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Home covered in poison ivy! help!

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whitby_2773

whitby_2773

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 5, 2009
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2,655
good morning all :)

got a bit of a problem here...

tim walks one of our dogs every day and the night before last came home and said ''i think i walked through poison ivy''. tim is HIGHLY allergic (me, not at all).

well, yesterday he had the tell tale itchy red rash, but this morning....oh man! blisters everywhere! arms, legs, face.... consequently he''s off work and probably will be tomorrow also - he looks terrible and is incredibly uncomfortable.

so - since we''re not used to poison ivy (being australian, we dont have it where we come from) we don''t really know how to treat it. does anyone have any sure fire remedies? he''s had it twice before and has just ''sat it out'', but it took WEEKS to heal completely; he''s just so sensitive to it!

any help would be very appreciated!
 
Collect the clothes he wore yesterday and anything else they may have touched (laundry pile for example). WASH THEM IMMEDIATELY in hot water and bleach/colorsafe bleach. Wash anything you can that he personally touched as well. Sheets, pillow cases, blankets, throw pillows. Poison ivy rash is caused by the oil of the plant so you want to make sure you get it all. Also, if he walked the dog through it, chances are the dog has some of the oil on his/her fur and can keep spreading it around (my dad's cat's favorite trick). You may want to consider giving the dog a bath.

Re the rash: Have him shower and wash really well with soap. Also, have him take benadryl or Zyrtec (Zyrtec shouldn't make him too sleepy) for the itching. In my experience, calamine isn't worth a damn. I use something called "Domoboro" which is a powder you make a soak from. I wet a washcloth in it and lay it over the rash. It helps to dry it out. Aveeno oatmeal baths also work well for PI.

Considering he has it head to toe and is very sensitive, you may want to consider going to see a Dr. Sometimes when it's really bad like that it requires steroids to get it under control. As the rash is caused by a histamine reaction, it's possible for your body to get hyper-sensitive to the state and break out in random rashes after the fact even when there's no PI present. This happened to me when I was in HS. I basically had a systemic histamine reaction that caused constant poison ivy-like rashes all over my body. It sucked royally.

Poor hubby
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I hope he feels better soon.

P.S. You should probably wash the clothes you wore yesterday and/or slept next to him in and shower as well.
 
oh gees louise!! this isnt good!

thanks for all the tips HH - he is SO miserable! he, and all his side of the family, are very sensitive to skin issues and he often gets eczema (hugely itchy and misery-inducing for him) - and has in fact just (like - 2 days ago) gotten a nasty dose of it in all the same places where he now has poison ivy! he''s just miserable
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i''m going to shoot him off to the dr i think - given that he works with clients, this isnt a good look and his blisters this morning are raised at least 1/4 - 1/3 of an inch and filled with clear yellow fluid. not good.

thanks for all the suggestions - am going to do them all RIGHT NOW!
 
Date: 6/10/2009 8:50:46 AM
Author: whitby_2773
oh gees louise!! this isnt good!


thanks for all the tips HH - he is SO miserable! he, and all his side of the family, are very sensitive to skin issues and he often gets eczema (hugely itchy and misery-inducing for him) - and has in fact just (like - 2 days ago) gotten a nasty dose of it in all the same places where he now has poison ivy! he''s just miserable
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i''m going to shoot him off to the dr i think - given that he works with clients, this isnt a good look and his blisters this morning are raised at least 1/4 - 1/3 of an inch and filled with clear yellow fluid. not good.


thanks for all the suggestions - am going to do them all RIGHT NOW!
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If he has eczema then you definitely want him to go to the doc. Those sensitive areas are the exact thing I''m talking about when I say you can get a systemic reaction that lasts after the initial reaction. Those places are prime areas for secondary reactions (mine were between my fingers, behind my ears, behind my knees, behind my elbows).

Also, I knwo they say you shouldn''t pop the blisters, but I always found that using a sterilized needle/lancet to lace (drain) the blister and then covering with sterile gauze helped move things along. There''s nothing grosser than randomly popping blisters as you go throughout your day!
 
HH - i''ve stripped everything and it''s all in the basement going through the washer.

i mentioned to him what you said about the systemic PI thing - and he said straight away - ''oh yeah - i get that...'' and as soon as he said it, i remembered a couple of times where he''d shown me PI looking blisters without having come into contact with it! and it was always...between fingers, back of the knees, forearms - exactly where you said! my dr''s office has only just opened, so i''m gonna call them now and try to get him in.

seriously - thank you for the help.
 
