Poison Ivy

MoonRiver · #1 04/17/15, 05:48 PM

I dug up and pulled out a vine that I was sure wasn't poison ivy; however the rash sure looks like poison ivy. Could a fig tree cause a similar rash?

I went to doc on Monday morning. Got a shot and prescription for a cream. It's now Friday evening and the rash is still spreading and I still itch - a lot.

I thought I washed all the clothes that might have been exposed, but I might have been a day late, if I came in contact with the poison ivy a day earlier than I thought. My bed sheets might be the problem but I replaced them yesterday, so if they were the problem, not any more.

I remember one other time I got a shot for poison ivy and the itching went away within a day. This time I'm at 5 days and counting.

Any ideas on how I am getting new rashes almost a week after working in the yard? Ideas to stop itching? Anything to speed up healing?

I've tried anti-itch cream, baking soda, coconut oil, calamine lotion, and the prescription cream. They help for maybe an hour. Coconut oil seems to work the longest, but it is quite messy.

I have a big fig tree that died back 2 winters ago and put out new shoots. Last week I started clearing out the dead tree. The "trees" are brittle, so most I could just break off at ground level. A few I had to cut down. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, so I got a lot of light scratches on my arms and legs when dragging the branches out.

Has anyone gotten a rash from a fig tree?

po boy · #2 04/17/15, 06:40 PM

Figs, squash, okra and sometime tomatoes will make me itch. Runs me nuts.

Nature_Lover · #3 04/17/15, 08:24 PM

The urishol poison ivy oil gets on everything, then it gets spread everywhere.
You might be exposing yourself anywhere it may have been inadvertently spread.
Your dog or cat can carry it on their fur, and spread it too.
If you changed your sheets yesterday, you might still break out in new rashes from bedding for a couple more days.
Shower and use dish detergent to cut the oil and help prevent the spread on your body.
Shower 2 times a day until you stop breaking out, or you figure out where you're getting it from. I was going to suggest Caladryl lotion, but you've already used calamine.

It's ok to pop those itchy blisters so it can dry up sooner, as long as there isn't any more oil on your skin. Benedryl can help with the itching.
I hope you feel better soon.

where I want to · #4 04/17/15, 08:45 PM

I am very sensitive to it and for me it can take a through cleaning to end the spread. One time I finally stopped it by washing the truck steering wheel.

frogmammy · #5 04/17/15, 08:56 PM

I don't know if they still sell it, but Solarcane spray used to be THE best for stopping itching from poison ivy or sumac. It was made for sunburn relief, but it SHONE for poison ivy relief. Maybe if you looked for something similar, with benzacane in it.... Makes me think, rubbing orajell might help?

Also have heard that lye soap will work..old remedy, but can be hard to find.

Mon

logbuilder · #6 04/17/15, 09:01 PM

I grew up in the south and played in the woods all the time. At first my mom gave me calamine. Later we discovered Ivy Dry which I preferred. But that was 50 years ago. I would suspect they have better stuff these days. I did look on Amazon and they still sell Ivy Dry.

We would also get into poison oak and sumac. The oak was the worst in my memory.

farmrbrown · #7 04/18/15, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoonRiver

I dug up and pulled out a vine that I was sure wasn't poison ivy; however the rash sure looks like poison ivy. Could a fig tree cause a similar rash?

I went to doc on Monday morning. Got a shot and prescription for a cream. It's now Friday evening and the rash is still spreading and I still itch - a lot.

I thought I washed all the clothes that might have been exposed, but I might have been a day late, if I came in contact with the poison ivy a day earlier than I thought. My bed sheets might be the problem but I replaced them yesterday, so if they were the problem, not any more.

I remember one other time I got a shot for poison ivy and the itching went away within a day. This time I'm at 5 days and counting.

Any ideas on how I am getting new rashes almost a week after working in the yard? Ideas to stop itching? Anything to speed up healing?

I've tried anti-itch cream, baking soda, coconut oil, calamine lotion, and the prescription cream. They help for maybe an hour. Coconut oil seems to work the longest, but it is quite messy.

