Ugh, Poison Ivy

[cyber-sibes]

I spent hours weeding the gardens back in Ohio & I got poison ivy. I've never had it before, and it's very mild, but I thought I'd get PT input.

For every suggestion on the web, there's another one exactly opposite...cover...don't cover..scrub, don't scrub...use alcohol, dont use alcohol What really works? Any suggestions?

I've been scrubbing with alcohol twice a day, applying "Ivarest" till dry, then cover with gauze. It's working ok on my wrist, there are fewer bumps, but its spreading up from the crook of my arm. Maybe the tape holding the gauze is spreading it?

It hasn't been too itchy except yesterday, when it drove me batty.

How long is it spreadable?

Thanks!

[Catty1]

All I ever heard of for poison ivy was Calomine Lotion...that's when I was a kid!

Try a paste of baking soda and water (you don't need much water!). That has taken down itchiness and swelling with insect bites and such for me.

[Karen]

It only spreads if you itch it and spread the oil that caused the reaction in the first place. You can WASH it, but do NOT scrub it - you want to avoid opening the bumps, because then they can get infected.

Do NOT itch. Do wash whatever clothes you were wearing when you were weeding, and throw out the gloves if you were wearing any and they aren't washable.

The best remedy I know is old-fashioned calomine lotion (they make it clear now, you don't have to use the hideous pink stuff), and NO SCRATCHING!

This reaction is mild, because it is your first reaction/exposure. The next time, your reaction will likely be worse, so watch out for those "leaves of three" and "let them be!"

[Pam]

I have found that Cortaid cream works wonders. It takes the itch away which, to me, is the main problem. I never found Calomine lotion to do a thing except look bad. I know it probably helps dry the pustules but I never had much luck with it. Maybe the new kind that Karen mentioned is improved. The worst thing to me is getting into the shower and having the water hit the itchy patch. It makes you want to start scratching but I suppress that until I am able to get out and grab the Cortaid.

[Catlady711]

Actually the spreading is caused by ivy oils still under your fingernails or by something you had on that day or something you touched that did not get washed.

The fluid under the blisters is NOT poison ivy oils, it's your own body fluids, same as you would get with any type of blister.

Other than that, baking soda paste, calamine lotion, taking Benadryl (an anti-histamine) every 6-8 hours is about all one can do. And yes, you shouldn't scratch it or rub it if you can help it because you can cause a skin infection.

Good luck.

[Laura's Babies]

When my kids were young (EONS ago) they got it. I went to the drug store and asked the druggist what to get for it and he got me some kind of spray off the shelf (OTC)... I went home and sprayed them with it and I kid you not, the next day, it was completely gone.. I have no idea what it was and have never heard of anything that worked that good since.. I guess it worked to good so they took it off the market.

[Freedom]

I had a mild case 2 years ago from our back yard here. Went in and asked the pharmacist. He said use a hydrocortisone cream, and picked one off the OTC shelf. That's what I used. Stopped the itch right away and then I didn't even notice it and it healed right up.

Sandie

[Cinder & Smoke]

I spent hours weeding the gardens back in Ohio & I got poison ivy.
I've never had it before ...

What really works? Any suggestions?

How long is it spreadable? Answer: For YEARS if not removed by soap!

RUN, do not walk - to your closest BIG grocery store ...
get a couple bars of:

Fels-Naptha® Laundry Soap (Bar) -the golden bar with the clean naptha odor.
Excellent for pre-treating greasy, oily stains.

Poison ivy resin can remain on your clothes for over 1 year. Washing with Fels-Naptha® will eliminate the dangerous resin from your clothing. Thoroughly wash all of your exposed clothing including hats, gloves, coats and pants in shaved or grated Fels-Naptha (about 1/16th of the bar). This will effectively remove the poison ivy resin and prevent further outbreak.

Dial Corp / Fels-Naptha web page >>>
http://www.dialcorp.com/index.cfm?page_id=47

Don't know why they don't mention what many Doctors and Pharmacists suggest >>>

WASH YOURSELF with the Fels-Naptha - warmish water; don't really *RUB* too hard,
but some pressure is required and feels VERY soothing! Use a thick, sudsy, lather.