Good Luck!!!


ugh, I itch just thinking about it!
 
If he''s allergic, he should see a doctor. He''ll probably need steroids.

I''m allergic to poison oak and had a stink where I kept getting it from my cat. I would be prescribed prednisone, which is an awful drug, but it did the job. Then I would take regular oatmeal baths. You take an old clean sock, put a cup of oatmeal in it, tie it in knot, and put it in the bath and squeeze it until the water is really cloudy. You can also buy aveeno bath, if you don''t want to go the oatmeal route, but the dermatologist told me the oatmeal was the same thing.

Benadryl (diphenhydramine) makes ya drowsy, but it sure works to keep you from itching. Take it at night, to counteract the prednisone, which will keep you up all night. I''m pretty sure you can take zyrtec during the day too, but ask the doctor. I take allegra and I know you can take both. But, allegra and zyrtec are different meds, so it''s best to make sure that zyrtec and benadry don''t interact.

I read that rubbing the inside of a banana skin on the affected areas can help, but if it''s to the point of severe blistering, it really is best to see a doctor because infection is a risk.

I hope he feels better soon. Poison Ivy/Oak can be so miserable!
 
thanks house-cat - he''s off to the dr this morning. he is one sad little itchy person today!
 
Date: 6/10/2009 10:23:15 AM
Author: House Cat

If he''s allergic, he should see a doctor. He''ll probably need steroids.
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Yep. My middle one gets it bad, that''s the only thing that knocks it out quickly.
 
Whitby - definitely send him to the Dr. This is a systemic allergic reaction, so while minimizing additional exposure will help, he could have only come in contact with a small amount and he could still have a body-wide reaction.

Given that its a systemic allergic reaction, the Dr. will probably prescribe Prednisone or another steroid to try to control the allergic reaction, and it should help much sooner than just waiting it out.

And for next time, the minute he thinks he has been exposed, I''d start a regimen of some sort of anti-histamine right away - benadryl is probably best, but if that makes him too drowsy, zyrtec or claritin or whatever would help too - that will help to head off the allergic reaction as its developing and hopefully make it more mild.

I''m sorry for your husband - that sounds completely miserable, I hope he''s able to get some relief soon!
 
As a kid I used to get it and tried all the home remedies and they failed, I went to my pediatrician who did nothing for me. Now that I know there are options I wish I would have.

The best way to manage poison ivy is with a steroid taper. You have to take the pills for 7-10 days and decrease the dose gradually. Some doctors give a 4 day burst, but the PI usually lasts longer than the burst (which is why a longer one is recommended). My sister has had this done for poison oak, and it worked well. She felted a little bloated and moody, but those were the only side effects. Steroids tend to have some bad effects associated with them, but I won''t worry about them for 1 time short term use.
 

No suggestions, as I''ve never had it, but wanted to hop in and say hopefully all the suggestions here help - sounds awful.


And kind of funny (at least I hope you see it that way) that you''re from a country with all kinds of things that can kill you (apparently one of the world''s most poisonous trees can be found in the daintree and one touch can cause a most horrible, painful death), and you''ve managed yet come here and poor DH gets attacked by poison ivy. Ugh!

 
Thanks purrfectpear, Ellen, AmberGretchen, LtlFirecracker and TGal.

We’ve stripped everything today and washed as thoroughly as we can; anything that can be bleached has been. He’s having an oatmeal bath this evening and tomorrow morning he goes to the dr for steroids. He’s also off work till it subsides somewhat – today it broke out all over his face. Fabulous. It''s sending him mad.

And TGal – exactly! Australia has the 10 deadliest spiders AND snakes and tim is finally taken down…by a PLANT. Go figure.
 
Joining in late but...
Make sure and wash sheets and pillow cases every day in hot hot water (you probably already do this).
I love oatmeal baths and then after drying off I slather on Clearasil acne cream (conveniently borrowed from one of my teenagers) (my secret magic cure for poison ivy) and then pack on cornstarch before bed. My son and I get the stuff bad. My husband and daughter do not. Weird how genetics work.

I hope your hubby is feeling better!
 
just an update...

lots of blisters popped yesterday and overnight, and half a dozen of them now looking red and angry, borderline infected.

dr in 3 hours - and cant come soon enough.
 
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Hopefully the steroids kick in fast once he gets them!
 
Whitby-I was super swamped today and didn''t have much time to PS. How''s hubby feeling? Did the visit with the Dr. go well??
 
