Help--son has poison ivy all over!!!!

[Krischaser]

Help--school starts tomorrow and he has poison ivy all over. The doctor gave him some cream and a short stint of steroids and it is worse. Anyone have any other ideas? This is crazy!!!

 

[MommaluvsDis]

He needs to go back to the doctor. He most likely has it in his blood stream and will need an injection. I'm not a doctor, just someone who has had poison ivy!

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

Poison ivy stinks! Have you had him take those baths...Aveeno, maybe? (Maybe not; that name just popped into my head.) It's kind of like oatmeal, and it soothes the skin to keep from itching. My son did that (we called it "kid soup") and it helped a lot. Also that really pricey cream from the pharmacy that starts with a Z...I know, I'm a ton of help; sorry! That's what I get for working all weekend. And wash his sheets, clean the sofa, etc., anything that he touched while he had the oil on his skin -- it can still be there and re-infect him. (Or you!)

 

[apnep]

Help--school starts tomorrow and he has poison ivy all over. The doctor gave him some cream and a short stint of steroids and it is worse. Anyone have any other ideas? This is crazy!!!

I saw some soap at the store the other day. It is called Grandma's Lye Soap. It is supposed to work on Acne, Poison Ivy, and Eczema. Maybe you can find some of that at the store? It's only like $4. I was at a hardware store looking for the homemade laundry supplies and the ladies who were helping me said that Lye soap works really well.

Good luck! Hope your son gets better soon.

 

[G's mommy]

I am allergic to poison ivy, so it spreads like wild fire when I get it. Last time, I got the injection and it helped.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

You probably already know this but you have to get the oils off everything that they have come into contact with our he will just keep spreading the rash. This happened to DH 5 years ago and it must have gotten on the sheets because it spread all over his body before he realized that he had it We bought the creams to help with the itching but they didn't help. What ended up helping was lemon juice. It was some sort of folk remedy from the internet. We soaked paper towels in lemon juice and put them on the rash multiple times a day. It was the only thing that helped. Good luck. Poison ivy is miserable.

 

[Sadie22]

Poison ivy stinks! Have you had him take those baths...Aveeno, maybe? (Maybe not; that name just popped into my head.) It's kind of like oatmeal, and it soothes the skin to keep from itching. My son did that (we called it "kid soup") and it helped a lot. Also that really pricey cream from the pharmacy that starts with a Z...I know, I'm a ton of help; sorry! That's what I get for working all weekend. And wash his sheets, clean the sofa, etc., anything that he touched while he had the oil on his skin -- it can still be there and re-infect him. (Or you!)

Don't forget his shoes.

Really since he is worse after the steroids call the doctor today.

Aveeno bath, Caladryl lotion, Benadryl orally. My son got poison ivy bad and it got infected. He had oral and cream prescriptions under huge gauze bandages. Swimming in a relative's swimming pool helped dry it up after he had started to heal. A physician relative thought he should not swim but the pool water soaked the scabs off and he started to look and feel much better after that.

 

[torinsmom]

He probably needs more steroids. Once I get poison, it gets in my bloodstream and is terrible. I use Goldbond cream for the itching. It works the best for me.

Marsha

 

[momof5boys]

Time. Just like pimples and blisters. It will take time to heal, sorry! Oh and posion ivy does not get in your bloodstream.

 

[vsimeone]

Fels Naptha laundry soap.

I know. Sounds strange but somehow it breaks down those oils, stops it from spreading and most of all - stops it from itching!

It's a bar that you can find in the laundry aisle of your grocery store.

Best of luck to you!

 

[r&kmommy]

DAWN DISH SOAP!!!!! It breaks down the oils that get into the skin layers and helps get rid of the itch. IMO calamine lotion is useless. Witch hazel works well too, between dish soap baths! Good luck

 

[torinsmom]

I beg to differ. Maybe I am explaining it wrong, but for highly allergic people, the itching of poison ivy triggers the histamines in the body and the rash will be in areas never even touched by poison ivy or anything that has touched the oils. This was explained to me by my doctor; I did not make it up. It is called a systemic reaction and it can get in the eyes and even the throat. Every time I get poison, I get it worse. One spot on my hand will end up with me covered in the rash within three days, and only a 21 day course of steroids will get rid of it. The most common cause of a systemic reaction is breathing in smoke from poison being burned, but it can also come from an individual's reaction to the actual oil on their skin.

"Systemic poison ivy is a term for an extreme allergic reaction to the urushiol oil of a poison ivy plant. A normal allergic reaction to poison ivy causes rashes that are relatively localized on the skin at the spot in which contact with the plant's oil took place. The term “systemic,” however, notes a reaction that is not isolated at one area on the skin. Rashes may spread all over the body, including places in which there was no direct contact with the plant. Systemic poison ivy can be quite severe."

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-systemic-poison-ivy.htm

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

I had it for the first time ever this year, it was the worst thing I've ever had, it took 3 weeks to get through it. I can not imagine having to go to school with it, I'm thinking you may have to check on keeping him home for awhile!

