Poison Ivy Sucks

bobman1235

While doing yard work this weekend, I managed to get poison ivy. It popped up on MOnday, but didn't really start getting bad until Tuesday., Woke up about a half hour ago literally scratching in my sleep. I have the willpower to leave it alone when I"m awake, but how the heck do I stop it in my SLEEP?! I'm going to have to sleep with oven mitts on or something.

Stupid poison plants!

comfortablycurt

The key with poison ivy is to get it enough times that you build an immunity to it. I've gotten it a whole bunch of times...now I could practically roll around in a patch of it and not be bothered by it...lol

bobman1235

HAHA, nice advice

I haven't had it in years, I'm usually pretty careful about it.

CaligulaPolk

skipf

If jewelweed grows in your area, get some of the flowers, crush them and rub the juice on the rash. It will disappear by the next day.

davidfmartin

Isn't calamine lotion the cure?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamine

bobman1235

davidfmartin wrote: »

Isn't calamine lotion the cure?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamine

I wouldn't call it a cure. It works all right, but doesn't last that long.

George Grand

Once you wash the toxins off, you can't spread it by scratching. It's just unbearable, that's all.

I chased a frisbee into some brush at the Jersey shore about 30 years ago. Next day the stuff was everywhere except for the area covered by by bathing suit. And don't think I didn't sweat THAT part out.

billbillw

comfortablycurt wrote: »

The key with poison ivy is to get it enough times that you build an immunity to it. I've gotten it a whole bunch of times...now I could practically roll around in a patch of it and not be bothered by it...lol

Ehhh, I don't think that is good advice. Poison Ivy rash is a sort of allergic reaction. It is not something you get immune to. Its like a bee sting. Most people will get more and more sensitive with each repeated exposures until they have bad reactions from the slightest exposure. I once new a girl who would break out in a rash if someone in the neighborhood was burning a brush pile that contained some dead poison ivy. No joke.

A good word of advice with respect to minimizing any exposure to poison ivy (or oak, sumac, etc) is to make sure you clean up any bare skin with soap and water as soon as possible after exposure. That way, the oils from the plant (that contain the toxin) don't sit on your skin for very long.

unc2701

Try to get a hold of some prednisone or any related corticosteroid- it'll clear that up in a day or two (but make sure you take the whole pack per the instructions).

bobman1235

billbillw wrote: »

Ehhh, I don't think that is good advice. Poison Ivy rash is a sort of allergic reaction. It is not something you get immune to.

You'd have to be a special kind of crazy / retarded to purposefully roll around in the stuff just to potentially build up an immunity anyway.

George Grand

It is very dangerous to burn poison ivy or oak/sumac. Breathe in the smoke and you can get it in your lungs. My wife, the former Theresa Talamonti, is one of those people that can roll around in it and not suffer ill effects. She likes to do that, and I just have to keep in mind that I need to scrub her with that orange citrus de-greaser stuff and hose her down before we let her back in the house.

The IDIOT that used to live down the street was a Boy Scout aide/helper. He took his two sons out camping. One of them was 4 years old. He didn't bring toilet tissue on the trip, and didn't accompany the kid when nature called. He just told him to "use some leaves" to clean himself up at the end. Guess what kind of leaves that poor kid picked?
That was one of my first clues that his father was a total dunderhead. I can't imagine how that child suffered.

Knucklehead

A least you didnt wipe with it like my neighbors kid did, he's a boyscout no less.

comfortablycurt

billbillw wrote: »

Ehhh, I don't think that is good advice. Poison Ivy rash is a sort of allergic reaction. It is not something you get immune to. Its like a bee sting. Most people will get more and more sensitive with each repeated exposures until they have bad reactions from the slightest exposure. I once new a girl who would break out in a rash if someone in the neighborhood was burning a brush pile that contained some dead poison ivy. No joke.

A good word of advice with respect to minimizing any exposure to poison ivy (or oak, sumac, etc) is to make sure you clean up any bare skin with soap and water as soon as possible after exposure. That way, the oils from the plant (that contain the toxin) don't sit on your skin for very long.

Well...I was only half serious with that suggestion. Some people are affected by it a lot more than others. I've known people that can break out in it by practically just looking at it..lol

A lot of people will build an immunity to it over time though. I've gotten it at least 15 times in my life...it barely affects me anymore.

renowilliams

My grandfather taught me something years ago which helps with itching due to chickenpox and poison ivy. Cook some oatmeal and put it in a womens nylon, then get into a bath and dab the nylon over anything that itches. I did this with my nephew when he had the chicken pox and calamine was doing nothing to abade the itching.

This definatley works.


Tim

Jstas

Gasoline.

