FIRST AID: poisoness plant contact dermatitus

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Bushman5

Joined
Oct 31, 2007
Messages
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not going to post the pictures, as the body region involved is personal. nuff said you can figure it out.

i'm in the post 72 hours of a day/night hike outing. As it grew dark on the hike i left the group to go dig a cat hole. Due to the 'urgency' (due to poor food handling skills from several members during lunch prep) i did not scout my cat hole location very well. Dropped trou, did my business, cleaned myself well with Hoo-ahhs and brushed against several leaves from the low lying plants (i went back several days later to id them, its poisonous ivy). Continued on with the hike.

Day 1 after the hike, had several reddish rashes on my arms, legs and groin. Wrote it off as heat rash or prickly heat rash due to the clothing and temps and my constant hi output activity level

day 2 pain in the groin. Arms, legs all fine, no issues. Groin reddish, with multiple pustules. Due to the location there was also CONSTANT friction and rubbing every step i took. To the point of hair loss and skin sloughing in the region. Took many cold baths with baking soda added, and used Zanfel soap to clean the oils away. The friction of boxers and jeans, and the location continue to be a major issue.

day 3 many cold baths, many applications of hydrocortisone cream. Attempts to ISOLATE each side of the region affected were tried. I used a barrier of plastic wrap after applying the hdryocorto cream. Due to the location, my sweat output, and the friction from walking, this was a limited success.

today: major pain. more cold baking soda baths, drying out the pustules with witch hazel (some success) but still excrutiating pain every step i take due to the area rubbing on my inner thigh.

tommorow, off to Doc for steroid cream prescription plus some OTC cortosteroids, as discussed over the phone with her. (she is an adventure sports doc, well versed in my outdoors activities).

tonight its ice cubes on the region to dull the inflammation and pain,, and cold beer for me.

:grumpy:
 
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i can't say that i can sumpathise, thankfully this has not happened to me. thought as a youngster i was out camping with my paps and he actually wiped with poison ivy..... i'm sure you can imagine. then after effects of the ivy are nothing compared to the story being told for 20 years and counting.
but really, my sympathy's....

anything we can post or do to help you pass the time and maybe take your mind off it? what kinda pictures float your boat? anything?
man that sucks...
hope it passes fast.
 
nope, nothing going to help right now, except this lovely bunch of ice cubes. Tommorow i pick the scripts for the steroid creams and tablets. As long as i MINIMIZE my activity (walking etc) its not bad right now, but dear god when I start moving its excruciating.
 
I had poison ivy between my fingers quite bad once and though the creams etc helped particularly rhulagel, wearing tightish thin soft cotton gloves helped immensely. There was not blister on blister friction and excess sweat was absorbed, so no wet friction. I looked like a had mickey mouse gloves on but it was enough of a relief I did not care. Maybe a similar method for you might provide some relief till the mes kick in.
 
Do you have jewel weed (Impatiens capensis) in your neck of the woods?

If you can find it, cut it up into fine chunks, then blend it into a paste. The fresher and finer chopped it is the better, and you can apply the paste straight as a poultice to ease the pain/itching of poison ivy.

To save it for later, you can boil the chopped up bits til it's an orange goo then strain and freeze the goo. Put it in the freezer to save it and you can also apply it cold like ice cubes. You can freeze it in paper dixie cups, then tear off the part of the cup to rub it on & keep tearing off bits as it melts.

I've never tried it on the nether regions, but it works great for me elsewhere.
 
i believe we do actually, i'll have to bug JCA21 he has better plant knowledge than i.
 
Common touch-me-not a.k.a Jewel Weed - Impatiens noli-tangere grows here in bc.

Usually found in moist forest, thickets, stream-banks, streamside areas; common at low to middle elevations.

Known to contain calcium oxalate crystals so becareful, dont consume it.

The best known use for touch-me-nots is as an antidote against poison-ivy rashes like chop cop stated. Usually jewel weed can be found in the same environment as poison ivy. Crushed stems and leaves are rubbed directly on the exposed skin.

It can also counter irritating toxins from other plants like stinging nettle, poison-oak and okra spines.


We shall have to go hunting for some of the stuff next time in the LC area bushman.
 
jca21 is right on... jewel weed is a shade plant that grows near water. A lot of times, it's not too far from poison ivy, so mother nature is kind in that way sometimes.

It works better for me than any over the counter remedy I've tried, but I haven't had it as bad as you do now...

Here's to a speedy recovery... don't scratch anything off that you might need later!


edit: If you do go out to harvest some, put it on ice right after you chop it up there in the field. I've been told it keeps the good stuff preserved 'til you get a chance to boil it, and even if you don't end up boiling it, it's nice and cool when you go to use it later.
 
