poison ivy
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Joined: Jun 2002
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From: inver grove heights MN
poison ivy
ive got the itch... and im sure its poison ivy, the other guy i was working with seems to have it to... ive never had it before- we were doing a lot clearing taking out a bunch of trees, and now i have some small bumps in various places on my arms- ive washed my arms with bleach and dawn dish soap because ive heard it takes out the oil / drys it out... not quite gone away yet
how long does this take to go away ??
how long does this take to go away ??
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: Kansas City, KS
It took mine a couple of weeks to completely go away. Take a bleach bath, one to one and half only, a couple times. Take cold showers. You can run hot water over the areas that itch, but make sure to wash with soap afterward. Use calmin lotion it will help dry it up. I took baths 3 times a day to keep it clean and keep the itch down. I feel your pain good luck.
Elder User
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Minneapolis
You must be very careful, but I've used gasoline to dry it out. I've also heard that urine works. You go in the shower and pee on the affected area and then shower off.
I had a friend that actually got an ambulance ride due to a bad case of poison ivy. He had it bad on both legs top to bottom. His blisters were weeping so much fluid that he became dehydrated and passed out in his bathroom. On the way down, he hit his head on the toilet.
I had a friend that actually got an ambulance ride due to a bad case of poison ivy. He had it bad on both legs top to bottom. His blisters were weeping so much fluid that he became dehydrated and passed out in his bathroom. On the way down, he hit his head on the toilet.
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Perkasie, Pa.
I Have an allergic reaction to poison Ivy (small bumps), oak (big globs of bumps) and sumac, I have found some excellent remedies to them to help them go away faster. The oil from the leaf is best treated with Vinegar (white) as soon as posible after contact. Bleach may work but it doesn't seperate the oil from the skin as well. PLus bleach is toxic to your skin (chlorine) and will burn you if applied to liberally. Vinegar is best. After outbreak there is a laundry soap you can wash with called Fels naptha. It comes in a bar form. It will safely dry out your skin while cleaning it. For it relief nothing works better then Rhuli gel. It can be bought in your local Pharmacy. It is a clear gel that doesn't stain and provides immediate relief. Regular soap and warm water is a no-no. It just spreads it. If it gets to bad just go to the Doctor and get a Medral pack. It's basically a steriod called prednisone that makes it go away in about 3 days.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
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I've never thought of poison ivy to be a big deal... I get it all the time, just a little annoying... now poison oak on the other hand, that's some bad stuff.
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Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,697
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From: Marengo, Iowa
It seems if I get a little spot from poison ivy, I'll have it spread around after awhile. It does rub off on others if you don't treat it. I tsure rubs all over on me, I think the shower has as much to do with it as anything, gets spread around by the scrubber. Once I realize it is there, I don't scrub that area. I use the Technu brand of ivy dy, available at WalMart or other places. I have found to get it dried up faster, although they say no, break the blisters and treat with the Technu treatment. I go from a week to a few days geting rid of it.There is a LOT of that crap here on the farm, and if the dogs so much as run through it and then rub on me, I get blisters from it.
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From: Morgan Hill, CA
We used to have a lab that could jump out of the backyard and run for the hills. He'd get poison oak oil all over him and we'd wrestle with him. The next day we'd wake up with our eyes literally swollen shut for about an hour or so while we picked the crustiness out and physically opened our eyes with our fingers. Looked like elephant children too. Just don't scratch at it too much and it will go away. Scratch at it and it will still go away, it will just take three times as long. Fun stuff. Gives you something to do when you're bored.
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Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Long Island USA
It rubs off on other people because the OIL rubs off and gets on other people.
Wash it with whatever, and it's non-contagious afterwards. I use rubbing alcohol, and it seemed to get the oil off.
Also, if you don't get the oil off, it will continue to get worse.
In my opinion "drying it up" is not what you think it is - what you're doing with all those bleach (don't understand that one) and other things to wash it with is removing the oil. Which means you immediately start feeling better because the alergen is taken away.
Once I wash it, I break the blisters, let them drain, and it goes away pretty quick.
I didn't understand this until I (drunkenly) got covered in it down my back, and it broke out like crazy - it was so bad I couldn't do anything but moan in the bed and it wasn't getting any better. I forced myself to take a shower, wiped it with down alcohol and it immediately started getting better. The oil was still on my skin and causing the continued irritation.
Wash it with whatever, and it's non-contagious afterwards. I use rubbing alcohol, and it seemed to get the oil off.
Also, if you don't get the oil off, it will continue to get worse.
In my opinion "drying it up" is not what you think it is - what you're doing with all those bleach (don't understand that one) and other things to wash it with is removing the oil. Which means you immediately start feeling better because the alergen is taken away.
Once I wash it, I break the blisters, let them drain, and it goes away pretty quick.
I didn't understand this until I (drunkenly) got covered in it down my back, and it broke out like crazy - it was so bad I couldn't do anything but moan in the bed and it wasn't getting any better. I forced myself to take a shower, wiped it with down alcohol and it immediately started getting better. The oil was still on my skin and causing the continued irritation.
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,697
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From: Marengo, Iowa
My wife and most of her blood family are immune to it, but those of us that come into the group usually are not, so we get to suffer...
I knew it was the oil that rubbed off, just didn't say it... not all the oil comes off sometimes, have to be sure to use something to get it all.
I knew it was the oil that rubbed off, just didn't say it... not all the oil comes off sometimes, have to be sure to use something to get it all.
Elder User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 561
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From: Minneapolis
Some interesting information from "Culture & Sensitivity" Blog:
Most people who come into contact with poison ivy develop an intense skin reaction characterized by blistering and intense itching. As doctors, we tell people they have "poison ivy" when, in reality, they really have "contact dermatitis," a hypersensitivity reaction to one of a variety of plants in that family of plants: poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak.
To be very precise about it, poison ivy isn't the disease. It is our body's reaction to it that is the disease.
Lymphocytes, one of the several kinds of white blood cells we have circulating through our body, have a way of remembering (becoming “sensitized”) coming in contact with foreign substances. The next time, those lymphocytes come into contact with that protein, they essentially “flip out,” releasing toxic substances (“cytokines”) into the skin that came into contact with the offending substance. These cytokines cause the intense itching and bubbling that we so often associate with poison ivy.
Now let’s just think about this for a minute. It is not the poison ivy “poison” itself that causes the skin to break out. It’s the toxins produced by our own cells that, when released, wreak all the havoc with our skin.
Most people who come into contact with poison ivy develop an intense skin reaction characterized by blistering and intense itching. As doctors, we tell people they have "poison ivy" when, in reality, they really have "contact dermatitis," a hypersensitivity reaction to one of a variety of plants in that family of plants: poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak.
To be very precise about it, poison ivy isn't the disease. It is our body's reaction to it that is the disease.
Lymphocytes, one of the several kinds of white blood cells we have circulating through our body, have a way of remembering (becoming “sensitized”) coming in contact with foreign substances. The next time, those lymphocytes come into contact with that protein, they essentially “flip out,” releasing toxic substances (“cytokines”) into the skin that came into contact with the offending substance. These cytokines cause the intense itching and bubbling that we so often associate with poison ivy.
Now let’s just think about this for a minute. It is not the poison ivy “poison” itself that causes the skin to break out. It’s the toxins produced by our own cells that, when released, wreak all the havoc with our skin.