A couple of weeks ago I was out clearing some brush. I didn't see any poison ivy. However one of the plants must have been really grumpy about being dug up. I've been eat up with contact dermatitis on my legs, arms and stomach. I actually don't think it's poison ivy because the blisters haven't been as pronounced as I've typically seen with PI. This seems to be very tenacious and aggressive. It's more likely to be sumac. The itching has been so bad it's been waking me up every hour and a half for the past several nights. I've tried all the regular treatments of Calamine lotion and spray, Neosporin, Hydracortisol, Benedryl cream without any effect at all. Historically I've had really good results from using alcohol wipes to dry it up. But, not this time. The only thing I found in the medicine cabinet that offered any relief at all was hemorrhoid cream took the sting out of the massive itching. You can probably tell I was getting desperate. My hands were itching so bad that I would wear Nitril gloves all night long trying to find relief.
I have learned a few new things that I want to share,
First, if there's the slightest possibility of exposure to a poisonous plant, the #1 priority has to be to get rid of any plant oils on your skin, clothes, towels and anything else you may have touched, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to limit the spread of the contact dermatitis. I found an interesting bar soap (sold in the laundry detergent section for removing stains) called Fels-Naptha. The name is rather ironic. It was originally made by the Fels Soap Company and has been sold a couple of times to different companies. It originally contained naptha which is a Volatile Organic Compound that was put on the cancer agent list. So instead of containing naptha it now has terpenes in it. So Fels-Naptha is neither owned by Fels or contain naptha. However it does still receive high praise for fighting poison ivy. I tried it late in the course of this exposure. It provided a slight reduction in itching, but not much. I think it would probably be wonderful when initially dealing with getting rid of the raw plant oils. I've heard that a lot of hikers, lumberjacks and preppers carry a piece of Fels-Naptha with them in the field and use it at the slightest provocation.
Surprisingly, there has been a strong correlation with taking Quercetin, vitamin C, Zinc and Advil. I started taking those every 4 hours and every time the itching symptom would subside. It may have been a coincidence. But, it's been working so I've been sticking with it.
The last thing that I found was a spray called Tecnur. The reason I tried it is because it has an ingredient called Calendula Officinalis extract. A few days earlier I made a salve from Calendula Officinalis tincture which was better than the hemorrhoid cream, but still not what I really needed. Anyway, this Tecnur spray with the concentrated Calendula extract provides almost instant itching relief that lasts several hours. It's interesting that Tecnur lists Calendula as an inactive ingredient
My initial exposure sites have finally turned the corner and starting to get better. The secondary contact areas are still raging. But, at least I have some good tools to fight back with now.
From here on out I'll keep stocked up on Fels-Naptha and Tecnur to fight future bouts with poisonous plants.
Of course this protocol may not be right for you. I'm just sharing what I experienced for me. Everyone's different. Many people are actually allergic to poison ivy and need to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Hope I haven't given you subliminal itching. That sounds like an ancient curse. But, at least you have a few ideas how to deal with it.
I have learned a few new things that I want to share,
First, if there's the slightest possibility of exposure to a poisonous plant, the #1 priority has to be to get rid of any plant oils on your skin, clothes, towels and anything else you may have touched, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to limit the spread of the contact dermatitis. I found an interesting bar soap (sold in the laundry detergent section for removing stains) called Fels-Naptha. The name is rather ironic. It was originally made by the Fels Soap Company and has been sold a couple of times to different companies. It originally contained naptha which is a Volatile Organic Compound that was put on the cancer agent list. So instead of containing naptha it now has terpenes in it. So Fels-Naptha is neither owned by Fels or contain naptha. However it does still receive high praise for fighting poison ivy. I tried it late in the course of this exposure. It provided a slight reduction in itching, but not much. I think it would probably be wonderful when initially dealing with getting rid of the raw plant oils. I've heard that a lot of hikers, lumberjacks and preppers carry a piece of Fels-Naptha with them in the field and use it at the slightest provocation.
Surprisingly, there has been a strong correlation with taking Quercetin, vitamin C, Zinc and Advil. I started taking those every 4 hours and every time the itching symptom would subside. It may have been a coincidence. But, it's been working so I've been sticking with it.
The last thing that I found was a spray called Tecnur. The reason I tried it is because it has an ingredient called Calendula Officinalis extract. A few days earlier I made a salve from Calendula Officinalis tincture which was better than the hemorrhoid cream, but still not what I really needed. Anyway, this Tecnur spray with the concentrated Calendula extract provides almost instant itching relief that lasts several hours. It's interesting that Tecnur lists Calendula as an inactive ingredient
My initial exposure sites have finally turned the corner and starting to get better. The secondary contact areas are still raging. But, at least I have some good tools to fight back with now.
From here on out I'll keep stocked up on Fels-Naptha and Tecnur to fight future bouts with poisonous plants.
Of course this protocol may not be right for you. I'm just sharing what I experienced for me. Everyone's different. Many people are actually allergic to poison ivy and need to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Hope I haven't given you subliminal itching. That sounds like an ancient curse. But, at least you have a few ideas how to deal with it.
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