Wah!!!

[Emerald Sky]

Just looking for some sympathy here. I have my first ever case of poison ivy. :( I didn't realize all those pretty vines growing in my sacred space were poisonous. :eek: I'm really bummed b/c they are EVERYWHERE!!! I really don't want to destroy all of the vines so I guess I'll just try my best not to come in contact with the sap. So, anyone have any good ideas to help with the itchies? :rolleyes:

[Lucidia]

calamine lotion (the pink stuff that is also good for other itchy-making-rashy-plants like poison oak and sumak... and also for chicken pox). It's cheap and all ya do is rub it on and leave it to dry and it helps a lot.

and don't scratch too much!

hope you feel better soon!!!!

[loopy]

Aw, that sucks. I never had poison ivy, but I had chicken pocks and mosquito bites, so I kinda know what you're going through. :) Feel better soon, and have lots of friendly pink calamine lotion. :)

[Rævyn Cigány]

Originally posted by Lucidia
calamine lotion (the pink stuff that is also good for other itchy-making-rashy-plants like poison oak and sumak... and also for chicken pox). It's cheap and all ya do is rub it on and leave it to dry and it helps a lot.

and don't scratch too much!

hope you feel better soon!!!!

I agree with Lucidia...and any kind of lotion with menthol in it I feel helps as well...my aunt used to make this paste with a menthol cream (can't remember the brand) and a watered-down calamine lotion that worked wonders for poison ivy (I've never had it personally, but she used it on me when I had chicken pox...worked wonders, as I remember!) It cools down the itchy, hot feeling you get with skin rashes like that. Hope this helps, and I hope you're feeling much better soon!

BB
Rae )0(

p.s. come to think of it, I must be a freak...I was a Brownie,Girl Guide (Canadian version of Girl Scouts), and Pathfinder (one up from GG) and I NEVER caught poison ivy...I was ALWAYS in the woods! Hm...go fig ;)

[rantnraven]

In bootcamp (Army), some piece of equipment I was carrying brushed up against some. I was cleaning the equipment in front of me locker after we returned from the field.

Long story short, while cleaning, we had "mail call" and I got a letter. I sat down in front of the locker to read the mail. The following morn, my butt had a major rash and I couldn't sit still (let alone, SIT). Over the next few days, it spread forward and UP:eek:

Like I said, I feel for you. :(

Be well.

RnR

[Emerald Sky]

Originally posted by rantnraven
In bootcamp (Army), some piece of equipment I was carrying brushed up against some. I was cleaning the equipment in front of me locker after we returned from the field.

Long story short, while cleaning, we had "mail call" and I got a letter. I sat down in front of the locker to read the mail. The following morn, my butt had a major rash and I couldn't sit still (let alone, SIT). Over the next few days, it spread forward and UP:eek:

Like I said, I feel for you. :(

Be well.

RnR

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: 8O 8O :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Sorry, I just had to laugh. :D

[MistOfTheSea86]

I feel for ya man!!!

[Faery-Wings]

*gentle sympathy hugs*

I get Poison Ivy pretty bad myself. There is a product called Oak and Ivy Armor that you put on before you go outside and there is also a wash that you can use if you do come in contact with the d*** stuff. Both are made by Technu. Avon also makes something similar, but I don't know how well that one works. I know they are not *green* but it sure beats cortisone shots in the butt :eek:


Feel better!!
Chris, BTDT

[Artemis84]

Ouch! Well think of it this way: at least you didn't have a bad case of ants in your pants, and the teachers came running, and you had to have your pants pulled down so they could brush of the fire ants from you rear, and everyone laughed at you, and you never wanted to return to preschool again, until the next day when you got ice cream after lunch. Yeah. At least that didn't happen. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything :) The best thing for any type of nature induced injury, is aloe cream. There's this green aloe goo that you can buy in a bottle like a soap dispenser. Sunburn, poison ivy, ant bites, whatever, it will feel soooo good when you rub it on your skin! Nice and cool. Ahhhhh.... Sorry about your sacred space! I hope you find one that Mother Earth hasn't booby trapped already. ;)

Bright Blessings!

[Rick]

~and hopes said wood doesn't have poison ivy on it~

Well, I'm pretty old, & have successfully avoided poison ivy so far. I've heard you can make a kinda paste from oatmeal (oatmeal & a little cold water). It's supposed to be soothing AND dry the stuff up. If the itchy spots "weeps", others can catch it from contact. Sometimes even after washing, clothing that has come into contact with poison ivy can spread it. My old Granny would get it when my Grandad woulld burn the brush out of the fencerow, & the smoke would blow toward the house (yes, strange but true!). It's pretty nasty stuff!

[Emerald Sky]

Actually, you can't get it from another person... (if my rash were to weep, noone else could get it... it would just mean my rash was probably infected.) However, you are correct that you can get it from the smoke from burning it, and form clothes that have the poison sap on them. The sap is what is poisonous, and as long as you don't come in contact with it, you won't get it. Usually, the sap is only around if the plant is bruised or broken. If the sap does get on your clothes, it can remain poisonous and be spread for up to a year! :eek: So, they recommend washing EVERYTHING!!!

