{"id":77692,"date":"2017-11-28T07:55:59","date_gmt":"2017-11-28T14:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-clm-blog.pantheonsite.io\/?p=77692"},"modified":"2017-11-28T07:55:59","modified_gmt":"2017-11-28T14:55:59","slug":"tasting-tecnu-lessons-from-rash-face-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/?p=77692","title":{"rendered":"Tasting Tecnu: Lessons From Rash Face City"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a summer of jumping into fields of <\/span>Toxicodendron <\/span><\/i>my luck finally ran out and I\u2019ve developed a poison ivy rash. \u00a0As unfortunate (and uncomfortable!) as this turn of events is, it has served to make me review the contents of my first aid kit as well as basic field prevention and risk management. \u00a0Hazards of the field can vary from the almost humorous to rather painful, and the past six months alone have seen hornet stings, ticks, turned ankles, tumbles into mud and water, and various sedge related lacerations. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"The crew at SOS East have a running joke about <\/span>Eu de Tecnu<\/span><\/i> being our glamorous scent of choice and lunch seasoning of circumstance, but my time with the program has taught me a variety of useful practices to keep in my toolbox. \u00a0Here are some I\u2019ve found most helpful. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Cover it all up<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Socks! \u00a0Leggings! \u00a0Leggings tucked into your socks! Pants on top of your leggings! \u00a0Shirt tucked into your pants! \u00a0Long sleeves at all times! \u00a0In keeping the time honored conservation practice of getting all my fieldwork clothes at the thrift store, I\u2019ve also learned that a lack of holes is essential to maximizing the benefits of this arrangement. \u00a0Ticks, unfortunately, have no respect for the fact that you didn\u2019t <\/span>know <\/span><\/i>that there was a hole in your flannel and that they really shouldn\u2019t have crawled in and made themselves at home. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Wash as soon as possible<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Cleanliness is next to godliness, but a good alcohol wash is at least a minor deity. \u00a0As difficult as it can be in the field, I\u2019ve found that habitually cleaning my hands with a wipe or hand sanitizer during breaks and a generous helping of an outdoor cleanser over all exposed skin at the end of the day helps with minimizing the effects of any poisonous oils I might have picked up. \u00a0This especially helps on days we visit distant sites where several hours of driving stands between me and a\u00a0good shower. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Know the contents of your medkit<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        2 butterfly bandages. \u00a03 packages of gauze dressing. \u00a03 antiseptic wipes. \u00a0200 mg of ibuprofen. \u00a0The medkit is just another quarter pound of weight in my backpack until the crucial thirty seconds when I really really need it. \u00a0There is a specific kind of panic associated with fumbling like a fool for a pair of tweezers you swear was around here <\/span>somewhere <\/span><\/i>while someone is crying on the ground next to you after running from a nest of hornets. \u00a0Minimizing the amount of foolish fumbling will save both you and them a lot of grief.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Be familiar with your body \u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Knowing what my limits are and how my body feels when it\u2019s healthy vs unhealthy has become essential as the seed collection season has become busier. \u00a0Is this the exhaustion I feel when I\u2019m running on too little sleep or is this a sympton of Lyme disease? \u00a0Is this red itchy patch on my face a spider bite, the beginnings of an urushiol induced rash, or the questionable take-out I had last night? \u00a0Knowing how my body usually responds to certain stressors and what is unusual for it is a big help in monitoring my health – even when I don\u2019t know what\u2019s wrong immediately, just being aware that something is happening gives me enough of a heads up to look up potential causes and hit up a nearby pharmacy. \u00a0You know. \u00a0Just in case. \u00a0On a completely unrelated note, calamine lotion and I have become best friends. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

          No workplace is without its occasional hazards. \u00a0CLM has given me amazing opportunities for growth in all sorts of areas and while this is a particularly painful lesson is unwelcome, the things I’ve learned from it will hopefully serve me well.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          After a summer of jumping into fields of Toxicodendron my luck finally ran out and I\u2019ve developed a poison ivy rash. \u00a0As unfortunate (and uncomfortable!) as this turn of events is, it has served to make me review the contents … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7448,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77692"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7448"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=77692"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78977,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77692\/revisions\/78977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=77692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=77692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=77692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}