4/18/14

Poison Ivy, Oak, And Sumac: Products To Treat And Relieve Pain/Itching

Well as some of you may know, I took a tumble in some wet gravels the other day doing some yard work and scraped my foot and leg up pretty bad. To make matters worse, I developed quite a bad case of poison oak on top of it.



The yellow hole on my foot is from my fall, the red/scabby areas are poison oak.  This has been absolutely HORRIBLE.  I have poison oak everywhere. Yes, EVERYWHERE.  My hands, arms, feet, legs, face, scalp, etc. I have tried everything imaginable (in the past) that you hear of to do ( Clorox, Calamine Lotion, shoe polish, nail polish etc) and none of those things have really helped.  A couple of days ago I found a couple of products that really seem to be helping so I thought I would share them with you in case you are suffering like I am.  Keep in mind, while I am a nurse, I am not a doctor.  I don't diagnose and treat, I only follow doctors orders.  Seeing as how I did not go and see a doctor for this (if it had gotten any worse I probably would have), this is simply what I am doing to treat it.


Tecnu Extreme Medicated Poison Ivy Scrub and Rash Relief Spray. These two products kill the poison in the poison ivy/oak/sumac oils and they have healing and anti-itch properties as well. They have really helped alleviate some of my misery. In between I spray Benedryl Anti-Itch Cooling Spray. This had made my world a lot more bearable.  I got everything at Walmart for less than $15/each. 


As far as oral medication the only thing I am taking are antihistamines. I take a generic Zyrtec of the day and a generic Benedryl at night (as it makes me SO sleepy).

In terms of skincare/bodycare, I have tried to keep everything as gentle and mild as possible.  In the shower I have only used plain, white Dove soap or Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser,  I've not put any scented lotions or oils or perfumes on.  I have aimed to keep everything just clean and dry.  For a moisturizer I have only used this oatmeal one by Aveeno that is aimed to treat Eczema.


Additional hints/tips:  I usually reuse my bath towel for a couple of days before I wash it, not this time.  I want everything that touches my skin to be clean and absolutely as germ-free as I can get it.  I haven't reworn ANY articles of clothing that haven't been freshly laundered, and I have washed my sheets on my bed a couple of extra times this week.  I hate to to think of anything being nasty and touching my intact skin, and then it causing some type of infection.  Where I have the wound on my foot from falling too, I have tried to keep it elevated as much as possible.  The further away an area is from your heart the slower it is to heal (like your foot), so I try to take extra care with it where I can.  Clean and dry, that's the name of the game.

Alright guys, good luck and let me know what you guys use if you suffer from this ailment as well. OMGsh, it cannot heal fast enough. 
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3 comments:

  1. Thank you! Ohhhhh, the itching is so bad!

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