allergy to this plant, I ruled that out since I've handled it many times before although I know it's got a reputation for giving people a rash. I ripped some off the fence last summer in chunks with my hands and didn't get any rash.

Luckily most of the spots are about finished, and thanks to the wonderful folks at Aveeno, I've been able to turn the itching down to a dull roar. The mystery remains, though...

I don't think it's a mystery. You spend a lot of time working around a wide variety of plants MANY of which can and do cause contact dermatitis. It could very well be (and most likely IS) a reaction to more than one plant. Some people are more sensitive than others.

To avoid problems in the future, you may need to wear long sleeves and gloves while working...and strip off before coming inside to jump into a hot shower. I still think you ought to investigate the IVY OFF, a lotion you simply apply before you begin your yard work.

(Gee, purple....you really sleep on a mattress? Gawly, you comin up in the world, ain't ya? lolol)

Re: Bedbugs and Their Feeding Habits

Research reveals that the common bedbug discriminates in its dining options. For example, multiple humans may routinely repose upon the same mattress, but not all of the reposers will become targets of the bedbugs' dining pleasure. Some may be nibbled upon; others not. There's no accounting for taste--even among bedbugs.

Again, thanks for the suggestion, Jay, but we don't have any of the 3 types of bed bugs. This rash appeared suddenly, within 48 hours, is subsiding, and does not look like pics of bed bug bites. Naturally, though, they would choose to bite me over him, good point! I wonder how those researchers were able to stay focused in the midst of an orgy?! Multiple people sleeping in a bed. Kinky.

Thanks again, Rhizo, good ideas for prevention. If it happens again, I think I'll be motivated enough to see an allergist. Guess we'll have to find new, upscale friends when we get a new mattress soon. This set is only 3 years old, but I knew the euro-top would cave in. We're going to bite the bullet & get a ******pedic!

I can't speak to the plant causing the problem, but another solution help is Tecnu. I hate PI, and use Ivy Off before I'm going to be in the weedy area - Tecnu you use after possible contact, when you come in. It's helped keep PI away from me (plus increased diligence watching for it, of course).

Dear purpleinopp,
If you've ruled out bedbugs, it may be a case of The Shingles.

Thanks, drippy. Hopefully I won't get into this again & it is gone except for some reddish spots where you can see where it was. Whew!

Fig Leaves give me a problem, but it usually lasts only a day or so, and PI lasts much longer, Miserable while it lasts, however.
kay

Drippy,

Tecnu is a life saver! I suffered for years with poison ivy from smoke that drifted over from people burning the overgrowth around trees in Kansas. I cannot stop from getting the nasty rash but can scrub the oils off my skin with tecnu and find relief. So far, here in Tennessee I have not had any problems which I think really supports my theory that it was the drifting smoke that got to me in Kansas. Anyway, just a hip hip hurrah for tecnu!!!

Julie

If you feel that your household can be swarmed by these particular terrible scary crawlies, it might be beneficial to discover more regarding cures for the removal of bedbugs. Initially, you'll need one simple suggestion on the subject of the concealing destinations. Examine the stitches or folds from your bedding. You are most probably to discover these kinds of pesky insects hidden in it. You will need to also search inside carpeting and rugs or loose picture. Go searching for crevices in the wall space. All of these could also be hidden below wall hangings. If you've got recently purchased very old or previously owned bedroom furniture, give a great look. If the room in your home is in a mess, they likely should have an abundance of location to conceal, so, it may be worthy to have the surrounding thoroughly clean. Provided below is a facts about selected successful family home treatments for bedbugs removal.

Thoroughly clean the bedroom: If you feel bed bugs could be camouflaging in the home, get a hold of a upright vacuum cleaner. Vacuum round the mattress, mattresses, and rugs. It is important to run the cleaner above almost any crevices or cracks on the wall structure. At the same time tidy the furnishings. If you can, disassemble the frame of the bed to check out bed bugs. Watch in every last space and location. Cleaning is one other very efficient strategy for eliminating bedbugs by natural means. The high temperature does not just eliminate the bed bugs, but in addition get rid of their specific ovum.

Here is a link that might be useful: get rid of bed bugs

Hi David & welcome to Gardenweb.

