Author Topic: cures & remedys for poison oak, ivy & sumack (Read 5253 times)

Hunter Fishman · « **on:** December 09, 2009, 05:14:51 PM »

OK guys, I need some help desperately.
I have had poison oak for over a year now!!!

Ya, tell me about it. Its on my elbow & surounding area where my arm is constantly moving, rubbing & bumping EVERYTHING!!!

I have tried every trick in the book except going to the doctor for a steroid shot.
Do any of you have a cure or remedy besides calamine lotion, oatmeal bath, peroxide, neosporine or any web md or like website advice???
I have even tried to burn it with flame, hot knife & straight acid & chlorine for pools. The acid or chlorine worked a little but I just went back to giving calamine lotion a try & it made it worse & spread it farther with fresh blistering! How Is that even possible? I washed everything imaginable & tried wrapping my elbow but thats something thats impossible to keep from moving no matter how hard I try!
I am ready to try cutting off the skin to get rid of it if I have to. PLEASE HELP ME!!!

I will try almost anything no matter how stupid it sounds!

Oldshooter · « **Reply #1 on:** December 09, 2009, 05:26:06 PM »

A YEAR?

you sure its poison Ivy? I'm hyper sensitive to that stuff I can get it swimming in a creek with it growing on the bank. I have had the shots and that has helped along with me stayin the hell away from it!!!! I once tried some stuff that had bleach in it and it worked to dry it up, so now i make my own weak bleach solution and spray it on with a " spray bottle" every now and then! and never use hot water to wash it and definitely no wash rag.

blackdirt beagles · « **Reply #2 on:** December 09, 2009, 06:12:24 PM »

ladies "secret" brand spray deodarant. my dad swears by it. dries the stuff up in a day.

Graybeard · « **Reply #3 on:** December 09, 2009, 06:20:08 PM »

I doubt it is what you think it is but regardless if it's been on you that long you need to get your butt to a doctor to see what's going on.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #4 on:** December 09, 2009, 07:36:21 PM »

Quote from: Graybeard on December 09, 2009, 06:20:08 PM

I doubt it is what you think it is but regardless if it's been on you that long you need to get your butt to a doctor to see what's going on.

exactly what i was thinking! I usually get rid of it in a week or so. unless of course i scratch and spread!!!

Hunter Fishman · « **Reply #5 on:** December 09, 2009, 07:37:22 PM »

Yeah, Its poison oak. I get it all the time. Its the location on my arm thats keeping it active. It rubbs or bumps everything. but simple movement irritates the skin.
even though I dont itch it, it still gets bumped.
I cant swim at my favorite swimming hole either because the leaves fall in the water & the oils float on top.
Last time I had it this bad, I got it at my belt line below my belly button. I had it almost as long as this time & had to throw my belt away.
I even tried white shoe polish with no success.
I DO need to go to the doctor before I get a seriouse infection & chance loosing my arm.
I am not a fan of needles. I puke every time I get a shot! I think of that as a last resort.
I didnt go near the patch of poison oak when I got it.
I believe a deer brushed up against it & then brushed against somthing else that I also brushed up on.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #6 on:** December 09, 2009, 07:45:20 PM »

Man, you are makin me itch right here in my computer room!!!!

I'm gonna have to remember the "Secret" spray

Hunter Fishman · « **Reply #7 on:** December 09, 2009, 08:31:15 PM »

Most places I get it is gone in a week or two but not the waist line or on my joints like the elbow which is constantly moving & rubs everything.
I will try the deoderant spray as long as its unscented.
fragrance causes flare ups on me also. Cant even bathe with my regular body wash or shampoo.

Oldshooter · « **Reply #8 on:** December 10, 2009, 01:27:19 AM »

Man I'm no doctor, but I play one on the internet, I think you are describing shingles.

Are you experiencing any pain with that?

Better get a second opinion asap!!!!!!

Seriously I'm afraid it aint just poison oak/ivy

Dixie Dude · « **Reply #9 on:** December 10, 2009, 02:40:47 AM »

That is what I was thinking, shingles. Need to check it out.

