Somehow I contracted it recently. Not much of it, just a few spots on my left arm and under the bend of my left knee. I bet it has been 20 years since I have had poison ivy. Sucks. And obviously it itches.

I use to be able to roll in it and not get so much as a speck. A couple of years ago I climbed up in a deer stand and the tree it was in had some on it (could have been poison oak). Had it every where. Finally had to get a shot when my eye's started to swell shut.

Here The Coasters - Poison Ivy (Doo Wop 50) - YouTube

I had never been allergic until about 5 years ago. I got it so bad while gardening that I couldn't attend a friend's wedding, because I too closely resembled the Elephant Man. :lol:

It is my fervent wish that I never again have poison ivy. Anyone who does has my deepest sympathies. When I was a kid I used to get it all the time. Seemed it always made its way into the crook of my arm and would spread every time I bent my arm. They had to bandage me from wrist to halfway up my upper arm on each arm.

 

I hate it would be the general point I'm going for here.

Seems like all I have to do is look at it and I get it!

A good friend of mine gets it ALL the time. I've never had it.

Seems like all I have to do is look at it and I get it!

 

I'm the same way. It's miserable.

I have been using Tecnu. It does a pretty good job and controls the itching. The way I understand it you pretty much just let it runs it course.

Steroids.

I have been using Tecnu. It does a pretty good job and controls the itching. The way I understand it you pretty much just let it runs it course.

Steroid shot is the miracle cure. When I got mine a couple of years ago I was simply amazed at how fast and well it worked.

I have been using Tecnu. It does a pretty good job and controls the itching. The way I understand it you pretty much just let it runs it course.

 

I get poison ivy all the time, or used to.

 

That Technu stuff is ok, just make sure you shower often and not a hot shower (common mistake). Taking a hot shower will open up your pores and allow the oils even deeper.

 

Anytime that I know I will be going into the woods I use a precontact solution called Ivy X(https://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/ivy-x-poison-oak-lotion.html). It does a really good job as long as you take a shower at the end of the day. I swear by it! I've also used a precontact called Ivy Block, it not as good.

 

Poison Ivy / Oak, once you've got it is down right unbearable at least for me it is.

Steroid shot is the miracle cure. When I got mine a couple of years ago I was simply amazed at how fast and well it worked.

It is not really spreading much on body, but the couple areas where it is, it appears to be getting worse. If it is not better in the next couple of days I may look in to getting one.

I'm VERY allergic to it. Unless its localized to just a little spot or so, it takes steroids to make it go away. On a plus side, as a result I've been able to locate poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac like nobody's business since I was about 10.

 

It almost killed me on family vacation once when I was a kid. We were at an Ohio state park and somebody was apparently burning wood with poison ivy on it. Swelled both of my eyes completely shut, and my throat nearly closed up. I even had it IN my lungs. My parents took me to the ER and the doctor actually shuddered when he saw me all swollen up like I was. :scared:

A few things I've learned over the years...

1) Calamine lotion is crap.

2) If you think you've been in contact with poison ivy, clean yourself with undiluted bleach - straight out of the bottle. It does a GOOD job of minimizing the damage.

3) Cortisone cream helps reduce itching, hydro-cortisone helps better than cortisone. Be very sparing with hydro-cortisone though if you get poison ivy on your face...in some circumstances, using a lot of it can permanently bleach out spots of your skin.

4) Steroids work miraculously. The pills taste like they should be poison. Steroid shots work a little faster - although you may have to go back for a second one, which will end up costing you MUCH more than the pills.

5) Benadryl's Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel is amazing as far as over-the-counter topical treatments go. You spread it on, and it dries to create a clear film (think New-Skin) that continues to stop itching until it is washed off or rubbed off.