Seriously. Gasoline is a solvent for most other oils, including the oils that poison ivy has. The other thing is that gasoline displaces moisture so it dries out the rash too.

Don't douse it every day in gasoline but the next time you realize you're starting to itch and you look around and see the "leaves of three", stop scratching, grab the gasoline and a rag, soak the rag and wipe down the area that itches. Keep it away from eyes and your mouth, of course. Then wash it with dish soap and let it air dry. I'll still get a rash because the gasoline aggravates it as much as the toxins do but it doesn't itch until the dry skin starts to peel.

When I worked my summers that I wasn't on Boy Scout Camp staff running the rifle range, I was working with a lawn care service and we used that trick quite often.

Another option that I employed often for bee and hornet stings as well as spider bites and poison ivy was baking soda and water. It didn't work as well as gasoline but I can't douse a Cub Scout's arm in gas while his den mother watches. Doesn't go over well for some reason.

But take the baking soda and make some gritty mud out of it with a bit of water. The only purpose of the water is to get it to stick to the affected area. The baking soda will leech out any venom that is causing discomfort or soak up oils full of toxins as well as moisture. The problem is that it doesn't work as well because you have to partially saturate the baking soda to get it to stick so it isn't as effective at getting rid of the bad stuff and drying out the problem spot. It works better for stings and bites because if you use cold water, it keeps swelling down. Of course if you get a nasty bite like a brown recluse or a black widow, find a doctor, not Arm and Hammer.

Demiurge

billbillw wrote: »

Ehhh, I don't think that is good advice. Poison Ivy rash is a sort of allergic reaction. It is not something you get immune to. Its like a bee sting. Most people will get more and more sensitive with each repeated exposures until they have bad reactions from the slightest exposure. I once new a girl who would break out in a rash if someone in the neighborhood was burning a brush pile that contained some dead poison ivy. No joke.

A good word of advice with respect to minimizing any exposure to poison ivy (or oak, sumac, etc) is to make sure you clean up any bare skin with soap and water as soon as possible after exposure. That way, the oils from the plant (that contain the toxin) don't sit on your skin for very long.

That's not true, some people are immune to it and you can build up an immunity. When I was a kid I would get poison ivy all of the time, and each time it got progressively worse. The last time I got it so bad that it got on my face and my eyes swelled shut. That was also the last time I ever got poison ivy and I have been in it many times since.

....but yeah, it would be dumb to purposely give it to yourself in hopes that you'd become immune, because it could do some very bad things to you if you have any other complications.

billbillw

Demiurge wrote: »

That's not true, some people are immune to it and you can build up an immunity. When I was a kid I would get poison ivy all of the time, and each time it got progressively worse. The last time I got it so bad that it got on my face and my eyes swelled shut. That was also the last time I ever got poison ivy and I have been in it many times since.

....but yeah, it would be dumb to purposely give it to yourself in hopes that you'd become immune, because it could do some very bad things to you if you have any other complications.

Yes, some people are immune to it. That a genetic thing. However, most most people get more and more sensitive to it. Some people do become 'less' sensitive to it as an adult, but that mostly due to lack of exposure as an adult.

Less frequent exposure is the key to becoming less sensitive to it, not a build up type immunity.

Allergies and the immune system are a complex thing, that even today, most doctors don't fully understand.

comfortablycurt

Well that certainly wasn't the case for me. I was real sensitive to it the first few times I got it...and each time I got it, I was affected by it less. Now it barely affects me at all. I'll get a very slight rash that maybe lasts a day, and doesn't even itch.

FWIW, I never even got poison ivy until I was 18...so, I don't think it has much to do with building an immunity as I got older or anything.

fossy

I must be immune . out in the woods & sticks & such all my life.

jimmydep

renowilliams wrote: »

My grandfather taught me something years ago which helps with itching due to chickenpox and poison ivy. Cook some oatmeal and put it in a womens nylon, then get into a bath and dab the nylon over anything that itches. I did this with my nephew when he had the chicken pox and calamine was doing nothing to abade the itching.

This definatley works.


Tim

AN oatmeal bath works very well for the itching, you can buy it at the drug store and just mix it into your bath......I've used this many times when my kids were younger, and it works great on Chicken Pox too.

I'm not so sure I'd want to douse myself with gasoline to dry out the rash...you might want to try some Witch Hazel instead, this works well for bee stings and insect bites too.


If it gets too bad go to the doctor and get a shot (don't rember of what) that helped my son when he played in it all day and was covered from head to toe........

Good Luck

Jimmy

george daniel

good luck,,I am highly sensitive to oak,ivey and sumac,,for me,,I reach for the Medrol dose pack. If you can somehow prevent scratching,and keep the little blisters from air, you'll be better off,,good luck,,hope it goes away soon.