Some Poison Ivy 101 Questions
July 29, 2023 12:18 PM Subscribe
This previous Ask has been helpful, but I have some questions below the fold particular to my first time dealing with this.
So much for being immune! My rash began 9-10 days ago, I was exposed 3-4 days before the rash appeared. I was well aware of the exposure, but as I've been exposed a number of times with no rash, I did my admittedly casual normal approach, which was to just immediately wash my hands, and shower off a couple hours afterward.
Like the person in the previous Ask, the first areas the rash appeared were the only areas that formed blisters, but I am still developing smaller rashes elsewhere on my body, which makes me worried the oil is still lingering. Some of the blisters on my hands are also very persistent - they keep weeping, sealing, and filling back up. I've washed all offending towels, sheets, clothes, but realized I forgot my sneakers (doing that today). All and all, I'd say my case is mild (nothing like some of the horrible images you'll find on Google Image search), but it's still driving me nuts. Some questions:
1. I got exposed while chasing down one of my cats who escaped into an overgrown zone between my fence and a neighbor's fence. Is there any chance my cat still has oil on his fur from this escapade of two weeks ago? Advice online says "you must wash your pet" but seems mostly directly at dogs recently exposed. Given their self-cleaning nature, would a cat not eventually get rid of it themselves? I really rather not force a bath on my cat, for obvious reasons.
2. Initially I was doing okay sleeping, but lately I am waking up after a few hours of sleep, itching like mad. I have tried Burrow's Solution, cortisone cream, antihistamine cream, heat, and ice. All work for a bit, but nothing seems to provide 8hr relief. Am I missing something?
3. I'm been using Burrow's Solution the last few days, and it certainly is making the skin feel dry, and it does feel better after a soak, but I'm not sure it's actually doing anything, and maybe dryness is making the itching worse? Is there anything else that speeds up the healing? The creams likewise don't seem to be doing much but providing temporary relief.
TLDR: Is their any point in bathing a cat two weeks after exposure or does their saliva eventually do the trick, and does anything actually speed up the healing process or do all of these treatments just offer temporary relief? Thanks.
So much for being immune! My rash began 9-10 days ago, I was exposed 3-4 days before the rash appeared. I was well aware of the exposure, but as I've been exposed a number of times with no rash, I did my admittedly casual normal approach, which was to just immediately wash my hands, and shower off a couple hours afterward.
Like the person in the previous Ask, the first areas the rash appeared were the only areas that formed blisters, but I am still developing smaller rashes elsewhere on my body, which makes me worried the oil is still lingering. Some of the blisters on my hands are also very persistent - they keep weeping, sealing, and filling back up. I've washed all offending towels, sheets, clothes, but realized I forgot my sneakers (doing that today). All and all, I'd say my case is mild (nothing like some of the horrible images you'll find on Google Image search), but it's still driving me nuts. Some questions:
1. I got exposed while chasing down one of my cats who escaped into an overgrown zone between my fence and a neighbor's fence. Is there any chance my cat still has oil on his fur from this escapade of two weeks ago? Advice online says "you must wash your pet" but seems mostly directly at dogs recently exposed. Given their self-cleaning nature, would a cat not eventually get rid of it themselves? I really rather not force a bath on my cat, for obvious reasons.
2. Initially I was doing okay sleeping, but lately I am waking up after a few hours of sleep, itching like mad. I have tried Burrow's Solution, cortisone cream, antihistamine cream, heat, and ice. All work for a bit, but nothing seems to provide 8hr relief. Am I missing something?
3. I'm been using Burrow's Solution the last few days, and it certainly is making the skin feel dry, and it does feel better after a soak, but I'm not sure it's actually doing anything, and maybe dryness is making the itching worse? Is there anything else that speeds up the healing? The creams likewise don't seem to be doing much but providing temporary relief.
TLDR: Is their any point in bathing a cat two weeks after exposure or does their saliva eventually do the trick, and does anything actually speed up the healing process or do all of these treatments just offer temporary relief? Thanks.
Any urgent care doctor can perscribe prescription strength creams and or steroids to help you through.
posted by AlexiaSky at 12:36 PM on July 29, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by AlexiaSky at 12:36 PM on July 29, 2023 [5 favorites]
Zanfel is OTC. If that doesn’t help, then you might want to ask a doc. Sorry you are no longer immune! Edit: Zanfel the only OTC thing that ever truly helped me.
posted by sageleaf at 1:17 PM on July 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by sageleaf at 1:17 PM on July 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ivy Technu wash, Benadryl topical, and prednisone from the urgent care. This is The Way™.
posted by sara is disenchanted at 2:51 PM on July 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by sara is disenchanted at 2:51 PM on July 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Urushiol stays active for up to five years on any surface, so a thorough cleaning of the house is probably called for. Cats rub up against a lot of things in 4 days. For that matter, so do you.
I can't speak to washing the cat(s), but at least metaphorically it can't hurt.
I get fairly epic rashes and have never found anything that speeds up the healing process. The two most important pieces of advice (which you probably already know) are 1) hot showers will itch like crazy when you take them but will give you an hour or two of blessed relief, and 2) that your body is really indiscriminate about scratching, so scratching the healthy skin an inch away from where you feel the itch will do the trick.
Oh, and 3) have patience. Lots of patience.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:24 PM on July 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
I can't speak to washing the cat(s), but at least metaphorically it can't hurt.
I get fairly epic rashes and have never found anything that speeds up the healing process. The two most important pieces of advice (which you probably already know) are 1) hot showers will itch like crazy when you take them but will give you an hour or two of blessed relief, and 2) that your body is really indiscriminate about scratching, so scratching the healthy skin an inch away from where you feel the itch will do the trick.
