Poison Ivy cures>> maybe? I hope??

[JD Spydo]

Coming back from a hellish work related visit to the wetlands of North Missouri I found out that not only am I not bullet proof I also found out that I am no longer poison Ivy proof either. Up until the last year or so I had never had any problem with poison Ivy. I used to routinely climb trees with huge poison ivy vines all through the tree with no ill effects.

But I either must have gotten into a meaner than normal batch of it or maybe it is because of the new, fresh spring growth may have had more toxicity than normal. But whatever the case it really got me this time. And I am very careful washing my clothes. I use Clorox 2 to break it down on the first washing and then I wash them twice with detergent to be sure I have eradicated it.

Do any of you have any suggestions for a poison Ivy cure ? This is about as miserable as a bad woman :D I have tried cleaning the area with Clorox soft scrub ( bleach flavored) and I have used rubbing alcohol but I am still in flea scratching misery. Before I head to the health food store to see if they have any herbal concoctions that may help I thought I would run this by my Spyderco brethren(sisteren) to see if there are any miracle cures I am not aware of. I have to go back next week too. OK I am all ears :rolleyes:

[brainus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burow%27s_solution

http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21& ... il&ref=559

Good luck, man, that's miserable.

[smcfalls13]

I've got bad news for you JD, there's really not much you can do.

I'm so viciously allergic to poison ivy and it's comrades that I can get it just from thinking about(I'm starting to itch right now )

How bad is the reaction? Is it just little patches of red bumps, or is full blown oozing sections? Bathing in oatmeal works wonders for the itching, pack oatmeal(the regular kind, not Quaker Oats instant) in some panty hose, and drop it in the bath tub. Relieves the itching.

When you can't hang out in the tub all day, Calamine lotion, liberally applied, is going to be your best friend. You'll be walking around with pink all over you, but it helps. The biggest thing is to keep the rash area as dry as possible. Moisture seems to make it itch more.

You also may not have poison ivy, it could be poison oak or sumac(avoid sumac if at all possible, that stuff is worse than paying taxes :o )

I feel for you JD, good luck.

[Woody]

Hey JD, I have nothing more than hang in there bro... I have been lucky over the years to not have tangled with that crap, we have plenty on out property and have been lucky over the years... However my wife has had some serious cases of it.... She had to go to the Doc and get steroid shots for it... I feel for ya Joe.....

[Goldtanker]

I have had good luck with a product called ZANFEL. It is expensive but is available over the counter at the drug store and worked better than anything else I have ever tried.

http://www.zanfel.com/

[J Smith]

I do not get posion ivy very bad but I do get posion oak VERY badly.I can get it just from being with in a few feet from a plant.
I have done this to get rid of it but only because it was so bad that the effects from it was better than the rash.Mixed a little quckcrete and put on the rash,let dry.This will pull out all the oil but it will also give a bad swore to the skin where it is applied because it also pulls all the oil out of your skin.

[Hannibal Lecter]

My Friend,

Prednisone. Steroids in general. That is the ONLY way to shorten the affliction.

Trust me on this one...

--------
Hannibal

[coffeeman]

Hey dude,
sorry to hear about your problem, my heart goes out to you.

I have never had it, but it kind of makes me feel like I saw someone get kicked in the b*lls :eek: .

Good luck.

Michael

[Civilian]

Prednisone. Steroids in general.
--------
Hannibal

I agree here(not as much as Bonds though :p ), as I had it so bad once that I had to get the "jumpstart" shot and a 2 week presciption. By the second week I was eating like a horse and still hungry. Needless to say I avoid it like the plague now!

[vampyrewolf]

aloe vera... I have a bottle here with solarcaine in too, works GREAT on everything from burns, to bites, to poison oak(my niece found a patch :eek: )

[uhiforgot]

Oh brother... So far as a cure, I have none, and for this I am sorry

However I suggest that in the future you make a routine of taking a shower in Dawn dishwashing soap when you get home from such ventures (this, of course, in addition to your anti-poison-suchandsuch laundry ritual )

Before a few select companies made a whole market out of "was the poison ivy off before it can get you" soap, there was Dawn dish soap. At one time it was even doctor reccomended! (not kidding :eek: ) The method to such madness is that any poison leaf plant is most harmful by way of the oil on the leaves, but why spend $10 on a 2oz. bottle of "magical" soap when you can spend $2 on a 10oz. bottle of Dish soap that will dissolve almost any grease known to man?