Hunter Fishman · « **Reply #10 on:** December 10, 2009, 08:46:51 AM »

Well doc, I'm 99.999% sure its poison oak. I get it almost every year, sometimes twice. I am in the woods at least once a week & That is no exaggeration. Its how I cope with life. Some people drink, some people smoke, I go hiking & watch the wild life & relieve stress that way. I'm not experiencing any pain except in my &$$.
It just itches like heck but mostly in cooler moist weather. I didn't think about it but the calamine lotion I got, (calidryl) is fragrant & that might have been the cause of the flare up & minor spreading applying it with a tissue. I try not to itch it but like i said, It gets rubbed when putting on a shirt, bumping into a doorway, tossing & turning in my sleep and so on.... It doesn't spread that much. Its been on my elbow only, for over a year.
I'll post a picture if you want. not sure how well it will show up.
My skin is loosing color in the area & has patchy, flaky scabbing & when I have tried to remove it by scraping it with a sharp knife it seeps, re blisters & scabs over. The more it heels, the more it itches. I have come so close to getting rid of it but then I bump it or rub it accidentally.

I am gunna keep on the bleach solution.
Question? Is it possible to over do it?
I just rolled some bleach water on it with a Q-TIP & aaahhhhhh

it takes the edge off the itch... for now.
I cleaned pools all summer & swam quite a bit, That helped the most!

Knowing my luck I will just get it again next month while shed hunting.

Dixie Dude · « **Reply #11 on:** December 10, 2009, 10:37:40 AM »

They have shots for that now. Don't know if it will do you any good. Must go to an allergist.

Buckskin · « **Reply #12 on:** December 10, 2009, 10:53:21 AM »

You don't have to get a shot for the steroid. You can get it as a cream or pill. I get it bad also and usually go to the doctor when it starts to spread so I don't go insane. I think you must be there already if you have dealt with it for a whole year just because you don't like shots! And to think that you won't even need one!

Oldshooter · « **Reply #13 on:** December 10, 2009, 12:11:19 PM »

What ever it is it aint a good thing!!!! especially if it never goes away. The bleach solution will eventually cause problems as well so try not to over do it. Man i hope you get some relief, at least its cold now in the hot summer that stuff can make you crazy! good luck and keep us posted.oh yea and see a Doctor soon!!!

squirrellluck · « **Reply #14 on:** December 10, 2009, 03:55:16 PM »

Used Tavist D for mine for several years but its no longer on the market. Have found that the Tavist antihistamine works for me now. Stops the itch and dries it up in a couple of days.

Yankee1 · « **Reply #15 on:** December 24, 2009, 05:37:39 PM »

When I was a kid and would get poison ivy they would use lye soap on it and it worked great. dried it up fast. You could buy that tan laundry soap and try it,
Yankee1

torpedoman · « **Reply #16 on:** December 25, 2009, 12:06:35 PM »

I'm lucky i can roll in the stuff and it does not affect me. My doc said that if it ever did it would be extremely serious because after you loose your immunity it is ten times worse than normal so i avoid it no need to press my luck. There was a bully who lived near me as a kid and ever time he started to pick on me i would rub him down with handfulls of the stuff and he had violent reactions to it.

Swampman · « **Reply #17 on:** December 25, 2009, 12:28:31 PM »

Just because it's never effected you doesn't mean it won't.

http://www.altnature.com/jewelweed.htm

bobg · « **Reply #18 on:** December 25, 2009, 03:30:39 PM »

I use to get it every summer when i was a kid. One summer my legs and chest were covered with the darn stuff. The old lady that lived next door told my father to get some home made buttermilk. Soak towels in the buttermilk and lay it on the infected area. Two local farmers made there own. You would never find it now. It dried it up in a couple of days. The last time i had it it was just between my fingers. I dug it open with an old tooth brush and poured rubbing alcohol on it. That got rid of it in a hurry.
bobg

Dee · « **Reply #19 on:** December 25, 2009, 03:39:58 PM »

Well I AM, an ole injun, and my trick is to go to WalMart, and buy a tube of "ZANFEL", follow the directions, and in 30 seconds the itch is gone, and the next morning the poison ivy, oak, or sumac is gone. It ain't very indianish but it works every time. Paul Harvey told me about it several years ago, and Paul Harvey don't lie.

mechanic · « **Reply #20 on:** December 25, 2009, 05:43:30 PM »

The reaction you have to poison oak or ivy is an allergic reaction. If you have had a rash that long, it's not likely to be oak or ivy. I've know someone to get sepsis from poison ivy and almost die.

