I'm becoming paranoid about this...I (unknowingly) got into it last Thursday, and started itching on Friday. The thing is, I really didn't realize it was poison ivy till around Saturday. So for basically 2 days I went about everything normal. I finally remembered what I wore that day, so I washed it. Threw out my shoes, wiped down surfaces. But I am so paranoid because people say that the oil can "live" for even a year or more! Obviously if I knew I had come in contact with it, I would have done everything then. . The worst I have it is my right arm, then some spots on my ankles and feet (flipflops..argh!) I'm taking Prednisone, and it is definitely clearing. But now I'm freaked that it's everywhere. It's obviously impossible to cover every last Sq. Ft. of my house. Suggestions?
Answer:
Several years ago I worked burying cable lines underground. As part of my job I would often become exposed to Poison Ivy. One day I developed a horrible case of it. It spread all over my body and I became extremely uncomfortable. I tried Benedryl, Oatmeal… and just about everything I could find over the counter. I even went to a doctor, and she gave me some kind of prescription medicine. Even with the prescription my rash still did not go away.I looked online, and I read everything that I could find. Eventually I found an over the counter product called Technu. I ordered it online, but sometimes I see it at Walgreens. I was excited about this product because rather than simply covering up the rash, like other products are designed to do, the stuff I read about Technu said that it would enable me to suck the oil out of the rash. You take a shower, then apply Technu to the rash and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then rinse the Technu off… . (Check the label for the exact instructions.) Here is how the process works as I understand it;
Poison Ivy leaves an oil that actually grows or multiplies under your skin. This process forms little pimple heads on your skin. Your skin becomes “itchy” because the pimple heads are expanding the skin. Unfortunately when you itch your skin you spread the oil, and ultimately more pimple heads are formed. The thing about Technu is that it enables you to actually suck the oil out of the pimple heads without having it spread to other parts of your body. It would seem that you could take a shower and simply wash the oil out, but for some reason soapy showers only seem to spread Poison Ivy. The stuff in Technu is obviously different from normal soap. Technu worked for me after I had a huge rash, but it seems to work even better if you use it immediately after being exposed to Poison Ivy. Anyway, from that point on I purchased Technu in bulk, and I kept it on my truck. If I ever had to work around Poison Ivy I would make it a point to apply Technu as soon as I could. From that point on I never had a problem with Poison Ivy ever again. Let me know how it works for you. PS, if any medical people read this I would be interested to see what you think. The doctor I went to didn't know about Technu, and I really don't know why... From what I've seen this is the cure for Poison Ivy. Period.
go to WebMD and look it up. That sight is always very helpful.
RELAX. You don't even need to throw the shoes out. The oil might stay around a while, but nothing at the level that will affect you.In order for it to get to your skin, the skin has to be receptive to the coating this oil makes. Normally your skin can ward off some of the poison ivy oil anyway (depending upon your skin condition).I'd say, just give the house a good cleaning like you would before a party or having guests over, and get some calamine lotion on the affected areas. I have also found that swimming in chlorinated pools keeps the skin dry enough that the poison ivy goes away fast.
There is now an over the counter med for poison ivy and oak check your local drug store.my son is in boyscouts never leave home with out it on a camping trip!
Good Lord this is not the plague. As a healthcare provider (who incidently put a couple people today on predisone for this very reason) I don't know who told you this bunch of bull but you are working yourself into a lather for nothing. Quit...relax. I'm already feeling bad that you threw out your shoes. You needed to do none of this.
I know how you feel. I get it very bad. Like hospital bad. It was probably just on your cloths and shoes and you took care of that, so i would'nt worry too much. theres this stuff that firefighters use when they have to go in the woods. Its called "Tecnu". you can use it before you get exposed, and use it to wash after exposure. It works great. Oh, dont forget to wipe down the steering wheel and and door knobs.
You'll be fine. Be aware though that people who get a severe reaction to poison ivy should not eat mangoes since it belongs to the same family as poison ivy. I read that somewhere several years ago.
We just went through the same thing. My kids got into it, I wasnt even in the stuff and I got it on my neck. I was afraid to touch myself anyplace, afraid I'd get it there too. I washed all the kids shoes, clothes, bedding. We havent gotten it back. Im sure you're fine now.
There's no reason to be paranoid. Poison Ivy oils will only get on things that your clothing or shoes touched. What you need to do is just wash your contaminated clothes really good with the hottest water your clothes can stand without damaging them and a good detergent. You may want to wear disposable gloves and long sleeves to prevent any residual oils from touching you again when you wash. If your contaminated clothes touch any other clothes, you'll want to wash them, too. That should take care of the problem. It's good that you're taking Prednisone because that stuff works great for allergic reactions.Here is what to do if you get into Poison Ivy again and you realize you've been exposed. Within an hour of exposure, remove all your contaminated clothes and place them in a plastic bag to wash later. That way, they will not contaminate other clothing. Next, take a shower but under no circumstances DO NOT use hot water and soap first! Instead, rinse for 10 minutes with COLD water. Hot water opens up your pores and allows the oils to become more readily absorbed into your skin. Soap only helps spread them around. The cold water will be uncomfortable but it will wash off most of the oil. After the rinse, then you may wash with hot water and soap for another 10 minutes.
Ok... To get rid of the itch is easy... But I'm really not sure how to get rid of it unless lysol or something gets rid of it.. But for the itch it sounds pretty bad. This method also heals it some. Ok. You get a banana and peel it. Rub the inside of the skin on the infected areas. You should also go to the doctor to get antibiotics for it.
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