Topic Posted by: Cecilia
Date Posted: Mon Aug 25 12:56:19 2008
Additional Comments:
Hope everyone had a good weekend! Happy Monday grumble grumble. At least (for those of us in the U.S.) we have a long weekend coming up!!
So my boyfriend, whom I will nickname WB, came down with a pretty bad case of poison ivy over the weekend. He does landscaping jobs on the side, so he's used to getting it every now and again, but this time it is a doozy. His hands look like scary monster hands and he is itching like crazy. He's been using hydrocortisone and I'm trying to convince him to use Calamine lotion (which he despises), but does anyone have any tried and true home remedies or treatments? I've looked online and seen everything from rubbing salt on the rash to dabbing bleach on the affected area...anyone know anything that really works?
Thanks :)
Posted by: Carissa Date posted: Mon Aug 25 19:04:19 2008
Message:
I've had two bouts of Poison Ivy, the first was when I was about 25 and I had blisters the size of nickles and dimes on 80% of my body.
I waited 3 days and the rash was much, much worse; it didn't start getting better at all but spread as the blisters would pop (sorry, I know that's disgusting).
ER for me; got a prescription for prednisone (cortisone pills), was instructed to take one of those and two benedryl every 4 hours around the clock, soak in COLD water, then apply Calidryl (Calamine lotion with benadryl in it). By that time the four hours were nearly up and it was time to start all over again, lol. The ER doctor was afraid to touch me because he thought he might catch it too.
I missed an entire week of work because I work in a clinical laboratory, with blood specimens, and there was too big a chance of me being contaminated as my skin was one big open sore.
Finally, all the pills and what not worked, and there was no scarring, thank goodness. My skin peeled off in big strips like a snake shedding and there was fresh healthy skin underneath.
A few years later when I saw what I knew was poison ivy (or more likely poison oak but the rash is the same) rash on me I was pro-active and went to the doctor right away for the cortisone. That time the rash was gone in a week or so.
Maybe I was (am) just a 'super responder' or something, but I LOL at these 'the little rash will be gone in a few days' comments. If only.
So IMO if the rash keeps spreading, go to a doc, either an ER or one of those 'doc in the box' places. Good luck to him!
Posted by: Catrin Date posted: Mon Aug 25 14:45:21 2008
Message:
I've only gotten poison ivy once, years ago, and it was miserable. Nothing over the counter helped. I rubbed ice on my legs at night to try to numb it. I went to the dr. and he gave me a 5-day cortisone tablet treatment. By the 5th day, I couldn't slap my butt with both hands, it had me so messed up. But the itching stopped.
He won't go to the dr., huh? Well, that's a man for ya!
Posted by: Nicki Date posted: Mon Aug 25 14:06:40 2008
Message: oh that's too bad, hope he gets better soon... I think he needs to pop into a clinic or his doctor imo.
Posted by: Nancy Date posted: Mon Aug 25 13:48:56 2008
Message: I am prone to poison ivy and had it quite bad this spring, on my face. I like Bactine for the itch. I've used the spray at home, and they also sell it in the towlette packages which are good to take along. However, when I have it bad, I always need a presription, usually a steroid, to get rid of it.
Posted by: TAB Date posted: Mon Aug 25 13:48:12 2008
Message: Oh my, bless his heart. I'm allergic to that stuff and if I even touch it, the same thing happens to me. If I get a case of poison ivy I head straight to the doctor. He puts me on the steroid dose pack and it clears it right up. I wish him well. TAB
Posted by: Blondie Date posted: Mon Aug 25 13:25:41 2008
Message: My friend's daughter had it bad a couple years ago and MedStat gave her a pill, shot, and some cream..no idea what they were, though. Might be worth it to send him to a doctor.
Posted by: ingyandbert Date posted: Mon Aug 25 12:58:24 2008
Message: In my experience, all you can do is try to control the itching. What really heals poison ivy is time.