As I said on 4/9, my contact dermatitis is gone. If anyone who reads this does have an actual bed bug problem and not poison ivy, I hope this info is helpful.

purple....lolololol I'm waiting to see what other 'dreaded' scourge you are diagnosed with.

LOL! IKR! Herpes!?

I am allergic to PI also.Use to catch it every year as a kid playing in the woods.My grandfather believed in taking a good yard bath in rubbing alcohol during and after working in the yard/farm. He would buy it by the case and always hand me a full bottle to wash down my arms and legs.I never had problems with PI when I did this.He had some kind of wild bush growing everywhere my grandfather warned me not to touch.He referred to it as the "Fire Bush". He claimed it was worse than PI or PO.

Don't know why I never saw your post before, bamatufa. Thanks for the input! Wonder if that "fire bush" was poison sumac?

I don't go in the woods and would never trust bathing or anything to wash off urishiol, although I'm sure that works. I just never touch it, so I know my rash isn't from actual PI.

An entry in the weeds forum has me wondering. There is a picture of a weed I know I've pulled a lot each spring. Wonder if it was this Euphorbia?

Purple, I have that spurge and it doesn't bother me at all. But by chance are you allergic to latex? It has a latex sap, as do quite a few plants.

By the way, all the Euphorbia sp. have latex in them. You might want to in vestigate if this is the problem plant before picking up the Spurge you mentioned on the other thread.

I don't want to find out if I'm allergic to the spurge I mentioned in my other post here, and Euphorbias are well-known rash-causers for those who are sensitive, already decided against it. MIGHT give me a rash and probably will die, no thanks! But I thought maybe since that one used to be named something else it might not have irritating sap in it.

That's why the other post in weed forum which named the pictured plant Euphorbia caught my attention.

That I know of, I've not had contact with any Euphorbias before moving here from OH a few years ago, so I will hope/assume the one pictured in the discussion on the weeds forum is the plant giving me a rash. Next time I notice some, I'll use a plastic bag to pull it, wash immediately in case (the same way I pull PI sprouts but luckily haven't had any of those here.) If I do that and get through next spring without getting a rash again, that was probably it. If not... (serious sailor cussing!) LOL! thanks!!

a simple change in daily regimens can effect a rash, too. i broke out 2 weekends ago in a rash that at first resembled poison ivy exposure. it never progressed into blisters that weeped but it was red, raised and very itchy. as it turns out, the cause was a change in laundry detergent. i have used a free and clear detergent for years but decided to buy tide brand a few weeks ago. just washing clothes, towels and sheets in that brand caused contact dermatitis. i have since re-washed everything in a brand with no dyes or perfumes and am clearing up. just a thought for your consideration. possibly changing bath soap or body wash might do the same thing.

That's an excellent suggestion. My daughter has to use that laundry soap for babies, and only certain soaps and lotions, so I'm familiar with the idea. Unfortunately I haven't changed brands of anything for an embarrassingly long time. It's "on the record" now for whoever may read this, desperately itching. Glad that no longer includes you! Thanks for taking a minute to share it!

I think we had some mulch one time that contained poison ivy. I know I didn't come in contact with any from my yard, yet after having re-potted several plants I then developed the classic poison ivy type rash between my fingers. My wife also did, and the only thing we both came in contact with was the mulch

You know, that's not out of the realm of possibility, super. There's construction debris in mulch sometimes, PI debris is not out of the question!! It's very plausible that something from the bag could brush my wrist, where this keeps happening, then I only wash hands but not wrist if I don't see dirt there. Interesting hypothesis!

I've found another candidate, Lactuca serriola. It's between this and grape ivy, I think... maybe both.

haven't read the entire thread, but, the smoke tree as well as cashew trees and mango skins contain urushiol which is the stuff that causes the poison ivy dermatitis. My daughter is highly allergic to it (but didn't know it) and was gardening on a weekend, on Tuesday eve she went into the hospital to deliver her baby. She had some marks on her that looked like slightly infected scratches. By the time the baby was born, she was in full bloom. She still doesn't want to see pictures of herself holding her new baby. Needless to say, the tree was removed immediately.

