From:
"Mike Murray" <mike.murray@obra.org>Reply-To:
mike.murray@obra.orgTo:
"'Robet Synak'" <mystretchypants@gmail.com>, <obra@list.obra.org>Subject:
Re: [OBRA Chat] Freaked out. Is there word of a chemical spill onWestHills roads? I've got some explosively itchy and burning legs ..Date:
Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:20:00 -0800>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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