help with poison ivy?

Question

ok i got this darn poison ivy and now it is really bothering me "go figure right lol" anyways i have it all over the left side of my face, left ear, head "im bald" just under my nose, left and right forarms and a little on my leg. i know alot of people say use oatmeal or something but mine is all over and in alot of places. alsi i currently have caladryl, some anti-itch oinment, and ivy-dry. it dont really itch and when it does i can handle that, my problem is this nast guuuuuu stuff that wont stop coming. i have had this real bad since sunday and it hasnt stopped. it oozes from my left cheek and my ear. it is like a nasty yellowish color, i tried to cover it "with a band-aid" but there is so much it goes thru and continues to fall down my face. i dont have insurance so i dont really want to go to docs/hospital. plz help i need this nasty stuff to quit coming out.

Answer 1

If you know you had contact with one of the plants, immediately wash areas of the skin that may have touched the plant. Sometimes the rash can be completely avoided by washing the affected areas with plenty of water within 10 or 15 minutes of contact. However, most people have up to 4 hours to wash the plant oil off before a reaction occurs. 2 Clothing should also be thoroughly washed immediately. Contaminated surfaces should be cleaned with rubbing alcohol.
To relieve itching and help blisters dry out, apply wet compresses or soak the area in cool water. Antihistamine pills or calamine lotion may help relieve symptoms.
To prevent infection, try not to scratch the rash and cut your fingernails short to minimize the possibility of opening the skin and spreading bacteria.
_______________________________
Antihistamine pills such as diphenhydramine hydrochloride (nonprescription: for example, Benadryl) or hydroxyzine hydrochloride (prescription: for example, Atarax, Rezine) help relieve itching and dry blisters.
Corticosteroid pills may be used to treat a moderate or severe rash. These prescription medications help improve or clear up the rash more quickly. Prescription corticosteroid creams, ointments, shots, or gels may also be used, but pills are usually more effective.
Barrier creams and lotions help prevent the plant oil (urushiol) from coming in contact with the skin or reduce the severity of a reaction. These creams vary in their potency and are not always effective.
You may be able to use a product that dissolves urushiol, such as Tecnu Poison Oak-N-Ivy Cleanser, an organic solvent. These products may reduce the severity of your reaction if used up to 48 hours after exposure.

The most common complication of poison ivy, oak, or sumac rash is a secondary infection, usually caused by scratching. When this occurs, your health professional will probably prescribe a type of topical antibiotic cream if the infection is in a small area. Otherwise, you may need systemic antibiotics, given by injection or prescription pills. 1

What To Think About

The following medications should not be used for poison ivy, oak, or sumac rash, because they can cause allergy problems of their own:

Antihistamines applied to the skin (such as Benadryl cream, spray, or gel; Dermamycin)
Anesthetics applied to the skin containing benzocaine (such as Americaine, Anacaine, Lanacane, Bicozene)
Antibiotics containing neomycin sulfate (such as Neosporin, Neo-Rx, Mycifradin, Poly-Pred)
___________________________________

Answer 2

All the above are great ideas. The oatmeal bath is called Aveeno Oatmeal Bath. When you take a bath, try to make the water cool because the hotter the water is the worse it itches. You can get it at wal-mart or any other store. The caladryl clear works good as well as the pink stuff. Also the benadryl is good advice. I had it so bad once I had to get a cordisone shot and it still took 2 weeks doing the baths and the cover up stuff before it went away. As long as you have washed the clothes you wore when you got it, you are not contagious and it takes a few days to stop spreading. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Okay, sounds like it is becoming infected. You really have to be careful because this infection posions the blood and then it can turn into infatiga and rumatic fever.
Take oatmeal and get it wet and use as a poultice (compress) on the areas. You can also put it in the tub loose, but don't soak for more than 20 mins. Use quacker rolled oats.
Go to health store and purchase Tea Tree Lotion. This is antibiotic, antiimflammatory, antioxidant and anti-bacterial. Now I know they are going to try to get you to use something else, but trust me on this one. My husband and best friend are highly allergic and both have had the other two things I mentioned b/c it became such a state. The tea tree will kill it immediately and dry it up and heal it.
You need to take benedril if you can, this will help fight it internally and keep you comfortable from itching.
The tea tree will keep the discomfort away too. Try to stay out of the sun if possible and any where that is hot, this only irritates it more.
If you lack being able to find the Tea Tree lotion go to www.dandesoap.com, she carries the lotion and soap and the cost is less than $10. You need to keep this on hand always. If you have been working around it, you can wash with the soap and apply the lotion and the mess will not even take hold. You poor thing...My husband has suffered so many times until I got this for him and now we do our yard worry free.
PS: Drink Chamomile tea and you can cleanse the areas with it. It fights infection, takes away the pain and helps speed healing too. You can drink it to desensitize the nerves and take down inflammation and help you to sleep restfully.
Best to you.

Answer 4

If you cut an orange in half and rub the juice side on the rash, the citrus will dry up the ooze. Of course, you will have to repeat the application a number of times. Try this before bed so you won't be touching it. Natural remedies are best. There are no side effects or long term body damage like prescription drugs.You might also want to wash your hands as many times a day as you can to keep from spreading it to other areas. Change your towels or use paper to dry. After a shower, wash your towel every time. The stuff spreads like wild fire and is very contageous.

Answer 5

You do know what to DO with the oatmeal, right? It's not just for eating... you make a paste of it and put it on all the affected areas, and then sit and wait for it to dry - completely - before scraping it off, and repeating.

Poison ivy affects the body through an oil. The oil is spread over the skin by our own sweat, and is very difficult to break down. I would probably use then dish soap for the oil, and then alcohol for the infection, and it would hurt a lot for a couple of minutes, but at least it wouldn't be spreading any further.

If it spreads into your eye, you could go blind. It might be worth going to see a doctor. If you won't do that, then you definitely need to get it under control.

Answer 6

Honestly, it sounds like you are doing what needs to be done. If you were to go to a medical clinic, they offer discounts for uninsured people. Call and ask the price. They would give you a corticosteroid to take orally for a few days, they work pretty fast, and well. Otherwise, ride it out. I wouldn't use adhesive, use gauze fluffs and tape gauze to gauze. Don't itch, and wash your hands before and after you use the toilet. You don't want to experience that rash in the delicate regions!! FYI future exposure-burning poison ivy can leave you to inhale the bad stuff, and you can get the rash orally and in the respiratory system, also all over your body. Take care to protect yourself!!

Answer 7

camameal cream in the pink bottle is the best stuff in the world, and to help with the itcky even more take some over the counter Benadryl to help fight the itcky from the inside.
Also there is a bath treatment with oatmeal, not the kind you eat, it comes in little packs and you just soak in the warm tub, with a wash rag on your face. this will help I have done this method for a long time my son somehow find the oak every year,

Answer 8

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
help with poison ivy?
ok i got this darn poison ivy and now it is really bothering me "go figure right lol" anyways i have it all over the left side of my face, left ear, head "im bald" just under my nose, left and right forarms and a little on my leg. i know alot of people say use oatmeal or...

Answer 9

KEEP THIS AWAY FROM EYES!! make a mixture of 1/3rd bleach & 2/3rds water ; dab on area a few times a day, any Raw areas will burn like hell. but this will dry it all up in a short period of time. my friend is extreeemly alergic to ivy&oak yet he still goes hunting every year and he always carries some with him.

Answer 10

cold compresses will help the itch, but the oozing you need calamine lotion for that (hope i spelled that right) It will dry up some of the ooze you are talking about