poison ivy?

[coach]

how in the hell do u get rid of it?

[c-town_balla]

I dont know how to get rid of it....but if it is itching bad...get in the shower and run the hottest water you can stand on it for about 30 secs....it wont itch for a few hours after that

[coach]

Originally posted by c-town_balla
I dont know how to get rid of it....but if it is itching bad...get in the shower and run the hottest water you can stand on it for about 30 secs....it wont itch for a few hours after that ok but for whatever reason i cant stand that hot of water...so will tht make a difference

[WOS87]

Approximately 85 percent of the population will develop an allergic reaction if exposed to poison ivy. The cause of the rash, blisters, and infamous itch is urushiol, a chemical in the sap of poison ivy. Because urushiol is inside the plant, brushing against an intact plant will not cause a reaction. But undamaged plants are rare.

Urushiol can stick to pets, garden tools, balls, or anything it comes in contact with. If the urushiol isn't washed off those objects or animals, just touching them--for example, picking up a ball or petting a dog--could cause a reaction in a susceptible person. (Animals, except for a few higher primates, are not sensitive to urushiol.)

Urushiol that's rubbed off the plants onto other things can remain potent for years, depending on the environment. If the contaminated object is in a dry environment, the potency of the urushiol can last for decades. Even if the environment is warm and moist, the urushiol could still cause a reaction a year later.

Almost all parts of the body are vulnerable to the sticky urushiol, producing the characteristic linear rash. Because the urushiol must penetrate the skin to cause a reaction, places where the skin is thick, such as the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands, are less sensitive to the sap than areas where the skin is thinner. The severity of the reaction may also depend on how big a dose of urushiol the person got.


Quick Action Needed

Because urushiol can penetrate the skin within minutes, there's no time to waste if you know you've been exposed. Cleansing may not stop the initial outbreak of the rash if more than 10 minutes has elapsed, but it can help prevent further spread.

* First cleanse exposed skin with generous amounts of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.
* Second, wash skin with water. Water temperature does not matter.
* Third, take a regular shower with soap and warm water. Do not use soap before this point because soap will tend to pick up some of the urushiol from the surface of the skin and move it around.
* Clothes, shoes, tools, and anything else that may have been in contact with the urushiol should be wiped off with alcohol and water. Be sure to wear gloves or otherwise cover your hands while doing this and then discard the hand covering.

Dealing with the Rash

If you don't cleanse quickly enough, or your skin is so sensitive that cleansing didn't help, redness and swelling will appear in about 12 to 48 hours. Blisters and itching will follow. For those rare people who react after their very first exposure, the rash appears after 7 to 10 days.

Because they don't contain urushiol, the oozing blisters are not contagious nor can the fluid cause further spread on the affected person's body.

The rash will only occur where urushiol has touched the skin; it doesn't spread throughout the body. However, the rash may seem to spread if it appears over time instead of all at once. This is either because the urushiol is absorbed at different rates in different parts of the body or because of repeated exposure to contaminated objects or urushiol trapped under the fingernails.

The rash, blisters and itch normally disappear in 14 to 20 days without any treatment. But few can handle the itch without some relief. For mild cases, wet compresses or soaking in cool water may be effective. Oral antihistamines can also relieve itching (Benadryl, Claritin, Allegra, etc.).

FDA also considers over-the-counter topical corticosteroids (commonly called hydrocortisones under brand names such as Cortaid and Lanacort) safe and effective for temporary relief of itching associated with poison ivy.

For severe cases, prescription topical corticosteroid drugs can halt the reaction, but only if treatment begins within a few hours of exposure. After the blisters form, the [topical] steroid isn't going to do much. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that people who have had severe reactions in the past should contact a dermatologist as soon as possible after a new exposure.

Severe reactions can be treated with prescription oral corticosteroids.

