Poison Ivy

[mullyman]

In the past; I never had problems with poison ivy, actually giving the fact that where I live (wooded lot); poison ivy is as common place as any other weeds, I was the one responsible for removal. The past two weeks I contacted poison ivy in the moving of some flowers for my wife and I can not get rid of it.

Is this due to be Type II?

[princesslinda]

I do transcription for a dermatologist and we are seeing a lot of poison ivy now that it's spring/summer. I'm not familiar with a correlation between diabetes and poison ivy, but I can offer some basic information that i've learned from what I type...probably more than you wanted to know.

The rash is caused by an antigen that gets on your skin(Rhus dermatitis is the medical term for poison ivy, oak or sumac). It can take several days for the rash to develop and the rash can last 12-15 days after it starts. Scratching the blisters do not cause them to spread (though they can get infected). The new lesions that come up are from the initial exposure.
Most times, my doc gives a medrol dose pack and/or a cortisone shot; however, in a diabetic, this can wreck all kinds of havoc with blood sugar.
Cool compresses, calamine/caladryl lotion, Ivy-dry (an OTC topical) will help. Also oral meds like Benadryl/Atarax can help control the itching (but can have a sedating factor).

In the future, after any possible exposure, immediately change clothes, shower, was any tools you may have used. Many people get the poison ivy from their pets who have ran through weeds and woods.

Hope you feel better soon.

[RLK]

My husband gets poison ivy at the drop of a hat and has needed steroids in order to get rid of it in the past. He swears by a product called Zanfel. It's a scrub that gets rid of all of the oils on your skin. It's not cheap, but a little goes a long way, and it works really well for him.

[notme]

My son is so prone to poison oak (we live in CA) that he is terrified now of the stuff. One of the thing he uses is Fels Naptha. Fels Naptha is an old time laundry bar detergent. You can get it at Wal-Mart and Target. Don't look in the soap area, but in the area where laundry detergent is kept. It will dry out the rash and keep it from spreading.

[lgvincent]

Back in the mid-80's, I fell into some of it and now if I get close enough to see it I'll break out. Any time I start itching, I wash the area with bleach and then wash that off with water. It works even after the area has started itching although I use it as soon as I notice an outbreak.

[owlyn]

Okay, here's what works. The rest works (Fels naptha, bleach, etc.) but not for the reasons you think. They work because they are wet.

The top secret about the urishol oil that these posion plants secrete is that it is water soluble. That's right, rinse with lots of COLD water (warm or hot water will open the pores and allow it to seep in). The trick is that you need to rinse it off as soon as possible, before it bonds with the skin (usually 20 minutes maximum). Once it bonds, it starts the irritation process, and it is usually too late. Some products out there will break the bond, but you still have to be quick.

Soooo, if you think you've been exposed, get to some cold water, and rinse rinse rinse, and try not to rinse onto yourself! IOW, if it's on your forearms, try to rinse so your hands don't get wet. If they do, rinse them too. Also, do NOT use soap at first, as that will cause the oil to dissipate and spread. Use plain water. After you have rinsed thoroughly, you can use soap, and rinse real well again.

The oil will stay on tools, clothing, anything it touches almost forever. So, rinse those things too. Try not to touch anything if you have made contact. For example, if you think you have it on your fingers, grab a napkin or paper towel to turn on the cold water, or else you will spread it to the faucet. The stuff is evil. The way it spreads on your body is like this:

You touch it with your hands. Then, because you have been doing gardening, you are sweating, so you wipe your face or arm or leg. Now you've spread the oil. Maybe you get a little itch. You scratch it. Spread the oil.

BTW, my experience with steroids was horrible. I think what happens is that the steroids mess with all of your hormones. Your BG shoots up, and you take insulin. Well, the steroids work in such a way that they try to counteract the additional insulin, sending your BG higher. Basically, you're on a treadmill going nowhere fast, or maybe even backwards. At least that's what happened to me.

You've been warned!