Wash thoroughly, with a wide margin around where you "think" the Poison Ivy is,
plus hands and under fingernails. Dry by BLOTTING with paper towels;
then TOSS the p-towels!
Got it on your wrist? WASH with Fels-Naptha from your finner-tips to your shoulder.

Wash OFTEN - as soon as the *itch* becomes noticable - Lather Up in Fels-Naptha again.

Anti-itch goo of your choice --- they all help for a minute or two!
Best help will come from a Wally-Mart type Pharmacist - they'll usually suggest
the GENERIC stuff and be prety honest about what works and what doesn't.

If the rash continues to spread - you left something UN-washed!
* Car steering wheel
* Car armrest
* An article of clothing
* Shoes
* A DAWG!! - TRUST ME - ole Fido is an EXCELLENT Carrier of Poison Ivy!!
* They get it on their FUR and and spread if forEVER till it's washed off!

Wear LONG-sleeved, long-legged Jammies --- to avoid spreading it like a wildfire
whilst your sleeping! (A THOROUGH shower with Fels-Naptha soap helps before bedtime.)

Happie Itchin!!

[cyber-sibes]

Fortunately I washed everything thoughly -including the dogs- when I got home to Newport. Although I re-wore those clothes for a few days working there) But I didn't do the car, guess I'll go wipe it down now.

Been wearing the long-sleeves jammies & shirts (lots of fun when it's 80 out ) People are looking at my long-sleeves, but that's better than looking like an accident victim with all this gauze wrapped around my wrist & arm!

I forgot all about Fels Naptha! Relief is only 1.2 miles away! (Good thing they have a store locator on their site!) I haven't seen that stuff in so loong, I didn't think it was available anymore. We always had a bar in the basement, I remember the smell well! Anything that's worked for 100 years otta help!

I'll pick up some OTC stuff to take for my itchies, too.

Your suggestions all sound sane, and Karen, I will certainly be on the lookout a little more closely next time! I'd hate to have this any worse than it is. Thanks!

[elizabethann]

Ugh....I hate poison ivy. I've had it so bad that I've had to go to the doctor's. She gave me some cream that stops the itch and some anti-histamine that I can take at night so I don't scratch in my sleep.

I have a small patch right now and it hasn't spread (thank God).

Have you washed all of your sheets, towels, clothes really well to get the oil off of that?

I've used Ivy Stat in the past. It's a scrub and then an anti-itch gel. That seemed to work. But I get rashes, not the big bubbly oozey blisters that some people get.

I can sympathize with what you are going through. I hope it gets better soon.

[ramanth]

My dad is going through his second outbreak of poison ivy this summer. He washes his arm with mild soap, then applies a cream the doctor gave him, then wraps his arm with gauze and then covers the gauze with a sock (by cutting a hole in the end to put his hand through).

If I get poison ivy, I have to go to the doctor for shots.

[anna_66]

Pat it sounds like you've gotten some pretty good advice. I really hope it works wonders for you and you don't have the itchies any more

[Catlady711]

If the rash continues to spread - you left something UN-washed!
* Car steering wheel
* Car armrest
* An article of clothing
* Shoes
* A DAWG!! - TRUST ME - ole Fido is an EXCELLENT Carrier of Poison Ivy!!
* They get it on their FUR and and spread if forEVER till it's washed off!

You're not kidding on those either. Last year I got an awful case of it on my face from a clients dog and one of my eyes swelled shut.

Another time hubby and I went mushrooming and I thought I had washed everything (the car seat, steering wheel, door handles everywhere, even my car keys) and I still kept getting it on my legs. Took me almost a week of non stop itching to figure out what I could have missed. Turns out I had sat on a chair when I took my shoes off and forgot to wash the chair off. It was warm out so I was wearing shorts and everytime I sat in that chair I was picking up those oils.

I remember one time we collected some firewood from a friends house that was buried in poison ivy. To prevent getting any rashes from the wood later (or heaven forbid from burning it) we borrowed a friends pick up truck, loaded the wood into that and drove the thing to the car wash! That's right. You should have seen the looks on people's faces with us washing a truck load of firewood with heavy soap and rinsing it well. The truck stayed dirty because my friend doesn't wash it much anyways. ROFL