Poison ivy relief/cure?

[redcolours]

was doing some brush trimming in my peoperty, but didnt really notice i got it til the blisters started coming up. my forearms are riddled with blisters and rashes now, so ive started using calagel:

http://www.teclabsinc.com/products.cfm?id=7088BA7C-AACE-1250-5B5229985B8E7AE4

seems to work well. itching has almost stopped, and the blisters are relatively dry.

are there any over-the-counter meds i can take to help speed up healing?

other than throwing them out, whats the best way to wash clothes that may be contaminated with the poisonous urushiol oil?

any help is appreciated. thanks!

[redcolours]

ah, here are some answers:
http://www.gotapex.com/suckage-not-so-suckage/99706-ss-poison-ivy.html?highlight=poison+ivy

[oblongmelon]

FELS NAPTHA SOAP. Google it. You'll all see that I'm right!..I wish you people would listen to me and be prepared..*sigh*
http://www.soapsgonebuy.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=D1001&Show=ExtInfo
http://www.cattail.nu/ivy/ivy_home.html
http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_pois.htm
etc etc....THIS STUFF WORKS FOR EVERYTHING.

[redcolours]

thanks. i read that - i seem to recall using it as a kid.
thing is, and i cant find it in the soap section of walgreens/CVS. ill have to check the bigger grocery stores here tomorrow.

forget about washing the clothing i used hacking away at those bushes - im throwing out all of them, even the ones i suspect of getting contaminated. including the shoes i wore (thankfully its a beat up pair).

man, this sh!t's annoying... reminds of when i had chicken pox when i was a kid....

[oblongmelon]

thanks. i read that - i seem to recall using it as a kid.
thing is, and i cant find it in the soap section of walgreens/CVS. ill have to check the bigger grocery stores here tomorrow.

forget about washing the clothing i used hacking away at those bushes - im throwing out all of them, even the ones i suspect of getting contaminated. including the shoes i wore (thankfully its a beat up pair).

man, this sh!t's annoying... reminds of when i had chicken pox when i was a kid....
If you have a Price Chopper in your area they usually carry it. And if you can't find it-you can always purchase it online, though they will soak you for it (5 bucks and up)..here in Binghamton I get it for 85 cents a bar and one bar lasts literally for a year..I tell ya, this stuff is the best for stains, skin rashes,cleaning carpets (you shave it and mix it with a warm water solution and put it in a shampooer) etc..I had sent a bar to Mommypooh..she seemed to like it.

[redcolours]

still lookin.... :) still itchin... :(

[chrissy]

I've seen it at walmart :)

GL finding it!

[redcolours]

found it! at a shoprite. it was in the laundry aisle, but oddly enough its near the top shelf. i had the impression this will be on the lower shelves.
its relatively expensive ($1.30 each!), but i got 6 bars. i plan on grating a couple for laundry. watch - i will find it at a walmart store here for half the price. oh well.

whats funny is that the lady i asked about it at the info counter nicely walked me to the aisle, and on the walk back she mentioned that people use it for poison ivy. i smiled and told her thats EXACTLY what its for. we both laughed.

i did go to the doctor, he gave me a prescription for prednisone pills. also advised to use calamine lotion, and take OTC benadryl.

another funny thing - i never had a doctor til now. i never needed one. fevers, aches, ive always seemed to heal well. i know its bad, i should at least go to one for yearly medical check-ups, but the folly of youth, you see. :P now that im getting older, its good i got one. the last doctor i went to was a dentist 5 years ago.
its weird - i may have reinfected myself. i first just got the blisters, THEN the rashes came about 4 days later. and its even on my neck now. today i decided to just get professional medical help, as it didnt seem to get any better with simple OTC meds.

im wiping down anything i think i touched with tecnu, just to be safe. anything i can throw out is now as chef ramsey would say it, "in the bin!".

im just glad it isnt that hot outside - wearing long sleeve shirts is a pain, but better than seeing the ugly ugly blisters and rash.

[Napoleon54]

Man, I don't envy you. I used to get into that crap all the time as a kid and it made me miserable. Luckily I've stayed far away for a long time now and I don't miss it one bit. Bleh!!

But yea I agree with the doc. The combo of benadryl and calamine is what I remember working best for me... though unfortunately nothing helps as much as you want it to.

Also, if you ever burn any poison ivy (also poison oak, etc) when clearing brush and stuff, be very careful not to inhale the smoke... that stuff can seriously mess up your lungs (or so I've heard).

I hope you feel better soon.

[redcolours]

thanks, guys!

a day after i took the first set of prednisone piils, the blisters dont seem to be "weepy" anymore. none of them "oozed" overnight while i was asleep. i guess the moisture production isnt as much as it did a couple of days ago. good!

what helped also was the drying effect of Fels-Naptha (thanks, Obby-wan!). took a long cool shower last night, and (lightly) scrubbed over the affected areas repeatedly. my skin was noticeably dryer after, and it helped my apply calamine lotion over it without the blisters weeping.

benadryl did subside the itching. now that i mentioned it, its started again. i guess its time for round 2 of the prednisone/benadryl treatment.

im just wondering what side-effect ill be feeling with the prednisone pills. ive been reading about moodswings, and other weird stuff. ill find out later this week i guess. good thing i live by myself - i drive people crazy enough as it is when im with them! :P

thanks again!

[redcolours]

oooh! i just checked the hourly forecast for today - it wont even hit 70F! sweet! i can wear a light jacket, cover up my arms.
YAY! :D

[johnnymk]

thanks, guys!



im just wondering what side-effect ill be feeling with the prednisone pills. ive been reading about moodswings, and other weird stuff. ill find out later this week i guess. good thing i live by myself - i drive people crazy enough as it is when im with them! :P

thanks again!


I have been on prednisone for almost two weeks now for my asthma. I don't feel any side effects. But I seem to have an incredible appetite and maybe a little bloating.

[oblongmelon]

Glad to see you found the Fels Naptha...that is the best stuff. Wait till you wash your laundry with it. Use a really fine grater and add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of soap to a gallon of water and swish it to mix it..use this as your laundry soap...everything comes soooo clean!

[redcolours]

update:
well, the blisters on my forearms are (more or less) healed. theyve dried and are now peeling off. but, my lord, i look like a burn victim!

it doesnt itch anymore, but it still looks like i still have rashes. big red blotches are still visible. im not sure if its supposed to go away, or if theyre the lasting scarring effect of posion ivy, or if my body's reaction to it is just that adverse. bottom line, i dont think the red rashy look is gonna go away soon.

this sucks because i NOW have to wear long sleeves ALL THE TIME to hide them. it looks unsightly and well, just.. looks... BAD!

on the flip-side, i do get to wear all my nice long sleeved shirts now (i have a massive collection thanks to target/ross clearance :P). plus, ITS FALL! temps have come down enough that its not uncomfortable to wear them anymore. good timing!

im rubbing in moisturizing lotion to soften the skin (after all those brutalizing drying meds and creams ive used, not to mention what naptha does), but here is where i need help:

1) whats a good light (long lasting) moisturizing lotion? one that isnt greasy or staining - ill be wearing long sleeves now, id hate to mess em.

2) whats a good way to even out the red blotches? i have a dark complexion, but the red blotches are darker. thing is, wearing long sleeves would tend to lighten up my skin. im thinking get something like a tanning lotion, but again, the long-sleeve staining thing. im looking for something that goes deeper into the epidermis, something more permanent. what do burn victims use?

(sigh)
kind of an eye-opener though - something so simple can be so life-altering.