Anyway, at first nothing helped but a baking soda paste, I put it all over and it stopped the itching, but of course there I sat not being able to move or it would flake off. I wrapped as much as I could in plastic wrap so I could move around some. I got the shot but they also gave me pills to take, maybe this is why it's not working for you?? I'd think you certainly need to take him back to the dr. if it's getting worse. AFTER the shot I used the Aveeno oatmeal bath at night and it did help considerably with the itching. It was very hard to take a cold bath and soak in it for an hour though! NOTHING else worked for me, baking soda paste and Aveeno bath. I found some poision ivy pills several people told me about... online. So they didn't arrive until very late in the issue, but since I was still itching after the meds were gone I took them and they did help a lot. Granted it was almost gone by this time so the itching wasn't as intense, but when I'd start feeling itchy I would take them and the itching would go away.

Good luck to you

 

[torinsmom]

Oh, I forgot that the doctor gave me a script for a cream called Elicon and that stuff was great! It seems to stop the histamine reaction if I start it early enough. Now if I see a spot or two, I can use that and Gold Bond to keep things under control.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

A friend of mine, who is a pharmacist, told me to use Cimetidine (Tagamet) and Benadryl for orally treating poison ivy. He said they should cure it within a day or two, max. He says using the combination is far more effective than using steroid packs. Cimetedine is an H2 histamine blocker, and Benadryl is an H1 blocker, and used together they give more relief because they affect different parts of your allergy-response system. You can buy Tagamet over the counter very cheaply. This combination of histamine blockers works well in most rashes caused from allergic reactions.

 

[Chaoster]

I second washing everything with Dawn. What better on oil than Dawn?

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I get poison ivy/oak severely and the only thing that now works is a shot at the doctors.

My neighbor was burning brush (illegally too because we are in a no burn time of year!)and it must have had poison ivy in it and sure enough, I got poison ivy.

The doctors office gave me a shot and the steriods and told me to use ivarest until it was gone.

 

[clori]

Dh and I did some yard work recently and for the first time in 10 years (when we moved in) we both ended up with poison ivy. Mine wasn't really that bad just really itchy. I used some generic liquid that said for poison ivy as well as hydrocortisone cream since I had some at home. Oatmeal bath often by aveeno is supposed to be good but I never tried it.

Dh on the other hand got it much worse than me. He must have wiped his eye and got poison ivy on the eyelid. He woke up and couldn't open his one eye. The dr gave him a course of prednisone, prescription strength benadry - 25mg to take as needed as long as he was staying home due to drowsiness, and an antibiotic rx because they were concerned with the eye. It probably took about the same amount of time for both of ours to completely go away but his healed quicker than mine to start. He also applied my liquids.

 

[idofabric]

Wash every thing with this...Synthrapol. I use it when I dye fabric, and I must have gloves on if I don't want to have dryed out skin. The following is from a company in Calif that sells it online, but I have gotten it at several local craft stores. Like Micheals, ACMoore, Hobby Lobby and so on... I have also used it when my posion ivy was so bad they were going to admit me to the hospital....IF you can not use hot water make sure to disolve some of it in hot water and add to the washer... I usually wash every thing 2 or 3 times, and that includes any and all garden tools. I don't even walk near the stuff, and DH removed some today from the garden and I am gonna wash all his clothing seperate, including the towel he used in the shower!
I also use this as a last ditch stink/underarm spray solution for the DSs work out clothing, and socks....
Worked great on DS's new Vans when the old same patten ones ran in the wash.
And I have bad scars to prove that you can have an allergy to the stuff! I just call the doctor, get meds and wash the universe!


"Synthrapol works best with HOT water, yes, HOT water, when washing out excess dye, particularly Fiber Reactive Dye. You are getting out the excess loose dye molecules that have not been chemically bonded to the fabric. This is a good thing! Then you can rest asssured that the dye won't bleed on you, or the family underwear, the next time you wash it. Hot water is also best for the pre-washing we discuss below. Acid Dyes for wool and silk are a different story - hot water can actually break the bonds of the acid dye and cause more washout of color than you would want. Wash wools and silks dyed with Acid Dyes in cool to warm water.

Prewashing in Synthrapol helps remove invisible lubricants, fingerprints, dirt, oil, silk worm gum and other impurities that can interfere with the dye and cause uneven dyeing. It is especially important for tub dyeing where you want an even consistant dye job. Not pre-washing is one of the biggest causes of a "splotchy" result. Even PFD (prepared for dyeing) fabrics, yarns and clothing should be pre-washed! We never recommend skipping this step, especially with all the imported fabrics and clothing these days.



Use 1/4 cup (2 oz) of Synthrapol per full washing machine load for cotton, Rayon, hemp, etc. and 1/8 cup (1 oz) for silks or front loading wash machines. Some folks say you can get away with less, but it depends on what you are doing, the hardness of your water, etc....."

 

[ENSOCK]

my mom always made us bathe in clorox bleach water. She would add a cap full to a full tub and we would soak in it. Just make sure not to get it into your eyes. Poison Ivy is the worst.