Poison Ivy Everywhere on My Kids...

Poor kid- poison ivy can be so miserable:(

From what I've read, it sounds like you should take her to the doctor. Here's the article I was looking at:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000027.htm

Hope she's able to get rid of it soon!!

WHAT? You mean that wacko neighbor lady around the block didnt come by and tell you the kids were getting into PI? How dare her drop the ball and let this happen to your girls! Id call the police and report her!

I bet the kids are miserable. My kids and husband are "allergic" to poison oak here. They get it much more/worse than most people and have to go on steriods to get it to go away. My husband and his brother built a camp fire one day and used the sticks from a PO bush,,both ended up in the hospital. The smoke got them everywhere!

Frankly, I never found that calamine lotion helped much.... cortisone cream usually worked better.

My son got PI several times (the only one out of 4 kids), and eventually we got a prescription strength cortisone cream to keep on hand.

Be sure to check your yard and see if you have some growing in your yard..... if so, be EXTREMELY careful getting rid of it. Wear gloves to pull it up, then throw the gloves away. It is the oils on the leaves that is the toxin. That is easily transferred to clothing (even brushing up against it), and then transfers to your skin. It is also very easy for pets to get it on their fur, then we pick up the oils by petting the pet.

Be sure to wash her bedding... if it is on her face, she could still be rubbing it all over her face every time she goes to bed.

Teach your girls what PI looks like..... they can start to watch for it, and hopefully be more careful.

Good luck!

If it's near her eyes and really bad, I'd call the doctor. I'm not sure if it's cortisone they use - there's also a medication they can take for anti-inflammation. Depends on the severity. You could try oral Benadryl to help the itch but it usually makes the kids drowsy. Maybe just try that at night?

For everywhere else, our pharmacist recommended Domeboro - it's an over the counter powder you dissolve in water, then soak washcloths or rags and just place them over the kids' legs, arms, whatever - it dries out the blisters and stops the itching. The calamine almost always itches as much as it helps because putting it on with cotton or gauze just aggravates the rash.

There's also something called Ivy Dry that helps dry up the blisters.

For the future, buy some Tecnu at the pharmacy - gardeners use it to get the oils off their hands and arms after they've found themselves in poison ivy. Rub it everywhere, then shower thoroughly. If you're careful, you can use it on the skin near the eyes as long as it doesn't go in. Some people also rinse off with dish detergent to get the oils off - stand the kids in the tub and scrub them down with undiluted dish soap, then rinse like crazy.

Tell your husband to wake up! LOL. But you can tell him where little boys can get poison ivy...like when they have to go pee, they touch things! My son had it really badly there!

OOH MY!!! Rob is a crack up!!!

I would do the cortisone shot since it's near her eyes...have your tried the oatmeal baths? I've been VERY lucky and not had poison ivy in YEARS....but I THINK my mom put me in an oatmeal bath when I did!!!

Hope it goes away fast!!! Changing the sheets every day - right? so the oil doesn't transfer BACK to her skin?

Have you called the nurse line?
Two of my kids have had severe reactions and in both cases the nurse line said to bring them to the ER (because it was the weekend) and they were given an oral steroid. They said any time it's near the eyes, mouth or genitals it is especially important to get treated right away. It's spreads quickly and can be very serious, please get her looked at asap!

Since it's near the eyes, you might should have her seen. Wish I could remember the name of the medicine my pedi gave me years ago when it got near the eyes of one of mine - think it started w/a "d" but it was a very small sample tube. Was told by script it would be $$$ but that tiny tube lasted a few years since you used so little at a time!

And again - I mention the FelsNapatha laundry bar soap! It gets the oil off the skin and clothes, etc. It won't hurt the kiddos - believe me, my youngest had plenty of baths w/it! (imagine him coming home from a week at camp and I see him as he gets off the bus - OMG - he was covered! very lucky to have a newspaper in the car at the time that I covered everything w/before I let him sit!)

Not a huge deal? Whenever I've had poison ivy it feels like my skin is literally on fire. I would take them to the doctor today because of that, and because it's near her eyes. The doctor can give you a better cream for the pain/burning, and he/she can tell you whether they need to be on steroids. That's the only thing that ever works for me. I'm highly allergic to poison ivy.

This would be hard to use near the eyes unless your daughter will sit still for a gentle treatment with cotton swabs and careful rinsing afterward, but there's a wonderful cleaner called TECNU that is made expecially for removing the toxic oils. It's available in most larger drug store chains, and works well even after the blistering has begun. It should not be put on open blisters, but can go right up to the edges of the weeping lesions.

My husband relies on this stuff – he's very sensitive and breaks out from even the lightest contact. Once he cleans with Tecnu, the rash begins to dry up immediately. Cortisone cream can be a bit of help, too.

Good luck – poison ivy is such a misery.

Awww... I think I would go for the shot. It can't hurt anything, and will help her heal a little faster. It is awfully hard not to rub your eyes, and it will spread easily there.
Good luck!
Oh, and next time don't let her play tea party in the poison ivy! That's how she got it, right! He-he-he!

If it's near the eyes I'd take them to the Dr right away.
Poison ivy in sensitive areas can land you in the hospital.
Most likely they'll use a steroid to calm the reaction down.
They got poison ivy from coming into contact with poison ivy/sumac/oak and the oil Urushiol which causes the itching can be viable on surfaces (clothes, garden gloves, tools, toys, door knobs) for up to 7 years.
Wash everything with soap and you've got to find the source and use some Round Up or Brush Be Gone on it.
Do NOT burn it - the oil can become airborne (it's one of the things that can make forest fires very dangerous).
If it's on someone else s property they should be told so they can take steps to get rid of it.
When I get it, the reaction will not shut down on it's own.
Only a steroid will help me.
My record for trying to wait it out was 2 months.
I gave up when I was scratching my legs bloody in my sleep.
I hope the kids feel better soon.

Unless she still has oils on her hands and clothing, the poison ivy will NOT spread. Even if the blisters burst it won't spread. Skin has to come into contact with the poison ivy oils. Make sure that you get all of their clothes and bedding into the laundry on a nice hot wash.

Have you tried Aveeno oatmeal bath? Aveeno products are really good for poison ivy. The pharmacy can direct you to where those things are located.

If you want the holistic less toxic approach here it is. Homeopathic Rhus Tox is the remedy for poison Ivy. Washington Homeopathic is the easiest and most reliable on line store. http://www.homeopathyworks.com/jshop/
They have a poison ivy combo that works like a charm. That would be a liquid and a pill. During poison ivy season your girls can take a preventative dose as well.
The other item that I use is jewelweed lotion. It's more like a liquid. Health food stores that carry it, have it in the fridge area. Every poisonous plant has a antidote plant that grows near it.
If you want more info. about the homeopathic, please feel free to contact me.