Leave in 5 days and what? Poison Ivy! Any tips?

[LISAMWDW]

Yep, of course, I leave in 5 days and have poison ivy all over my legs. Eek!

I have no idea how this happened as I was not anywhere near it, or so I though. Any tips or home remedies to get rid of it quick? I did get a shot from my dr yesterday so that will help.

Great timing, urggh!!

 

[goofy4tink]

I have one, but it's not pleasant. Take a bristle brush, a stiff one, and scrub the rash. That opens it. Then make a paste of salt and water, and rub it on the rash. It really dries it out quickly.
Same idea as going into the ocean.

 

[jhoannam]

Go to your doctor, they have meds they can give you to speed up the recovery.

 

[minnie mum]

Aww, you poor thing. I assume the shot was a steroid? There's not much you can do to make the rash go away faster. All you can do is try to control the itching. Ask your pharmacist for an anti itch lotion like calomel. Oatmeal bath's are soothing. An oral antihistamine can reduce itchiness, but Benadryl, while effective, causes drowsiness. It might be good to take it at bedtime. Cool wet compresses can be soothing. Above all, DONT SCRATCH!!!! This could lead to infection and scarring.

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

Please, do not scratch the rash.
Your body is having a reaction to the oil in the plant. Oatmeal baths are soothing and help with the itching. An over the counter anti-itch cream may help, too. When using cortisone cream, please take care to not use restrictive clothing or bandages over the skin where the cream is applied. (such as large band-aids or back in the day, panty hose. That kind of material, very close to the skin that doesn't breathe well should be avoided when using any steroid cream.)

 

[Momof2Singers]

I had to get a shot for mine because it kept getting worse, but we always go with natural remedies whenever we can

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/poison-ivy-remedies/

 

[cdnjason]

I have one, but it's not pleasant. Take a bristle brush, a stiff one, and scrub the rash. That opens it. Then make a paste of salt and water, and rub it on the rash. It really dries it out quickly.
Same idea as going into the ocean.

 

[hakepb]

Zanfel
http://www.zanfel.com/help

It's a cleaner that binds to and removes the surface urushiol (instead of being stuck to skin)

I had a bout with poison ivy, had 2 dr visits and shots... That did basically nothing. The pharmacist recommended (then it was new) Zanfel, and I finally got relief!

 

[Dayman99]

Calamine lotion at bed time.....It will dry it out and sooth any itch.....

 

[momofkids]

Zanfel
http://www.zanfel.com/help

It's a cleaner that binds to and removes the surface urushiol (instead of being stuck to skin)

I had a bout with poison ivy, had 2 dr visits and shots... That did basically nothing. The pharmacist recommended (then it was new) Zanfel, and I finally got relief!

Worth every penny. Trust me. If you can't find Zanfel, try Technical. Almost as good.

 

[SaintsManiac]

DH had an awful case of it a few years ago. He said the hot water in the shower was the best relief from itch. It went away in about a week.

Good luck!

 

[Elizakapeka]

Zanafe! its an over the counter cream that removes the urishiol from the skin. I had a systemic reaction last year. they gave me steroid cream then Medrol dose pack steroid pills. once the pills are gone the rash flares up again. The meds from the doc help but the Zanafel cream sould work great unless the exposure was weeks ago.

 

[Elizakapeka]

oh and the zanifel is about $45 for a 1 oz tube but it is worth it. I have scars from my first exposure but my second I used zanifel and it was gone in a few days with minimal symptoms

 

[Vivianne]

Also take note of the shoes and clothes that you wore. Wash them with the solution that removes the oils and even traces of these. Sometimes a person can be repeating their exposure to poison ivy. I can't remember the product name but I bought it years ago to deal with the rash when I was clearing leaves, dummy me. I think the oatmeal type solution I used on my arms was called Aveeno and the second solution to wash clothes was from the same company.

 

[a1970model]

In my extensive and allergic experience, the steroids will clear the rash up fastest. I used Zanfel last year after a horrible bout with poison sumac (along with prescribed steroids). It's really expensive, but it does help. In my research, I read the individual who developed Zanfel worked in a plant that produced Mean Green hand scrub. Realizing the connection between the hand scrub and it's ability to remove urushiol, he developed his product Zanfel using the effective ingredient. For the future, invest in a tub of Mean Green Hand Scrub (available on Amazon) and scrub down after any possible exposure to poison ivy/oak/sumac. (I've done full-body scrubs just to be sure. Since I've used it, I've had no further rashes.) Almost all of the reviews on Amazon involve its use against poison ivy.

I hope it heals enough for you to enjoy your vacation!

 

[DopeyDame]

Worth every penny. Trust me. If you can't find Zanfel, try Technical. Almost as good.

The exact same thing happened to me last year. And the sunscreen and sweating in the Florida heat made it so much worse.

Technical helped - absolutely get that or Zanfel and start using it right away. And get a steroid prescription from your doctor.
Your doc will probably tell you to just stick with OTC stuff since it's not on your face, but stress that you're about to go to WDW and really really really need the good stuff.
I wouldn't wish poison ivy in Florida on my worst enemy.

 

[soniam]

DH gets poison ivy rash at the drop of a hat. Try the poison ivy soap and use cortisone and/or Benadryl cream. An oral antihistamine won't hurt either. Good luck. It really sucks.

 

[keishashadow]

Yep, of course, I leave in 5 days and have poison ivy all over my legs. Eek!

I have no idea how this happened as I was not anywhere near it, or so I though. Any tips or home remedies to get rid of it quick? I did get a shot from my dr yesterday so that will help.

Great timing, urggh!!

Probably got a steroid shot, should calm things down quickly. Surprised dr didn't give u oral pills too.

Avenno makes a soothing oatmeal bath that helps

Lots of products to apply after exposure to remove the oils, but that horse has left the building for you.

There is clear calamine lotion

Jmho but Benadryl seems to help too as to taking the red out.

Keep it out of sun, seems to make it worse. Also steroids could cause photo sensitivity.

 

[DVCkidsMOM]

Is Technical something different from Tecnu? I've heard of Tecnu.
Similar to the mean green, I assume; we scrub with Simple Green - full strength but rinse quickly to avoid irritation. We've heard, but have not needed to try, scrubbing with Simple Green even after a rash has developed helps. I guess what you're willing to try would depend on your level of misery.
I assume that sun would be an issue on the rash? Do you have any light weight slacks? Zinc is in some natural sunscreens (and diaper ointments) and it is drying and soothing/healing to skin - if I needed sunscreen on top of a rash, I would use it.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

DH swears by TecNu. Out here in the country he is constantly coming too near poison ivy. Scrub your rash a few times a day with it and it disappears much faster than anything else we've tried.