I had poison ivy once before, in 2004, so I was prepared for this rash when I got it again in 2006. Still, you really can't get used to the urgent itching the poison ivy oil produces.

One thing I did differently with this bout of the rash. I wore long sleeves during the early days of the infection. When the sores opened up, and began to weep their runny off-clear liquid, my long sleeve shirts caught the discharge. I had these strange stains on my sleeves, but they washed away pretty easily. No one seemed to notice them.

Rick (rickumali@gmail.com) Umali