Date: 6/11/2009 8:12:21 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Whitby-I was super swamped today and didn''t have much time to PS. How''s hubby feeling? Did the visit with the Dr. go well??
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Yes, I''ve been wondering too....



And btw, thanks H.
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Youch! I just saw this post and I sincerely hope your husband''s condition is improving and that the doctor can give him some good help.

I do know people who have had to take steroids for poison ivy and poison oak. My own doctor told me of one patient that had two 10 day rounds of prednisone before they finally knocked it out. But in the end, it will stop and will be ok.

I feel really bad for your DH. I know how awful it can feel to have a problem like that - I hope he recovers soon.
 
hi HH and Miss E,

he''s a MESS. he went to the dr today and is now on steroids for 4 weeks, which, as you''d know, is a pretty long course. it''s just coming out all over his body - so i''m guessing it''s a systemic reaction. it''s over half his face, and one eyelid in particular, and going into the corner of his eye, which is ugly and worrying too. up over his scalp, down both arms, back of both knees now, and spreading... and he''s MISERABLE.

he''s not on antibiotics yet - but has a follow up appt on monday to check if any of the burst blisters are getting infected. the blisters burst, then refill, then burst, refill again, and so on and so on.

tim normally has the constitution of an ox, but when he goes down, he goes down hard. this is one of those times.

and - of COURSE - we have house guests arriving tomorrow and staying till monday evening, so it''s going to be up to me to entertain them while he''s incapacitated - he''s just so uncomfortable in his skin at the moment.
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thanks for asking tho - the advice was invaluable.

and HH - i received a $100 gift voucher from von bargen''s today - just for being a loyal customer. i have to spend $250+ to cash it in, but i collect gold charms from them, and they''re all around $200-400, so i''m sure i''ll be able to find one i want around $250 and get it instead for $150. and it''s my birthday on the 20th, so i''m sure i can justify this. :) (if i can find one of a cowbell i''ll give it to tim so he can wear it and wander round going ''unclean! unclean!'')
 
Oh, my! I am so sorry! Is there no way you can postpone the visit from your guests?
 
gah! good luck whitby!
 
Oh gosh, your poor hubby. I am sorry; I hope he starts to feel better soon.
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Oh man!
 
I am so sorry, I know how miserable he must be. I hope he gets better soon!
 
Thanks justjulia, Beacon, diamondseeker, swimmer, Skippy and LtlFirecracker

I’ve never seen anyone have allergic reactions like tim. M sister used to get bad food allergies when she was a little girl, and get hives all over her body, but even they weren’t as bad as this. This is horrible. Some of the blisters have burst permanently now (I think) and are starting to scab over and sometimes they dry stuck to his clothes. It’s disgusting and painful looking. I’m really hoping he looks better on Tuesday when he has to go back to work – he’d scare small children at the moment!
 
Oh boy, your poor DH.
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I am sure the prednisone will put him right in a very short while. It is powerful and it will work. You know, maybe when he recovers he should meet with an allergist to get an overall idea of what is going on. If he has a lot of sensitivity, it might make sense for him to have an "epi pen" with him, in case anything ever went over the top. (I kinda want one myself
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)

Good luck to you both - I am sure he will be more comfortable very soon!
 
Oh Whitby that sounds horrible
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I have very sensitive skin and I can''t imagine how sore and uncomfortable he must be feeling.. especially spreading over his eyelids
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Date: 6/12/2009 7:04:46 AM
Author: Dannielle
Oh Whitby that sounds horrible
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I have very sensitive skin and I can''t imagine how sore and uncomfortable he must be feeling.. especially spreading over his eyelids
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hi danielle :)

he''s just left to go and collect our house-guests from the airport. he looked like such a sad little thing - i wanted to pop him back into bed with a cup of coffee, a tv and one of our dogs to cuddle.

our visitors will be here for 4 days and, while it''s someone we love, it''s not great timing. we''re meant to be doing all sorts of things, and tim is NOT keen on being seen in public right now, given that he looks like something that escaped from a lepers'' colony. the prednisone does seem to be helping already tho - i could see a reduction in the swelling already. hopefully the next 48 hours will see a big improvement.

thanks for the warm wishes tho :) i''m passing them all on to him and he is feeling very ''center of attention-ish'' - which he swears he hates...but secretly loves!

have a great weekend!
 
and i thought i''d throw up a photo of tim so you''d know who we''re all talking about. here he is - minus the head-to-toe blisters - cuddling one of our dogs... i''ve passed all your messages on to him, and he feels hugely popular, despite the itch!
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Could you get off the phone now a.jpg
 
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