On Sunday evening, when I was coming home from San Franciso on BART, the inside part of my right arm started getting very itchy. I noticed it was all red, and I was concerned it was the effects of brushing against some poison oak on my Saturday morning ride which involved a downhill section through Alpine road which was overgrown with brush. The problem with poison oak is that the nasty effects don’t start appearing until a day after exposure, and by then, it’s too late to wash off the oils that cause the skin to blister up (According to Tecnu, “If used within two to eight hours from exposure, Tecnu removes urushiol before the rash begins. Of course, it’s not always clear that exposure has occurred until a rash has already started.”) It’s Wednesday now, and 3″ x 8″ area of my arm which I’ve applied Aveeno cortisone cream to and covered with non-stick bandage pads. The oozing is bad in some areas, and I had to wake up last night to apply more cream in order to alleviate the itching which woke me up. I just have to get through the next few days of itchiness and oozing and then I should be okay, but I know from past experience that my arm’s going to look a lot worse before it looks better.
I also have small areas of irritation on my left arm and knees which must have experienced some exposure to poison oak. To be safe, I’m going to throroughly wash my shoes and gloves and my bike to make sure none of the uroshiol oils can cause me more pain and suffering.