Poison Ivy

[Yammer Dan]

Hope they get it cleared up Randy.

[Pegasus1300]

Old time Fels Naptha soap really helps dry up the blisters and a product called Ivy Dry comes in a soap and a liquid these are my go to products

Wow I had forgotten about the Fels Naptha soap. Where do you get it these days. I haven't seen that in years.

[Snaggletooth]

then the flame thrower. This is the one I use, it feels good watching it turn to ash.

 

I don't know if this is a proven fact but what I've seen. Some friends of mine, came by mishap to find a large patch of poison ivy on their property while cleaning up the area and suffered from the contact. They got rid of the exposed clothing they had worn and after couple weeks of treating the rashes the decided to burn off the nasty growth in that area. They did a controlled burn and avoided any contact with the plants and cleared the entire area to ash and had the burn area plowed under.

 

By that night they both were suffering the same rashes as they did from direct contact only a lot more of their skin was covered. The doctors said they thought that the oil from the poison ivy was probably carried by the smoke as the growth burned off. His best advise.... stay upwind as far as possible and another two weeks of treatments of shots, pills and creams.

[dacheedah]

I have to use a topical steroid cream and it shuts it down in less than 24 hours

[MasterGuns]

Randy, I completely understand your bout with poison ivy. I had the same experience in 1999 when I purchased 3 acres of virgin property covered with brush, and what I found out after my first day clearing out the brush (by hand), poison ivy and poison oak. The first day of work I was in flip flops and shorts. What a dummy I was however I had never been around poison ivy as I spent the last 30 years in the Marines and was in the western pacific. Anyway, after a couple days my lower legs looked I had a really serious case skin rot. The itching was the worst ever. Shots of steroids, all kinds of topical so-called poison ivy medications did nothing to alleviate the itching and oozing. In a last ditch attempt to find relief, I turned to a really old Marine Corps First Aid manual. It said to soak the affected area in hot water at a temp that you could handle. It stated that as soon as the really hot water contacted the affected area the itching would increase a lot. This is the hot water drawing out the histamine from the rash. After a minute or two the itching would subside and disappear. This treatment would also expedite the rash healing and the itching would be eliminated for up to 24 hours. I tried this treatment immediately and it really, really worked.

 

Herb

[JDaniel]

Eck, peeing on your legs is for athletes foot. Hope you get rid of the poison ivy before it moves north to the boys. That is no fun at all.

[Venturous Randy]

Most of the affected area is mostly just hard scabs. The problem I am having now is around my ankles. Yesterday, I was at the blister/oozing state and I took Dawn (foam) detergent and rubbed it on this area before I wet it. I then rinsed it off with hot water and when it dried I put some Ivarest on it and let it dry. from that point on, the itching has stopped. Today, that area looks much better. I believe the Dawn detergent is probably as good as any of the ivy wash stuff and it breaks down oil real good.

Thought I would attach a couple pictures of the front of my left leg and the back of my right leg. These areas are mostly scabs and not itching.

Randy

[cabreco]

I have dabbed straight Clorox on oozing poison ivy. It dries it out. Also Aveeno oatmeal soap. They sell a bath to soak in & a soap bar to wash with.

BTW that's not too bad...you should have seen the fiasco I had.

[Grandpagak]

I once had poison oak so bad that i was afraid that it was goin to get on my skrotum.. It had traveled up my legs that far... I used powdered clothes soap ( tide) mixed as a pastte... Burns like hell but it did the trick.. Gon in a few days.. Never had it since!!

[ragtop69gs]

When I was a kid my cousin and I were diving into a swamp trying to catch turtles, we both ended up with poison oak from head to toe. I was so swollen from it my face looked like a beach all. I was in misery for almost a month.

[Venturous Randy]

I am doing a lot better on my legs, but still dealing with some issues with my ankles. They don't itch, but still healing.

Randy

[Edbo]

Glad your getting better. When I was a kid I could just look at poison ivy/ oak and I would get it. My mother always would rub Whiskey on the areas that was affected and it would be gone by the next day. I've used this method with my kids also. I never tried to treat it internally.

[Flyinfool]

Interesting remedy, drink a lot of whiskey and then rub it. to get the whiskey to the surface........ At least if you used enough whiskey you will feel no pain........