Re: Freaked out. Is there word of a chemical spill on WestHills roads? I've got some explosively itchy and burning legs ..

T. Kenji Sugahara

2007-11-18

Now I know what the heck that is.

I get the same stinkin thing.

On Nov 18, 2007, at 8:20 PM, Mike Murray wrote:

> What you had were cold urticaria. Not uncommon with exposure to
> cold and
> wet. Some people have it severely and frequently with minimal cold
> exposure,
> like putting an ice cube on the skin. Other people need to have a
> more
> significant exposure, like riding in the rain for hours. I, and
> evidently
> you, are in the second group.
>
> Mike Murray
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org]
> On
> Behalf Of Robet Synak
> Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2007 19:15 PM
> To: obra@list.obra.org
> Subject: [OBRA Chat] Freaked out. Is there word of a chemical spill on
> WestHills roads? I've got some explosively itchy and burning legs ..
>
>
> Have there been any reports of chemical burns or allergic skin
> reactions of
> anyone riding in the west hills or around council crest this
> weekend? I
> just had a weird and furious postride outbreak of something on my
> legs. I'm
> a bit concerned. It's obviously something that splashed on my legs
> during
> my ride. I wanted to know if anyone else rode through some sort of
> toxic
> puddle. The four boundary points of my route: Cedar Hills Boulevard /
> Parkway in Beaverton; Mt Calvary Cemetery (58th & Barnes); Rose Garden
> reservoir; Council Crest (including the loop around).
>
> And here's what I'm so freaked out about: I rode in the rain this
> afternoon
> and at the end of the ride was soaked from the waist down, dry from
> the
> waist up. I didn't notice anything amiss as I put my bike away and
> went
> inside. As I was taking off my shorts my legs looked more or less
> normal.
> Dark below the elastic line on the leg; white above it. Then the
> white
> space above the elastic line started to fill in in an angry red, as
> did the
> bottom of my legs. It was itching like I wanted to take the flesh
> off my
> legs. In the space of a minute or two I was in a complete panic,
> scratching
> desperately, and the skin of my legs was on fire. My wife fed me four
> benadryl and after about five minutes the itching and burning
> started to go
> down. She says she's never seen me so scared before. About an hour
> later
> there was still some residual itching, but things were much better.
> I've no
> allergies I know of.
>
> It's definitely something that got on my skin. Only the parts of me
> that
> were soaked turned red. The area immediately underneath the elastic
> at the
> bottom of my shorts- a strip about 3/4" wide - stayed white. The area
> covered by my t-shirt and jacket, skin that stayed dry, stayed
> white. But
> my legs, which were soaked under my knee high shorts, soaked were
> they were
> bare, turned bright read and itched. Also, my feet were on fire,
> itching
> and crazy; my socks had been soaked the whole ride.
>
> Like I said, my skin seems pretty much back to normal now, two hours
> later,
> but I'm kind of freaked out. In thirty years of road riding nothing
> like
> this has ever happened to me. Are there any other reports of
> wierdness like
> this?
>
> I appreciate any insight anyone can give. Thanks.
>
> Sincerely,
> Robert Synak
> 503.807.4429
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Mike Murray

2007-11-18

What you had were cold urticaria. Not uncommon with exposure to cold and
wet. Some people have it severely and frequently with minimal cold exposure,
like putting an ice cube on the skin. Other people need to have a more
significant exposure, like riding in the rain for hours. I, and evidently
you, are in the second group.

Mike Murray

-----Original Message-----
From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] On
Behalf Of Robet Synak
Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2007 19:15 PM
To: obra@list.obra.org
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Freaked out. Is there word of a chemical spill on
WestHills roads? I've got some explosively itchy and burning legs ..

Have there been any reports of chemical burns or allergic skin reactions of
anyone riding in the west hills or around council crest this weekend? I
just had a weird and furious postride outbreak of something on my legs. I'm
a bit concerned. It's obviously something that splashed on my legs during
my ride. I wanted to know if anyone else rode through some sort of toxic
puddle. The four boundary points of my route: Cedar Hills Boulevard /
Parkway in Beaverton; Mt Calvary Cemetery (58th & Barnes); Rose Garden
reservoir; Council Crest (including the loop around).

And here's what I'm so freaked out about: I rode in the rain this afternoon
and at the end of the ride was soaked from the waist down, dry from the
waist up. I didn't notice anything amiss as I put my bike away and went
inside. As I was taking off my shorts my legs looked more or less normal.
Dark below the elastic line on the leg; white above it. Then the white
space above the elastic line started to fill in in an angry red, as did the
bottom of my legs. It was itching like I wanted to take the flesh off my
legs. In the space of a minute or two I was in a complete panic, scratching
desperately, and the skin of my legs was on fire. My wife fed me four
benadryl and after about five minutes the itching and burning started to go
down. She says she's never seen me so scared before. About an hour later
there was still some residual itching, but things were much better. I've no
allergies I know of.

It's definitely something that got on my skin. Only the parts of me that
were soaked turned red. The area immediately underneath the elastic at the
bottom of my shorts- a strip about 3/4" wide - stayed white. The area
covered by my t-shirt and jacket, skin that stayed dry, stayed white. But
my legs, which were soaked under my knee high shorts, soaked were they were
bare, turned bright read and itched. Also, my feet were on fire, itching
and crazy; my socks had been soaked the whole ride.

Like I said, my skin seems pretty much back to normal now, two hours later,
but I'm kind of freaked out. In thirty years of road riding nothing like
this has ever happened to me. Are there any other reports of wierdness like
this?

I appreciate any insight anyone can give. Thanks.

Sincerely,
Robert Synak
503.807.4429
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