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

[skhermsmeyer]

Sorry to hear about your DS. Ivy Dry works really well, but it's not for severe cases. I have to keep it on hand b/c DH doesn't pay attention when he does yard work.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Did you wash down everything he was in contact with and might still have oil on it? Bedding, chairs, towels, clothing, shoes?

My son would get poison ivy/oak from time to time and he swears that rubbing alcohol dries it out the best. Dab it on a couple of times a day with cotton balls. He uses that and takes Benedryl.

 

[nettekay]

My DS18 got it really bad last year!! He was covered from head to toe literally!! The Dr told us to have him take a shower twice a day with the dawn dishsoap as others have said. She gave him all the normal meds which I can't remember the names of. The most interesting thing she said was if we had access to a swimming pool was to let him swim as the clorine would dry out the poison ivy and help it heal faster. She said it would relieve this itching as well

 

[Sadie22]

My DS18 got it really bad last year!! He was covered from head to toe literally!! The Dr told us to have him take a shower twice a day with the dawn dishsoap as others have said. She gave him all the normal meds which I can't remember the names of. The most interesting thing she said was if we had access to a swimming pool was to let him swim as the clorine would dry out the poison ivy and help it heal faster. She said it would relieve this itching as well

What a smart doctor! Luckily when my son had such a bad breakout we visited someone with a pool who let him swim. A doctor there thought it was a bad idea. It cleared him up in time to go on a trip with friends. He would have been so disappointed if he hadn't been able to go!

I'm going to tell him about the Dawn dish soap in case he runs through any poison again.

OP, I hope your child is feeling better.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

You can buy lye soap at Cracker Barrell.

My sister has also done the pool suggestion. The clorine does wonders. If only a small part of the body has the rash you can also use clorine beach. Have the person sit in the tub and put beach on a rag and hold it on the effected area. Then have the person shower so as not to track bleach through the house.

 

[kaywoody]

DH get poison ivy real bad at least once a summer. This year was the worst with huge blisters on his arms. He went to dr. and got steroids and a cream, and they finally did the trick, but it took a while. A day or two after the doctor visit he still looked bad, but it gradually got better.

OP-I feel sorry for your kiddo! My DH was miserable, and I'm sure your son is too.

 

[jkCT]

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!)

The cream that starts with a "Z" is ZANFEL- it's the only thing that works for my very allergic husband! It also comes in generic forms that are not quite as expensive and a drug store (CVS, etc) should carry them. It's actually a soap/scrub that removes the type of oil that causes the reaction (and will keep causing a worse and worse reaction the longer it stays on/in your skin).

Good luck and I hope somebody here has had an idea that worked!!

 

[Krischaser]

Thanks for all the replies I took him back to the doctor and they gave him more steroids and I am going to try the Z cream and the dawn for showers. It is terrible----I feel so bad for him and he won't stop itching---then it spreads. ugh!

 

[chrismartinique]

Did you wash down everything he was in contact with and might still have oil on it? Bedding, chairs, towels, clothing, shoes?

My son would get poison ivy/oak from time to time and he swears that rubbing alcohol dries it out the best. Dab it on a couple of times a day with cotton balls. He uses that and takes Benedryl.

Please OP don't use alcohol! This is the worst thing you can do. You will dry out the skin too much, and any healing that has taken place will be destroyed from the alcohol. You may also easily form open sores (from the alcohol) which leads to infection from dirty scratching fingernails.

 

[leight]

I would also say that he needs to get a steroid shot at the doctor's. My husband got it really bad and had to get two steroid shots. I washed everything he wore and I think that is how I got it-as I never touched the area of the yard where it was. I too had to get a few steroid shots because I had a severe reaction- it was systemic from the oils that must have been on his clothes. I used benedryl to help with the itching but the only thing that helped with the spread of the reaction was the shots. Good luck !

 

[2bearsmom]

You could try Hyland's homeopathic poison ivy/oak tablets also.

 

[hipchickie]

Thanks for all the replies I took him back to the doctor and they gave him more steroids and I am going to try the Z cream and the dawn for showers. It is terrible----I feel so bad for him and he won't stop itching---then it spreads. ugh!

Scratching it will not spread it, unless he still has the oils under his fingernails. Cut his nails and clean under them with a nail brush

 

[dis-happy]

Definitely the Zanfel. The only thing that works for me---keeps me from being in 3 weeks of agony and changes it to being cleared up completely within 2 days. Wishing the best to your ds.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Please OP don't use alcohol! This is the worst thing you can do. You will dry out the skin too much, and any healing that has taken place will be destroyed from the alcohol. You may also easily form open sores (from the alcohol) which leads to infection from dirty scratching fingernails.

The whole point of him using it is to dry out the sores.

I said *dab* with rubbing alcohol, not take a bath in it.

 

[chrismartinique]

The whole point of him using it is to dry out the sores.

I said *dab* with rubbing alcohol, not take a bath in it.

she said he has it "all over" = lots of alcohol using this treatment. It will irritate the skin, and any open lesions will not heal. You don't have to "dry it up". You have to stop the histamine cycle.

 

[Planogirl]

I have it on my hands right now. I was pulling some weeds and didn't see it.

I did some research and the md sites recommended not using alcohol or bleach. They claim that both items could damage your skin. I don't know, I just use Benadryl spray and wash a lot. Mine isn't as bad as some though.

 

[Flight]

I suffered from contact over both my arms an legs a while back and it was misery. You got a lot of good and hopefully effective solutions here. I can only offer my condolences to your son and wish him a speedy and itch free recovery.

 

[rock_doctor]

Swimming in a relative's swimming pool helped dry it up after he had started to heal.

That is because chlorine based products break down the oil. When every i touch poison ivy or oak i quickly wash my hands and arms in a weak bleach solution and have yet to have any problems. And i am highly allergic to ivy and oak. Maybe take him to a community pool. They tend to keep the chlorine levels relatively high. Good luck, i truly feel for him.

 

[AB6876]

I get poison anything really bad, and it lasts forever. I am so sorry your ds has it. What I use is zanfel (said earlier) and ivy dry ( it is a spray) that combination that works for me..hope he gets better

 

[Fly4free]

Poison Ivy is the pits!!! The one thing that has consistantly worked for me is diluting bleach with 2 parts water (1 part bleach) and swabbing over the infected area several times a day. This removes the oil that causes the reaction and also helps dry the oozing. I get relief after the second day. The first day I cover a large area around the itchy bumps to remove any oils. After that I just try to concentrate on the red bumps.

I had an awful case this summer and couldn't even sleep. I would take a hot (yes hot) bath in Aveeno and soak. Just before getting out of the tub I would run hot water over the itchiest areas, as hot as I could stand, and it would itch like crazy, but then all the histamines were relased and thanks to that and Benadryl I was able to sleep. It sounds strange, but it was an immediate relief. Once all the poison ivy oils are removed from the skin it's ok to be in hot water, but do not use hot water before as this will open the pores and allow more poison in.

Hope your child recovers soon!