So how did I get the nasty rash? We were trimming the low branches on the tree in my sacred space, and there was this lovely vine growing up the one branch that we cut. So, I draped the pretty, green vine onto another branch... no big deal. Well, a few days later, that pretty vine was so heavy that it blew off of the branch I had draped it on and broke! :( I felt bad for it because it was only half broken, so I broke it off the rest of the way and moved the eight foot piece of vine to my burn pile. Luckily, I didn't burn it yet. It was cold that day so I had on long sleeves, pants and boots, but sadly, no gloves. :( Who would have thought that pretty green vine was poison ivy!!! (Gosh, do I feel like an idiot! LOL! :D )

[idusty88]

Besides the Calamine (which works and is the least expensive), you can use hydrocortizone cream for the itchiest spots.
Aveeno baths are helpful, but a little expensive. You can make your own by putting a cup or two of oatmeal in a blender or food processor and grinding it to a coarse powder. Put the oatmeal powder into your bathwater and soak a while. When I used it for mine I also added a few drops of mint and lavendar essential oils and a few of iodine; all to help dry it out, smell good and prevent secondary infections.
Rævyn Cigány idea of using menthol and Rick's idea for using oatmeal paste sound good. The oatmeal powder would be good for making the paste. Aloe vera can help to heal, but it won't do anything about the itchiness or drying up the oozing. One reason aloe works so well on burns is that it prevents the area from drying out and in the case of poison ivy rash that is counterproductive.

[eaglewolf]

Originally posted by Emerald Sky
...So, they recommend washing EVERYTHING!!!


I just wanted to add... especially your shoes and shoe laces... most people over look this (who washes their shoes :rolleyes: ) but it is important.

Also, taking an allergy medicine, such as Benadryl, can help with the itching, and reduce the desire to scratch.

There have been some good suggestions for treatment here... you main objective is to keep it from getting infected. You'll know it is infected if the exposed area becomes tender to the touch and hurts (not stings, "burns" or itches). If it spreads to more than 10% of your body (about the size of your abdominal area) to your face (your eyes can easily become infected and swell shut), to the genital area, or a pus developes (not the oil which is produced by your body naturally which is clear or a little yellowish) you need to seek medical attention.

I only say this, not to scare you, but because it is important. If you fear any of the conditions above, I suggest calling the hospital or your doctor first (before acquiring a hefty bill), for they can save you a trip if it is not serious.

It is also true that the oils from the plant can remain for more than a year (it does not degrade), even if the plant is dead. It will stay on clothes, pets, tools, anything... for long periods of time.

Our daughter is allergic to it, and it is a nightmare in our house... she is currently recovering from a rash right now. Her eyes and face swell every time, without fail... it can be nasty stuff. Unlike viral infections, repeated exposure does not build immunity... it makes things worse. The more you come in contact with the oil produced, the more likely you are to become allergic to it :(.

~ew

[Rick]

My HoneyGirl (who is very wise, & the smartest person I know [well, besides me, of course :cool: ]) tells me that, as a part of "folk medicine", she knows of people that give their children poison ivy to eat in the belief that it will give them immunity. If enough is ingested, it can be fatal in a child (or an adult, if you're reaction is severe enough).

Pretty weird....

[Lavender]

The oatmeal bath is an excellent idea...not only does the oatmeal helps with the itching, it also draws out the toxins & helps the healing to go faster. Try grinding up some oatmeal & putting it in a nylon stocking sack. Use this to "soap" yourself in the bath.

Mix in equal parts of vinegar, buttermilk & salt. This helps to soothe the itching. Or a paste of baking soda & water applied to the itchy areas. Calamine lotion is probably a lot more socially acceptable than walking around smelling like buttermilk & vinegar!

[Lilu]

Ick. This is why I'm a water baby, and not a forest friend. *grin*

Of course, I've never come across poison ivy... I assume it exists in Australia? Anyone know? I suppose I should figure out what the stuff looks like so I don't come across it out here in WI... :D

Oh how I miss the beach! The only thing you had to worry about there were man-of-wars and sharks! hehe ;)

I feel sorry for you ... and I know that calamine lotion was great on my chicken pox, imagine it'd work for poison ivy.

BB
Lilu

[Emerald Sky]

Here's a pic of it...

[Reeny]

You have been given some of the best remedies for poison Ivy.
I've never had it. But have known some who have had it. Don't scratch too much! Hope you feel better soon!

Reeny!

[sherry]

I found out the hard way that you can get this by burning it!!
We were cleaning up the yard and burning weeds and stuff i was veery careful to use gloves !! well the next morning I was broke out in the strangest places like the bottoms of my feet, behind my knees, ect.

I went to the DR. he said it was poison ivy and it was in my lungs also and i got pneumonia also!!

The treatment that i was told was to take oatmeal baths then apply a cream that reduces swelling reddness and relieves pain.

I thought they were nuts but it works and also for cuts and scrapes on kids.

Guess what kind of cream it was (* blushing*) prep.H cream!!!

[Lilu]

Thanks for the pic!

I was wondering what the texture of it is like. The leaves' shape and colour looks VERY familiar, but I remember the leaves being sort of furry back home... I am wondering if it is the same thing.

Is it like stinging nettles?

Interesting! Thanks!
Lilu

[Dellit Tandannon]

chamomile will take the poison out of the affected areas, and it stops some of the itching too. i hope you feel better soon

[Merrie]

Try taking a cold bath with some baking soda in it to help with the itching. And I have to reccomend what so many already have- calamine is a real godsend sometimes :)
Hope you feel better, soon.