Line trimmer+misc. weeds+short pants= misery!

19 years ago

As a warning: I was clearing an area of my glade last weekend of tall weeds using the a line trimmer. I was wearing shorts and could feel the spray hitting my shins but thought nothing of it. I have a brush blade which gut cleanly, but there's lots of stone and ledge protruding, so I thought it wouldn't be a good idea to use it. Afterwards I wiped the spray off my legs, then wiped my face and neck of sweat and contined the yard work until shower time before dinner. See where this is going? The next day, my wife thought I had hives. But it didn't take long for the blisters to appear and the incessant itching to start. I don't know what it was, poison something-or-other, but it got me good. The blisters broke and finally dried out, but the itching continues. Geez, if you try this at your place, wear long pants and get them off ASAP after you're done.

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Comments (5)

twosevenright
Original Author
19 years ago
Ironically, at the time I was cutting into a lot of Impatiens capensis (Spotted Jewel Weed), and the juice from the stem is reputed to relieve itching from poison ivy.
lycopus
19 years ago
I definitely could see where that was headed about halfway through! My shins have developed a rash weed wacking regular old weeds like smartweed. Fortunately never poison ivy. Imagine if it had been wild parsnip and you were out in the sun, now that would have been really serious.
joepyeweed
19 years ago
i have heard that jewelweed thing and you have to use it absolutley right away and even then its still not very effective. we have tons tons tons of jewel weed in natural areas nearby and i could bathe in the stuff and the pi still wins. i have a nice pi rash working its way up my legs right now. i think i would like to remove my legs and wack myself in the head with them for raking with shorts on.
mscratch
19 years ago
I have managed for 2 years to not get into any posion ivy or oak..was not thinking Sat. and was out pulling some weeds in the flower bed and ended up with chiggers.. You know they just love to bury beneath any tight fitting clothing and feast! ugh..got a doctors appointment Wed. and she is gonna think I got some std.!
schenley
19 years ago
I can relate to almost everything printed above...except the chiggers...yuk! If it's any consolation, TwoSevenUp, you only do that once, but thanks for the warning.