Thank you, Nana! HTH someone! Sorry that happened.

I have figured this out! I'm 99.9% sure it's the seemingly innocuous Ipomoea batatas, sweet potato vine.

As this discussion is evidence, I've been seriously investigating this for almost 3 years, which coincides with my acquisition of the SPV that I have. That white, sticky, milky sap should have been a clue, but I didn't know until investigating that anything but poison ivy could give a person an identical rash. Let's just say my last experience with taking cuttings has had bad and obvious results. And explains why I've occasionally gotten this rash during winter. Although trimmed to come inside, this vine will start sprouting again in a mixed pot inside over winter, and I've kept cuttings in glass bottles which have occasionally needed maintenance to make it through winter.

I think I am also sensitive to Ficus (fig) sap and probably that of any other plant that's stick/white/milky inside. That seems to indicate the presence of latex, the likely culprit, from what I can understand about this stuff, a common dermatitis-causing substance - not only in Euphorbias! Before starting this investigation, I thought that was a fabricated entity, like polyester.

Bottom line, at least for me, if I ever see white sap in a plant, I need to go wash thoroughly, no matter what its' name is, or how cozy of friends I think I am with this plant.

Edited to add forgotten pic.

This post was edited by purpleinopp on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 11:03

Not all plants with latex have milky sap, although in general it's a good indicator. If you have latex sensitivity, wild lettuces and thistles in particular don't always have the milky appearance, but do still contain the latex.

In other words... wear garden gloves when weeding.

Yes, I appreciate that, thank you. I never considered the sweet potato vine I bought to be a weed, although it can be weed-y if let loose in the ground in the wrong spot.

This is not about weeds, although I suspected that originally. I never go outside with the intention of weeding but do pull what I see when I see it. The only weeds I touch regularly are grass and oak tree sprouts, which I pull on site. I wish I could get a'hold of those with gloves on but I've tried and it doesn't work. Everything else that sprouts does so seasonally, and this rash has definitely not been that, showing up at any time of year. If I'd opened my thinking sooner to cultivated plants instead of 'weeds' or touching dead leaves often, I think it would have been obvious much sooner also. Oxalis stricta does show up over a long period of time, but I've been pulling those most of my life. I knew it wasn't that when I got this rash early this spring before pulling any of those for the year.

Thanks for the tip about other plants with latex! If I see any of those sprouts, I'll use a plastic bag to pull them. I don't want that stuff on my gloves.

This time of year red bugs/chiggers are very aggresive
I had thought I had got into poison ivy on my legs although I had on jeans
After suffering a few days I reallized that it could be red bugs and treated them with olive oil which suffacated them

My first thought was chiggers -- they leave trails of bumps, but they spread and don't go away easily without effort (clear nail polish on the sores suffocates them quickly).

I don't believe bed bug bites blister, but I've never been bitten by one so can't say for sure. Regardless, usually the onset of bedbugs (when there aren't many around) will only bite one person.

You can develop an allergy overnight to something that has never bothered you before. So strange how that happens.

Excellent inputs for anyone investigating mysterious dermatitis. Thanks for adding!

I'm now 100% sure I'm allergic to latex sap in the sweet potato vine and that there isn't a window for washing it off like the urishiol in poison ivy. If there is, it's less than 5 minutes on my skin. No more fig picking for me.

And heart-leaf Philodendron. Haven't experimented with other Philos, but no question whatsoever I'm allergic to this vine.

I'm currently sporting 2 different but similar rashes in very specific test spots.

You need to put latex allergy in your medical files. They don't use latex a lot anymore in doctor's offices because of allergic reactions, but it's best to be careful.

There are several foods which are cross-reactive, meaning people with latex allergies often become allergic to them as well. You many want to keep an eye out in this area.
High occurrence rates: Banana, Avocado, Chestnut, Kiwi
Moderate occurrence rates: Apple, Carrot, Celery, Papaya, Potato, Tomato, Melons

Lantana, lantana, lantana. I thought I was allergic to nothing - have a cast iron constitution - and healthy as a horse - but if I even trim a few branches of lantana and if the leaves even brush against my arms, they immediately begin to itch. The leaves are not torn open, and there is no sap or liquid, but just the brush of the leaves against my skin causes itching and burning. Others on the Florida Gardening forum have posted about Lantana, too.

