Ortho Brush-B-Gone is a good product. Many have talked about how to avoid a rash. Here is good advice from the FDA - http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/796_ivy.html: Because urushiol can penetrate the skin within minutes, there's no time to waste if you know you've been exposed. "The earlier you cleanse the skin, the greater the chance that you can remove the urushiol before it gets attached to the skin," says Hon-Sum Ko, M.D., an allergist and immunologist with FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Cleansing may not stop the initial outbreak of the rash if more than 10 minutes has elapsed, but it can help prevent further spread. If you've been exposed to poison ivy, oak or sumac, if possible, stay outdoors until you complete the first two steps: * First, Epstein says, cleanse exposed skin with generous amounts of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. (Don't return to the woods or yard the same day. Alcohol removes your skin's protection along with the urushiol and any new contact will cause the urushiol to penetrate twice as fast.) * Second, wash skin with water. (Water temperature does not matter; if you're outside, it's likely only cold water will be available.) * Third, take a regular shower with soap and warm water. Do not use soap before this point because "soap will tend to pick up some of the urushiol from the surface of the skin and move it around," says Epstein. * Clothes, shoes, tools, and anything else that may have been in contact with the urushiol should be wiped off with alcohol and water. Be sure to wear gloves or otherwise cover your hands while doing this and then discard the hand covering.

Against this rock, you can see the edges of these leaves are deeply toothed or serrated. PI has some variability, but never leaf edges like that. Guys who do landscaping all day know what PI looks like. Being allergic, you should familiarize yourself more with its' appearance, although the "leaves of 3" rule is the golden one if at all unsure! I may have a rash just from this discussion, I don't blame you for being so cautious. Not sure what it is, but I'd bet on some kind of berry vine. Are there tiny thorns along the stems/vines? If so, more evidence it's definitely not PI. HOWEVER! If there's PI in the area, some of the dead leaves on the ground could be PI leaves with potent urishiol still on them. This seems to be the case in my yard. Now any time I handle leaves, I shower right after and make sure to put the clothes I was wearing right in the washing machine, not hamper. Don't forget to wash your gloves too! The presence of PI nearby means you'll probably have an occasional sprout. Patrol often. Any time I find a PI sprout, I pull it immediately, easy to do while small. I get 3 plastic shopping bags and put them on my hand/arm like a glove, then pull the sprout. While still holding it with bagged hand, use other hand to pull bags down around it, leaving PI inside 3 bags. Tie shut, put in dumpster, wash, wash. For berry vines, you just need leather gloves. Here is a link that might be useful: reliable images for comparison

Silly girl! I saw all that ivy when I dropped off and picked up at your house. I was wondering why it was there. I guess you didn't realize what it was? I came to gardenweb because I was looking for a way to get rid of the ivy and brambles that literally covered my house when we moved in. I had beautiful, weeping trees along our fence line that I later realized were poison ivy so thick, it was growing up the fence posts, up into the air and draping down to the ground. Needless to say I ended up with my first, sadly steroid-resistant case of ivy. I, too, heretofore had been immune. Now longer. The story is here somewhere about how cell phones cause poison ivy, but that's that thread. I now get it from the dirt even the roots grow in. That Urshol oil is evil! Anyway, I find now, that after I garden or within 20 minutes of exposure, if I wash with a degreaser, such as Lever soap or Dawn dishwashing liquid, I don't break out. The trick is to use as little water (don't spread oil) as possible, rub it onto you, wait a few minutes, then shower as normal. I bought jewelweed soap and spray. I bought all the fancy bath things (oatmeal? How totally gross.) However, once it's systemic, these are a waste of time and money. I also learned that if you get it on the inside of your forearms, you're more likely to go systemic, sooner. Go figure. Dermotologists know lots of stuff, don't they? Anyway, there is a single thing that also helped when the steroids were only giving me acid reflux and insomina. It's something called Zentech or Zanfel, or something that sounds like Zanex. It's a paste that feels like an exfoliant. You put it on, rub it around with as little water as possible for some seconds. Not only do those little granules feel almost orgasmic, they're a secret way to sneak in a good scratch. Anyway, it's expensive, but absolutely did the trick for me. I do, however, swear by the degreasing soap. Good luck. This is tough stuff! Christine

Anything with thorns wouldn't be poison ivy poison sumac poison oak. That being said have you tried Benadryl to calm the itch? It may be simply that you're allergic to one of the planta or something in the area.