Poison ivy debate

Until the past few weeks, I had no idea how lucky I've been to escape the terror of poison ivy all my life.

Now I'm asking advice from all my nature-loving friends on how best to cope with the ravages of poison ivy rash.

Some say keep it covered; others say don't.

Some believe the “weeping” rash can spread it elsewhere on your body, while others say “no.”

All I can say is that the sun seems to exacerbate the problem and that air conditioning, fans and cold water are soothing.

How long does it take to go away? And can you really get it without having direct contact with the plant?? I never did find the source, but have read that since it's my first bout, the exposure could have been quite awhile ago. And of course, this would have been a second exposure, as your body gets one free “pass.”