I have a big fig tree that died back 2 winters ago and put out new shoots. Last week I started clearing out the dead tree. The "trees" are brittle, so most I could just break off at ground level. A few I had to cut down. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, so I got a lot of light scratches on my arms and legs when dragging the branches out.

Has anyone gotten a rash from a fig tree?

I remembered reading about it when I was picking out fruit trees.......

http://www.ehow.com/about_6456259_fig-trees-itch.html

Case Study
Dr. José G. B. Derraik wrote in the New Zealand Medical Journal about treating two arborists with acutely blistered hands and forearms. The day after pruning a large fig tree, these symptoms appeared. The men initially tried to treat their conditions with topical remedies. But when symptoms intensified, both sought medical help. It took several weeks for them to fully recover, and one man missed 10 days of work.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/about_6456259_fig-trees-itch.html

Makes me wonder about the idea of sunburn protection relieving the symptoms.

Rashes and Blisters
Phytodermatitis is a more severe possible reaction to figs. It ranges from a slight burn to bad blistering. Phytodermatitis is caused by exposure to ultraviolet light after directly exposing skin to irritant plants. Figs are part of the Moraceae family, which is commonly associated with phytodermatitis.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/about_6456259_fig-trees-itch.html

motdaugrnds · #8 04/18/15, 04:29 AM

I often get rashes from both ivy and oak, though I've killed out most of the oak around here. What I learned is that ANY CREAM rubbed onto the rash can spread the itch!

It is best to do as you've been doing, i.e. wash everything and take baths often. (There is an "oatmeal" bath-type substance that was helpful. I don't recall it's name.)

The best thing I discovered was to coat the entire area with baking soda and wrap it! Keeping that baking soda moist worked wonders, though it still took awhile. Also, taking "Benedryl" tablets every few hours was helpful, though these kept me drousy.

Wolf mom · #9 04/18/15, 05:34 AM

What a timely thread for me. I'm in the process of killing poison ivy and have a 1/2 dead fig tree to trim & cut down. Didn't know I could pop blisters. Great to hear as I'm using baking soda & the blisters are not going away. Yes, the itch is awful.
My new project is to fence in a poison ivy patch until it dies as that's where the dogs like to go. Almost makes me wish I were back in Arizona.

MoonRiver · #10 04/18/15, 07:19 AM

Last night was bad. Benedryl helps for about 2 hours but can only take it every 4 hours.

Went back to clinic and saw a different nurse practitioner. She went full strength on it. Steroid shot and oral prednisone plus Atavax for itching.

I am re-washing everything that might have come in contact with the oil.

NP says it is definitely a poison ivy rash.

RoseW · #11 04/19/15, 12:18 AM

Best rule of thumb when working outside - ASAP, go wash with cold water & soap, preferably Dawn. Hot water will spread the oil & make you break out, more. Alcohol can help rinse it off.

The oil from poison ivy will get on your clothes, etc. Need at least one wash, maybe more. Be aware, you can spread it to other clothing.

If you're scratching, the oil will get under your nails - you spread it further.

General rule of thumb - leaves of 3, let it be. ESPECIALLY if you see a hairy vine growing up a tree! Even burning it - the smoke can break you out. One person thought he might develop immunity by eating it - he ended up in ER, about died - WRONG!!!

Each time you get it tends to get worse. One person I knew thought he was immune, until a cat scratched him. Apparently, the cat had been walking in it.

I can't stand it. I spray every year as soon as I see it. I still manage to get it, due to all the hedges & bushes I have to trim every year. What works for me will burn some people up, but this is how I handle it & it kills it, once I know I have it..... wash with cold water & soap, scratch the mess out of it, break everything open. Immediately follow with unscented bleach, pour it on, don't just dab. It will sting for a small bit, but the itch is gone. A couple minutes later, rinse with cold water. Be sure to rinse the fingernails with bleach & cold water.

Benedril, calamine doesn't work for me. My method gets it gone - use at your own risk.