Carol in Jacksonville

Here is a link that might be useful: Lantana allergy

Thanks, Carol! Now that my tests of sweet potato vine and hart-leaf Philo are finished, I should test myself for Lantana sensitivity too. There's several extremely large plants along the back fence but I don't usually touch them except to take cuttings for people. Thanks so much for adding that info!

Juniper affects me like you describe though it's a short-lived misery, not a full-blown rash that takes a week to go away.

I am highly alergic to cashews in addition to poison ivy/oak
Cashews,poison ivy/oak/sumac and the shins of mangos all contain urushial that could cause a bad reaction

Purple, my itching from Lantana is eased by rinsing my arms afterwards with the hose. And now that I know about the itching, whenever I plan to prune it, I wear long sleeves, even in summer. I don't know what a full-blown lantana rash would be like (or if it would even occur), as I have been lucky enough to never have that. For me, a rinse with the hose or a shower has been enough to erase it. However, like all allergies, it can affect people to different degrees.

Carol

Nicole, don't know why I didn't notice your comment originally, sorry. Thanks so much for adding that info! The box of cheap 'rubber gloves' I have doesn't say 'latex free' on the label but they don't seem to bother me, strange. But I mention this because susceptibility of reaction to latex rubber and to latex sap don't seem to be interchangeable. Being able to wear a glove or prophylactic with latex isn't an indication of whether a plant with latex sap will give you a rash.

The rash from heart-leaf Philodendron vine is just as bad, but easy to avoid now that I know, just don't touch the sap when taking cuttings. Guttation moisture doesn't seem to cause me a rash, just the sap. I KNOW I was not allergic to this before, I've taken cuttings many times over the many years I've had it around.

Excellent point about those foods, thanks!

Hementia, thanks!

Carol, you never know when the Lantana might 'attack' you more severely! Good plan!

DH finagled an outdoor sink for me, from a cracked bathroom sink we found on the curb. It's not pretty, but I can wash hands w/o tromping inside constantly.

This bears repeating in italics:
"You can develop an allergy overnight to something that has never bothered you before. So strange how that happens." Man, you ain't kiddin'! The only thing worse is not being able to figure out what's going on. Soooo glad I did (at least for now, and possibly partially. I suspect a lot of my 'house plants' have unfriendly sap - to my skin.)

Pets - same thing happened to me - pets were bringing it in on their fur. Grandma's Soap (lye soap), just used a few times, worked; also homeopathic Poison Ivy pills work for me in conjunction with washing; Tecnu works. I had it so bad the first time I had to finally be saran-wrapped and that did the trick. Those three work!

Please help, this is my 4 year old son's hand. We have been trying to figure this out for a year and a half. Dermatologists have been no help. Someone told me that this looks like poison ivy, but the derms said it's not. What could it be then? We live in SAN Diego.

He has these lesions on his wrist forearms by elbows, knees and down front and side of legs, tops of feet....this is the worst one right now.

Jacqueline, I do not know what is causing your son's skin reaction, but just wanted to say I am so sorry he and you are going through this. You may try emailing pictures of your son's condition to some university hospital dermatologists. Many have websites/email addresses now and someone may recognize his condition. What I can determine from what you have told us, it is most likely not contact related unless it is a soap or detergent because he is being affected from his wrists to his feet. Contact dermatitis would only affect the area that directly touched the item that is causing his reaction. I doubt he touched an allergen and then rubbed his elbows and up and down his legs. It could also be immune related. I'm sorry I'm no help, but I hope you are able to get your son some help soon.

Is there any giant hogweed, AKA cow parsnip around where you are, Jacqueline? (Heracleum mantegazzianum)

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/39809.html

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72766.html

If plant-related it can be difficult to determine the cause since a reaction can take hours up to a few days to manifest. It took me a few years to realize I'd developed or otherwise became sensitive to house plants I had been cultivating and propagating for years. Some of the irritating substances do not morph into the reaction phase unless skin is exposed to sunlight after exposure to plant.

So sorry your son is having a mystery rash!