And it works!!! My dad has the same unGodly allergy to poison ivy and oak that Scott has (as per the doctor that reccomended this dish soap along with his perscription for antibiotics), and upon return from crawling around the river and all the poison-crud that goes with it, EVERYBODY takes a shower in Dawn and we haven't had a problem since!!!

Hope this is able to help in the future!

-Jeff

[smcfalls13]

Hmm...that may be something to take note of next time I'm crawling around the leaves of three :p

[spyderknut]

Joe, my yard and surrounding wooks are full of it. Ivy that is. Pets bring it in on their fur all the time. My wife is very sensitive so I end up treating it a lot. :o I am on a mission with herbicides.... :mad:

Oils are indeed the problem and just about any soap will prevent outbreaks for me. I just scrub down real well with soap when I know I have been in it. Dish soaps probably do very well as suggested above. Tecnu is a great product you can scrub with after exposure and works VERY well. Even if you start breaking out, scrubbing with Tecnu will keep it from spreading all over. I can get it at the corner pharmacy here. Here is a link to the maker if you can't find it: http://www.teclabsinc.com/sitemap.cfm I have ordered from them directly too.

The scary doctor is right. When you really have a bad outbreak, steroids are the best answer. Usually a short course of 5-7 days with 40-60 mg prednisone is sufficient. If you get into ivy frequently, it is useful to keep some on hand.

[potterma]

Dawn.... Hmmm.... I'll have to try that one... I've found that Fels Naptha Soap works pretty good for both showering to remove the oils and for doing laundry (strong Fels solution with HOT water!)
I never got poison oak until I burned it in the brush pile one year... Got a mild case in the lungs... next exposure was a trip to the doctor for some prednisone. Watch the reaction. It CAN get severe... Severe enough that my leg swelled up to about 2X its normal size...
Believe it or not, acne meds like Clearasil or Clean & Clear actually do a good job for "spot removal" of the oils. That and a good abrasive wash cloth. At the first sign of those little puss filled pimples it works wonders... You want to be careful with any "abrasive" cures. Breaking the skin can open you up for a nasty infection, not related to the poison (oak, ivy, sumac)...

A friend of mine swears by single malt Scotch for the itching.... He says it doesn't really help the itch, but after half a bottle.... WHO CARES!!!! :D

[psimonl]

Wow.. JD Spydo...

Poor you... It takes your knife and then give you that in return ?!?!?!?

I would say this is the last time you go over there. It is not worth it anymore!!!

Simon

[uhiforgot]

A friend of mine swears by single malt Scotch for the itching....

For a second I thought you would say he pours it on the rash to which I would have replied entirely in four-letter words :o use BLENDED scotch for something like that ]He says it doesn't really help the itch, but after half a bottle.... WHO CARES!!!! :D [/quote]
Excellent point!

-Jeff

[zenheretic]

Not to rub it in...but in Montana no such plant afflictions occur. While rolling about in the leaves one only has to watch out for Moose, rattlesnakes, and bears in that order.

[knightrider]

So what's wrong with a little poison ivy? Uma is something else...
But I hope you get over it quick, I've had mild cases before, not fun. Hang in there and don't itch. :)

[Ms. Delica]

Another reason to worry about global warming: more and itchier poison ivy. The noxious vine grows faster and bigger as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rise, researchers reported on Monday (5/29/06). And a CO2 driven vine also produces more of its rash-causing chemical, urushiol, according to experiments in a forest where scientists increased carbon dioxide levels to those expected in 2050. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is considered a major contributor to global warming. Compared with poison ivy growth in usual atmospheric conditions, those exposed to the extra-high carbon dioxide grew about three times larger and produced more allergenic form of urushiol, scientists from Duke and Harvard University reported. There study appears in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

From the medical files of

Ms. Delica

[smcfalls13]

Another reason to worry about global warming: more and itchier poison ivy. The noxious vine grows faster and bigger as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rise, researchers reported on Monday (5/29/06). And a CO2 driven vine also produces more of its rash-causing chemical, urushiol, according to experiments in a forest where scientists increased carbon dioxide levels to those expected in 2050. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is considered a major contributor to global warming. Compared with poison ivy growth in usual atmospheric conditions, those exposed to the extra-high carbon dioxide grew about three times larger and produced more allergenic form of urushiol, scientists from Duke and Harvard University reported. There study appears in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

From the medical files of

Ms. Delica

I have just have one thing to say...oh s*** :o