MNBobcat · #12 04/19/15, 06:46 AM

I have the cure. Figured it out years ago.

Take a pin and open the blisters so that they weep fluid. Then wash the entire area with undiluted clorox bleach. It smells bad and will sting a little but believe me when you wake up the next morning everything will be scabbed over and the itching will be gone and the rash will end and go away. You can wash with soap after the bleach just to get rid of some of the smell.

MNBobcat · #13 04/19/15, 06:50 AM

Ha...I just read the post above mine and Rose mentioned the same thing. Great minds think alike! LOL.

ajaxlucy · #14 04/19/15, 11:28 PM

You can definitely get a rash from handling figs, especially the sap and leaves. I think that rash usually starts more quickly than poison ivy: within hours, on the same day.

A poison ivy rash usually takes 1-3 days to start appearing, though new spots can pop up many days after exposure even if you haven't recontaminated yourself by touching tools, clothing, etc.

I'm super allergic so I prepare at the beginning of every season by buying rubbing alcohol (to slather on just in case, when I've been working outside), Technu (for use immediately after I realize I've touched poison ivy) and Zanfel (for after a rash develops). I've tried bleach and jewelweed and pine tar soaps, too, but these work best for me. If it's really bad, I get steroids too.

If the itching gets so bad that I want to run around screaming, I take the hair dryer and hold it very close to the rash long enough to stop the itching. At first it itches more, then it stops. Not long enough, but it stops. For hand or foream, you can hold it next to a hot stove burner, but that's a little riskier. (Disclaimer: obviously not the advice a medical practitioner would give, and very bad advice if you have diminshed sensation i.e. with diabetes. Don't burn yourself).

It usually takes me 3 weeks to heal up.

vpapai · #15 04/20/15, 08:24 AM

My method is to stick the affected body part under the hottest water I can stand. This releases all of the histimines that cause the itching, and relieves the itch for some time. Also put some type of alcohol on the area to dry it out. Can be rubbing alcohol or white wine. Works for me.

RomeGrower · #16 04/20/15, 09:02 AM

I've got poison ivy on my arm, but not too bad. I just wait it out. I got it really bad a couple years ago when I pulled up all the English ivy in my old house yard in town. I did not know other types of ivy could have the same effect so I found out the hard way. My wife is more immune. She is pulling up the poison ivy vines in our new garden area that was formerly woods.

RoseW · #17 04/20/15, 11:29 AM

If I get exposed to poison ivy, I start feeling it within a couple hours, often before I make it back into the house. I know by the feel that I've got, even before the blisters appear.

Never a rash from my fig tree. Could be, how allergic someone is to latex & different varieties of fig trees being the difference in whom has had a rash from them & who hasn't.

CountryMom22 · #18 04/20/15, 04:16 PM

I agree with the bleach people. My Mother told me about the bleach. As soon as we see it/feel it starting, take a shower, then I dilute some bleach in warm water and starting at the top, wipe down your body while in the shower. This seems to prevent the spread. For the actual rash, full strength bleach. Stops it every time. My son is highly allergic and we fight this battle numerous times every year.

As far as the smell, my son said he'd rather smell than itch, and he doesn't mind the smell as much as he hates calamine lotion getting all over everything. Hope you're cleared up and back to normal soon.

RoseW · #19 04/20/15, 11:13 PM

Don't want to nag, but in my experience, it must be unscented bleach. Don't know what it is about the scented, but it doesn't work at all for me.

Surprised to see, I'm not the only one using this remedy! I know, some peeps, the bleach burns them up quickly - they literally can end up with burns. So, Use With CARE!

MoonRiver · #20 04/21/15, 08:12 AM

Thanks to everyone that suggested bleach. Even with a steroid shot, daily doses of steroid, prescription itch cream, and otc anti-itch creams, I was still ready to scratch my skin off about 3 am this morning. I got up and poured a little bleach in the sink. Then wiped myself down with a wash cloth dipped in the bleach.

I managed to get about 5 hours sleep before the itching started again. Just wiped myself down again. Hardly any burning at all when I put the bleach on.