This can be serious, esp. if it doe's not go away.

Steroids are just one option, but you better see the doc!

blackhawk45 · « **Reply #21 on:** December 26, 2009, 01:22:09 PM »

Ask your doctor for CORTDOME.

Dee · « **Reply #22 on:** December 26, 2009, 02:39:32 PM »

Gentlemen before you pay the doctor, you should really give ZANFELL a try. It is non prescription, Walmart sells it, it works and it costs too damn much. BUT! At about $30.00 for a tube that will last a long time, it actually WORKS INSTANTLY, and cures the ivy, oak, or sumac.
I can say the work posion ivy and catch it, but since I heard about this stuff, I keep it on hand, and it is an instant cure.

wncchester · « **Reply #23 on:** January 05, 2010, 06:57:52 AM »

"...go to WalMart, and buy a tube of "ZANFEL", ..."

There it is.

Cornbelt · « **Reply #24 on:** January 09, 2010, 01:48:50 PM »

generic benadryl works for me, but gives me a headache. Starting fluid is ether, and ether dissolves oils. We used it as kids to dry it up. Elmer's wood glue covers it up and dries, so it doesn't get rubbed quite as much. Last resort: Vanderbilt University used to buy bodies, and would put a tattoo on to have you returned when you croaked. Meanwhile, you had $100 to spend.

Hunter Fishman · « **Reply #25 on:** January 11, 2010, 12:13:33 PM »

I've been very patient with it lately, its down to almost nothing now but I dont expect it to go away that easy. I have had it down to this stage several times & my arm bumps somthing every frickin time without fail, causing another flare up.

Dee · « **Reply #26 on:** January 11, 2010, 12:27:34 PM »

Quote from: Hunter Fishman on January 11, 2010, 12:13:33 PM

I've been very patient with it lately, its down to almost nothing now but I dont expect it to go away that easy. I have had it down to this stage several times & my arm bumps somthing every frickin time without fail, causing another flare up.

Try the Zanfell Hunter. Your suffering with it for no reason. The Zanfel will cure the itch immediately, and the rash will start disappearing by morning, and it only requires ONE TREATMENT OF 15 SECONDS.

El Gringo · « **Reply #27 on:** January 15, 2010, 02:25:04 PM »

I used to get a poison Ivy like rash on my outer calves every winter and would scratch till I bled.
This went on for about 4 years. then I tried a cream that my wife has for a dry patch on her ankle and it cured my calf rash in a week.
Its a perscription called Betamethasone Dipropionate by Actavis...ask your doctor.

JonD. · « **Reply #28 on:** January 20, 2010, 02:14:32 PM »

Dunno where your located, but here in KY we have a plant that grows around creekbanks that we call touch-me-not. It has a pinkish-purple bloom in the spring and a juicy stem. Grab a handful, squeeze the juice out of the stem and apply to the poison oak- gone in a day or so.

If the stuff that Dee mentioned works like he said, then I would definitely get some of it. I will definitely try it next time I get it.

Hunter Fishman · « **Reply #29 on:** January 20, 2010, 03:39:15 PM »

Quote from: JonD. on January 20, 2010, 02:14:32 PM

Dunno where your located, but here in KY we have a plant that grows around creekbanks that we call touch-me-not. It has a pinkish-purple bloom in the spring and a juicy stem. Grab a handful, squeeze the juice out of the stem and apply to the poison oak- gone in a day or so.

If the stuff that Dee mentioned works like he said, then I would definitely get some of it. I will definitely try it next time I get it.

A plant called touch me not?

sounds like I wouldnt want to, well uuummmm... touch it! $:-\$