Thanks for a motherlode of information, Lisa. Like you, I was highly allergic to poison ivy and oak as a child and into my young adulthood. Came very close to being hospitalized twice due to severe infections. Perhaps, I built up an intolerance to it over time. It's been years since I've had either poison oak or ivy.

I spend much of my summer pulling up Virginia creeper with my bare hands. Haven't had any reaction so far. It grows rampant in my small garden area and especially likes to wind through azalea bushes. In retrospect and after reading the information you provided, I know I was very lucky not to have reacted to it. I am trying to be better about wearing gardening gloves!