There are a number of OTC products to help dry up the oozing blisters, including:

* aluminum acetate (Burrows solution)
* baking soda
* Aveeno (oatmeal bath)
* aluminum hydroxide gel
* calamine
* kaolin
* zinc acetate
* zinc carbonate
* zinc oxide

[CenTexSports]

You can get three shots (one a week for three weeks) to immunize you against the poison. I just finished mine and they say that I will not get it now. I usually get the rash about twice a year from looking for golf balls. It cost me $50 but it will be worth it not to have to worry about the rash.

Benedryl liquid also helps with the itching.

[jason]

Originally posted by CenTexSports
You can get three shots (one a week for three weeks) to immunize you against the poison. I just finished mine and they say that I will not get it now. I usually get the rash about twice a year from looking for golf balls. It cost me $50 but it will be worth it not to have to worry about the rash.

Benedryl liquid also helps with the itching. wouldnt it be easier to just hit the ball straight and not have to worry about ball hunting...

my thought is, if i hit it bad enough i have to walk through tall grass or bushes, or down an embankment, i dont deserve to get it back...

[Sftball4Life]

I can look at the crap and break out - I swear. I've had to get shots to dry it up from driving through smoke off burn piles when they're clearing land along the highway - got in my eyes, my throat, my lungs.... got to where I had trouble breathing.

I walk around my yard all summer long with my round-up sprayer and my dogs still kill me bringing it in.... In bad cases, your doctor can give you a shot and a steroid pack to dry it up. The shots are the best cause they start working immediately. You can see it drying out in a couple of days and it won't spread anywhere else usually.

When it gets so bad you can't take the itch anymore.... I give in and scratch until I'm almost bleeding - then I rub it down with rubbing alcohol. It burns like I don't know what - but it won't itch for a while and it helps dry it up quicker too.

[CenTexSports]

I am currently a 3 handicap but I still hit a few errant drives and I don't like to lose Pro V's.

But to answer your question: It would be better.

[rangerjim]

rash will last a few days. the hot water thing works for me but also calamine, benedryl, and there's a benedryl spray that's pretty good. If your really allergic and the rash oozes, a steroid shot is on order.

There's a great product if you think you got into poison ivy, as soon as possible after contact, use Oak'N'Ivy wash. It will wash off the oils and either prevent a rash or really limit it.

My job is outdoors in the grasslands and woods so I'm exposed a ton. Also when we fight forest fires on the west coast of OR and WA, the Poison Oak is horrendous. So I speak from experience with the oak'n'ivy.

(as a side note the hot water on the rash is akin to the big "O" from sex - not only does it feel good it will keep the itch away for a couple of hours. Cheap thrills for this old man.......)

[Old Tiger]

Isn't it possible for those with severe allergic reactions to poison ivy to get it in their throat/respiratory system?

[Old Dog]

One way to mess up your respiratory system is during the burning of brush that has poision ivy in it. It gets right in the smoke and you can inhale it.............not good! A friend of mine had it several years ago and it was really rough on him.

[rangerjim]

You can get it internally from smoke. Never happened to me but some of my firefighting buddies have gotten into thick smoke in OR and WA that's from burning poison oak - it's no fun.........

[BuffyMars]

you get it on your hands and scratch your eyes.
its an old native american trick.

[waterboy]

Ouch! Man, am I ever glad I'm not allergic. There's tons of that stuff around where I live, and up to this point, I've never had an allergic reaction.......thank God!

[espn1]

rub butter milk on it. It always worked for me.

[BossHog09]

trust me i just had it about a week ago- none of those sprays or creams work. you just need to go to the doctor and get a benadryll shot, and mine was gone the next day.

[wimbo_pro]

One time I was clearing some land here in the hill country, didnt know I had gotten into some poison ivy. Went to the bathroom (outdoors of course, as us guys love to do)...and wouldnt you know it...I "spread" the poison ivy to...well...you know.

The itching was hell....the scratching was surprisingly enjoyable.