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immediate treatment for poison ivy usually involves rubbing alcohol, warm water, and a good soap like aveeno.

when done within the first 10-15 minutes of contact it'll do a good job.

if exposure is long term jewel weed or commercial over the counter poison ivy treatment is the way to go.
 
the funny thing is i normally do not react so bad.......i get a few minor rashes, and then its gone.....

this time though........delayed reaction (normal for me) and suddenly WHAM!

lol
 
Here's what has helped me after repeated exposure experiences:

1. Prednisone and betamethasone dipropionate.
2. Fels-Naptha
3. Benadryl, Burts Bees Poison Ivy Soap, and Hydro-cortisone cream routine
4. (not recommended but worked for me) Bleach water

A quick google search will give you lots of good homeopathic resources.



I feel for you man. Best of luck
 
thats brutal buddy..heal up and enjoy the beer..i am having a cold kokanee right now....and i am gonna have a few more in honor of your rash :D LOL

heal up dude!
 
Bushman5 said:
the funny thing is i normally do not react so bad.......i get a few minor rashes, and then its gone.....

this time though........delayed reaction (normal for me) and suddenly WHAM!

lol
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I've actually read that people can get more sensitive to poison ivy with repeated exposure. With most things it goes the other way, but something about the alkaloids from PI causes an allergic reaction eventually.

Not that future exposure is going to be much of a problem as you'll probably be going 5ft wide of the stuff from now on... I know I would be!
 
chopchop said:
I've actually read that people can get more sensitive to poison ivy with repeated exposure. With most things it goes the other way, but something about the alkaloids from PI causes an allergic reaction eventually.

Not that future exposure is going to be much of a problem as you'll probably be going 5ft wide of the stuff from now on... I know I would be!
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i've heard the same thing about repeated exposure.

best thing to do is avoid it.
 
I avoid poison ivy like the plague. Normally if I get it, it doesnt go away until I go to the doc for a cortisone shot. The shot will normally keep it off of me for a few years. When I was in middle school once I got it, spread to my face and all over my body. Looked like the phantom of the opera.

ETA: After a shower dry your efffected parts with a different towel than the non effected parts. Also use rubbing alcohol, it seems to dry it out a bit.
 
That...is an interesting story. You seemed to have lived out one of those "What if..?" moments where someone accidentally used poison ivy as toilet paper. Sorry for your misfortune though...it honestly sounds like the worst case of chaffage in the world! I consider myself lucky that I never had a rash from poison ivy, and like to say that I am "immune" to it (although more and more I here stories of people like me who end up getting a reaction later on in life). I have gone as far as rubbing it on my arms and legs to prove the point.
 
bmilla35 said:
I consider myself lucky that I never had a rash from poison ivy, and like to say that I am "immune" to it (although more and more I here stories of people like me who end up getting a reaction later on in life).
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Anyone can become allergic to anything at any moment in life. What they taught us in EMT school anyway.
 
Hope you un-rash soon , B5. Urushiol sucks big-time. I rolled around in a patch when I was dumb and young. Missed a lot of school. I am glad we don't have poison ivy here.(so I've been told), Still, I keep my eye peeled for it.
The oil may still be present on your clothing. Beware.
 
hiwa said:
Hope you un-rash soon , B5. Urushiol sucks big-time. I rolled around in a patch when I was dumb and young. Missed a lot of school. I am glad we don't have poison ivy here.(so I've been told), Still, I keep my eye peeled for it.
The oil may still be present on your clothing. Beware.
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You may have been told incorrectly.

From The Green Pharmacy, by Dr. James Duke:

""My friend Robert Rosen, Ph.D., a chemist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, is a whiz at isolating chemical substances from plants. He may have come up with an explanation for jewelweed's effectiveness. Urushiol does its dirty work by binding to skin cells and triggering the rash-producing irritation. A mere one-billionth of a gram of urushiol is enough to affect those who are highly sensitive.
Dr. Rosen has identified the active ingredient in jewelweed as a chemical called lawsone. This substance binds to the same molecular sites on the skin as urushiol. If applied quickly after contact with a poison plant, lawsone beats the urushiol to those sites, in effect locking it out. The simple result is that you don't get the rash.
The greatest concentrations of lawsone are not necessarily found in jewelweed leaves. Although the leaves have some lawsone, there may be more in the reddish protuberances that resemble little prop-roots extending out from the lower stem near ground level. Apply the juice from the crushed red knobs, and you'll probably get better protection". (page 359)

Doc
 
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