Oh, and 3) have patience. Lots of patience.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:24 PM on July 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
Might be helpful: I find extremely hot water relieves the itching and pain for several hours.
If that's not enough, a steroid shot at an emergency room cleared my wife's VERY BAD poison oak reaction. She'd been with friends and her face had swollen so much that when I went to collect her I literally didn't recognize her (a very strange experience!) An hour after the shot or maybe less, it was years ago, she was back to normal.
posted by anadem at 4:52 PM on July 29, 2023 [3 favorites]
If that's not enough, a steroid shot at an emergency room cleared my wife's VERY BAD poison oak reaction. She'd been with friends and her face had swollen so much that when I went to collect her I literally didn't recognize her (a very strange experience!) An hour after the shot or maybe less, it was years ago, she was back to normal.
posted by anadem at 4:52 PM on July 29, 2023 [3 favorites]
Blistering poison ivy requires oral steroids. I tried to power through with all sorts of washes and ointments, but my doctor did a double-take and immediately prescribed steroids by mouth for 10 days.
10 days seems a lot for your cat to still have the oil on his fur, but absolutely every surface/blanket he sleeps on/rubs against needs to be washed in hot water. He could be re-depositing the ivy oil onto his fur and then you as he gets another dose from the blankets or bed coverings he lays on.
Poison ivy is really miserable. I am so sorry this is happening to you!
posted by citygirl at 5:24 PM on July 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
10 days seems a lot for your cat to still have the oil on his fur, but absolutely every surface/blanket he sleeps on/rubs against needs to be washed in hot water. He could be re-depositing the ivy oil onto his fur and then you as he gets another dose from the blankets or bed coverings he lays on.
Poison ivy is really miserable. I am so sorry this is happening to you!
posted by citygirl at 5:24 PM on July 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah sorry you probably need steroids if you have weeping blisters. And the only thing that kept me sane at night was oral Benadryl.
posted by cooker girl at 7:07 PM on July 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by cooker girl at 7:07 PM on July 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: That was my question...glad it was of some help to you. I can't speak to the cat question but it does seem logical to give them a bath since you think they ran through poison ivy. Is there any chance one of them might get into the same area again?
What happened in my case was I bought several over the counter ointments, which seemed to help. But I went to the doctor anyway and got a steroid prescription. I never used it because the next day the rash got suddenly much better. In other words, I think everything I used was helping but wasn't obvious until suddenly it was.
If you think your case is mild, it might suddenly get better, which is a wonderful thing. But if you still have weeping blisters or are getting new areas of the rash, steroids might be in order. I took extensive notes on everything that happened every day, among other reasons I would know if it was popping up in new areas. Best of luck to you!
posted by daikon at 8:24 PM on July 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
What happened in my case was I bought several over the counter ointments, which seemed to help. But I went to the doctor anyway and got a steroid prescription. I never used it because the next day the rash got suddenly much better. In other words, I think everything I used was helping but wasn't obvious until suddenly it was.
If you think your case is mild, it might suddenly get better, which is a wonderful thing. But if you still have weeping blisters or are getting new areas of the rash, steroids might be in order. I took extensive notes on everything that happened every day, among other reasons I would know if it was popping up in new areas. Best of luck to you!
posted by daikon at 8:24 PM on July 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
No idea about the cat, but unless you have a compelling medical reason to avoid it just get the prednisone Rx it's a quick and easy solution to a poison ivy rash that won't go away. (I need it every time I get poison ivy because mine always spreads.)
posted by Wretch729 at 5:42 AM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Wretch729 at 5:42 AM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
Oh hey I just went through this again and it was hell. If it’s been two weeks and it’s spreading I’d really recommend a visit to the doc. Not only for steroids but also so they can check for cellulitis, which can be serious. Benadryl didn’t put a dent in the itching for me, but Xyzal (levocetrizine) was a godsend. So was CeraVe Itch Relief cream. Good luck!
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 8:18 AM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 8:18 AM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
Wash your cat and cat blankets!
posted by Lawn Beaver at 3:32 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Lawn Beaver at 3:32 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I learned more than I ever wanted to know about poison ivy/oak from this podcast about it. Benadryl won't help because urushiol doesn't cause a histamine reaction, for example, so anti-histamines are useless. Yes, wash absolutely everything, and get steroids if it isn't getting better soon.
posted by gingerbeer at 7:27 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by gingerbeer at 7:27 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
The new rashes are not likely to be caused by new exposures to oil but rather a systemic reaction from your body, which is why a steroid shot will help heal your whole body. (Oral anti-histamines absolutely me keep the systemic reactions in check —w/o a trip to dr.— despite the comment above that that's not a thing.)
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 5:19 AM on July 31, 2023
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 5:19 AM on July 31, 2023
Response by poster: Thanks for all the answers! I marked the ones urging me for patience as "best" since it does seem to be clearing up, mostly - still one blister the size of dime that just doesn't seem to want to go away - will give in another few days. Less "spreading" lately, I think my deep clean of the apartment's surfaces helped (makes sense, since on my legs it's only the backs of the legs - likely from the couch cushions, the covers of which I only recently washed- lesson learned!)
posted by coffeecat at 10:52 AM on August 1, 2023
posted by coffeecat at 10:52 AM on August 1, 2023
Response by poster: A final update for anyone who might find this later: it really did just take time (I am only now mostly over it) - I had one blister that just didn't seem to want to go away, and then one day I really soaked it for hours in vinegar water and the next day it had shriveled. I also had raised itchy red splotches that took weeks to gradually turn to brown. Anyway, as long as it's not infected, I'd say the trick is just to wait it out, keep applying all the various creams and cold compresses, and wait.
posted by coffeecat at 11:28 AM on August 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by coffeecat at 11:28 AM on August 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Windopaene at 12:22 PM on July 29, 2023 [1 favorite]