Poison Ivy

[Justicedog]

It seems I have some poison ivy plants in my strawberry patch. I've had a rash on my elbows/inner arms, back of my knee, inner thighs and tummy for about 3 weeks now. It wasn't blistery like I thought poison ivy rashes were supposed to be. It really itched at night, not so much during the day though.

What helps with the itching? I've tried an allergy med - zerteck and clariton, didn't help. I've tried calomine lotion and calidryl clear and benedril. (Can't spell.)

I need to get the ivy out of my strawberry patch without getting more of a rash. My strawberry patch is against the garage and has 10-15 feet of pavement around it. I don't know how it got there.

It's time to pick the berries. Will washing them get any poison ivy off of the berry?

[Suzette]

You need to be very careful with PI.
A few years ago, both my brothers caught it while working in my mother's yard. It was so bad, that it entered their bloodstream and they both had to be put on steroids.
As for the berries, I personally wouldn't eat them, but that's not to say washing won't remove the oils. I now you should never burn PI to get rid of it, because it can enter your lungs.

[still_me]

Benadryl spray is the best in DH's opinion. He gets PI very easily and swears by that stuff. The gel works too, but he hates getting it on his hands. Stay away from the Benadryl pen because it just doesn't really work well at all.

You can also soak the PI invested parts of your body in bleach. That is supposed to help dry it right up, or swim in a pool. The chlorine helps dry it out.

I wouldn't eat the berries at all. Is there a local nursery or public farm around? I'd ask them how to go about dealing with all of this.

ETA: IIRC, don't take the Benadryl spray with oral Benadryl. Oral Benadryl doesn't help DH out anyways.

[Mommy2Ella]

Cortizone creme helps with the inflammation and itching as well as benadryl. If you have insurance, they can give you prescription cream or a steroid if you are covered in PI. They especially recommend you see a dr if you have it on your face or chest or if it isnt healing.

If possible, wash the berries with a weak soap and water solution or I have heard the vinegar wash works too (but prefer the soap and water trick). We eat black raspberries all the time here in the summer and getting PI is part of the fun (not really). My aunt and cousin are highly allergic to PI, but they eat the berries after they are thoroughly washed.

Lastly- you cannot transfer it from person to person, but MAKE sure you washed every piece of clothing EVERY PERSON was wearing that day. Wipe down your car seats, bedding or any place the plant oils could be lingering. My lil bro infected he nether regions by using a towel that had PI oils on it. :(

[MrsKitty]

Ugh that sounds horrible :( ick ick ick. I have never encountered it and I hope I never do. I hope your itch gets better soon.

[more_creme]

Ouch. That stinks.

This info might help. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/796_ivy.html

Feel better soon!

[Justicedog]

Thanks.

I keep going back and forth as to whether it is Poison ivy rash or not. I had been pulling "weeds" from the strawberry patch about the time of the rash. However, I didn't have blisters like the rash describes. Plus, the itching comes on at night. It's not all that itchy during the day. It's better in the guest bed (I've not nice 450 thread sheets there) than my bed, so I'm thinking I'm just allergic to my dh.

I don't want to be on steroids for 3 weeks. I really don't need to gain any more weight.

Each day, I think, oh, it's going away, it's almost over, but then, night comes and itch, itch, itch.

I need to get out and remove the ivy from the strawberry patch before the kids forget and start picking.

[QuiltyConscience]

Try adding a little bleach to your bath water, maybe half a cup, to get rid of the oils on you skin..Then rinse well with a shower. That may help clear the rash out. and wash the bedding and your clothes well.

Fels Naptha is a good soap for removing PI oils from fabrics.

You might not react as much to PI as other people do. I only get a mild rash from it, and Dh blisters..

[Suzette]

"ETA: IIRC, don't take the Benadryl spray with oral Benadryl. Oral Benadryl doesn't help DH out anyways"

Yes, this is true. You will be getting the benedryl creme is equivalent to taking oral, so it's like you're getting twice as much.

[crystal555rose]

I used Caladryl growing up out in the woods. It is pink and you look silly but it takes the itch out and creates a dry layer to help prevent spreading it all over.

The irritant is an oil. The berries would need to be washed in something that breaks up the oil- I am thinking dilute Dawn solution?

[Jacksmommy]

I had poison ivy once and had to get a prescription cream of some kind for it. Of course nobody knew what it was at first, so they actually painted it with nail polish initially (apparently some way to kill chiggers). Anyway, I'd rubbed my skin raw. It was bad. It lasted forever. Even after it seemed like it was gone I could scratch and make a rash reappear for a long time.

[SingingMom]

Maybe OP has the same weird rash as my toddler. She has a bumpy, fine, red rash on her lower belly and upper thighs. Suddenly, it became intensely itchy. Never got blisters. After several days of calamine lotion, the itchiness is subsiding and it's clearing from the middle of her belly, while spreading further around her torso and appearing on forearms.

Initially, I thought it was a contact rash. But now, that seems unlikely.

Also, she is seriously cranky. Although she has no fever and doesn't seem to be in pain. Weird toddler rash?

[Justicedog]

Well, I've been rather cranky - but I attributed that to ds's baseball team doing awful in their tournament, my in-laws being her for it with MIL whining about how far we had to go for the tourney and how she didn't like sitting out in the sun, my dd whining about there being nothing to do and my dh just being himself.

:)