Hey Mamas,
I'm COVERED in poison ivy. I've had it for a week now (I was exposed last Saturday and the outbreak started last Monday.) I went and got a steroid shot on Thursday (I only waited that long because I had no idea what it was. Never had it before.) and I've been on a a pretty high dosage of Prednisone since Friday. I'm still crawling out of my skin itching. I have used every topical cream I can get my hands on, baking soda, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, oatmeal, banana peels, aloe vera, cold water, ice packs...nothing is really helping. The only thing that is seeming to help is wetting the skin and rigorously scrubbing the area with table salt. It actually has taken the itch away for hours at a time, but my skin feels just wrecked. Has anyone else tried other home remedies that have helped? You'd think I would have turned the corner by now. And frankly, I'm at the point where I don't mind looking like hell if the itch will just stop!
Beyond my own discomfort, I'm sorry to also report that my sweet 4 year old woke up with it crawling up her cheek this morning and around her eye. A week later!! I'm so furious, I don't even know what to do with myself. I'm taking her to the pedi this afternoon to get her a shot so hopefully she won't have all this horror that I have, but I'm not about to do a salt scrub on her precious little face. What's worked for you guys on your kids? Oatmeal baths are good, but I doubt she'll dunk her face in the bath. She has little spots on her arms too, but they don't seem to be bothering her. The rash is just on her cheek right now.
Thanks for your help!
I have had it once and used calamine lotion. My neighbor just got it again and told me that 2-stroke fuel dried his right up.
I hate poison ivy. I developed the methods below to eliminate my problems with poison ivy.
The rash and water blisters are caused by the person's allergic reaction to the oil in the poison ivy. We used to live in Arkansas and had lots of poison ivy around. (Its the OIL in poison ivy that is toxic.)
I stopped the ich and rash of poison ivy by immediately going in to the bathroon sink and washing my hands and body parts vigorously (!!!) that touched poison ivy with COLD soapy water. I used dish washing liquid because its supposed to lift away grease and oil. Then, I wash the same areas with tepid soapy water. Then wash the area with warm soapy water and finally, hot soapy water. IF the rash developed the blisters, then I would scratch the blisters under running (!) water while washing the area with warm soapy dish soap. Why start with cold water? Because the pores will close and the poison ivy oil won't go deeper into the skin. As you warm up the water, the pores open back up and you can get to more of the oil and wash it away.
If you got some of the poison ivy on your clothes, take the clothes off carefully and wash them in hot wash / hot rinse water. If you touch a place touched by poison ivy and happen to touch someplece on your body you will spread the poison ivy and the resultant rash/blisters.
If you have a poison ivy blister and the blister pops and you get the "water" from the blister on another part of your body or someone elses body, then a poison ivy blister will develop there.
When I went out in the yard to eliminate the poison ivy plants, I would take a garden trowel and a pair of metal tongs from the kitchen. I'd hold the stem of the plant with the tongs and dig underneath to expose the roots and eventually pull the plant and roots out of the ground. Put the plant and the roots in the trash. (DO NOT BURN poison ivy ! ! ! ! The oil isn't combustible until you get extremely high temperatures.)
A business acquaintance was getting rid of the weeds on his lot. Part of the weeds were poison ivy. He let the brush dry and then started it on fire. The phone rang in the house and he walked through the smoke to get to the house so he could answer the phone. The smoke contained oil from the poison ivy. His face, and neck swelled up so big he could just barely see out of one eye for about 4 weeks. It took another 2 weeks for it to go away, and that's after going to the hospital for shots. If he had breathed in the smoke, his throte and lungs would have swollen and he would have died. (At least that's what he told me.)
I hate to even mention what happened to the lady on a camping trip that accidently touched some poison ivy just before she went in to go the bathroom and touched some very sensitive areas with the hand that touched the poison ivy.
Sorry this was so long.
Good luck to you and yours.
BTW, My wife did all of the above plus added Benadryl.
So sorry! Poison ivy is MISERABLE!!
I took Benadryl orally, but if you don't want to feel sleepy, there is a topical Benadryl you can buy as well. It really helped me. Good luck!
I know you've already tried all the lotions, but what about Calamine lotion? It might work for a few minutes because it makes a "skin" over the area. Maybe you could make an oatmeal paste for your daughter's face instead of the bath. I would go ahead and treat the little spots too before they get bigger. That's usually how I know I have poison ivy- I scratch one little dot, then it turns into 2 dots, etc. I have a prescription-strength hydrocortizone cream that I use.
I'll say it again - Fels Napatha bar-type laundry soap!
I'd bet you have the oils all over everything now - which is why/how little one got it! First - even tho it is late in the game - wash basically everything you have been in contact with with this soap! Work up some on a rag and wipe stuff down and rinse. Wash ALL clothes, bedding and such using this soap - dorp it in the washer for a few minutes and then take it out and let the load finish. AND wash yourselves with this soap to remove any of the oil from you even this late stage - the soap will not hurt you or little one (I know, one of mine is very allergic and I keep this soap on hand at all times - worst time he had it was coming home with it from camp...ugh!)
Give her Tylenol to control the itch. It also works great for sunburns.
Definitely get her to the doctor ASAP.
I used Campho Phenique on my son's poison ivy, and that helped, but what REALLY helped was sending him to the swimming pool! The chlorine in the pool takes all the itch out and will help to heal it up fast. Sounds like both of you need to go!
Last time I had poison ivy I scratched for 2 months.
The last straw was when I woke up and my legs were bloody from scratching in my sleep.
They put me on a steroid series and the itching stopped the first day (thank goodness!).
Before there were steroids, people used jewel weed salve to help control the itching.
I've had good luck with it on bug bites and rashes.
You can Google it and find places to buy it.
I got poison ivy myself for the first time ever last year - so i know your feeling. i had no idea what it was either and of all places i got it on the top of my feet !! i would scratch till it bled as well but i found the best thing for it and it actually dried up without going to the Dr. i first ran my feet under the hottest water i could stand to help with the itching (it felt like heaven) and after that i sprayed on suave deodrant. it worked wonders - i obviously wouldn't suggest it for your daughter but hopefully it can be of some relief to you. Good luck
Cortisone shot and the the daily pack of pills. Gone in a week, done.
