Hi Mike -- Don't know if you still need this answer but according to my physician (and the nurse), the oil of the poison oak/ivy and our skin's reaction to it -- the blisters, welts, swelling -- are two different things and indeed, the body -- white blood cells -- can start to over-react... i.e., the allergic reaction can perpetuate itself... this would be like the white blood cells spreading our reaction to other parts of the body that were not exposed to the oils of the plant.
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