Help, need poison oak treatment

[SadieKate]

Bubba just came home with a nasty case of poison oak. Turns out we parked next to some on Saturday and I don't react so I didn't even notice. Both arms and legs are affected. He says he nauseated from the itching. Anybody have recommendations?

He just took an antihistamine and is going to wash with some 2% salicylic acid acne wash. The acne wash is years old. Do you think it has lost it's "umph?"

What else? He normally just gets a very small patch that goes away in a few days. This time, it looks really nasty. :(

[SadieKate]

While we're on this topic, anyone have a source for Tecnu by the gallon?

[jobob]

poor bunkie!! :(

Lee once took a fabulous tumble into some marsh weeds which, come to find out a few days later, also had some poison oak lurking within. The poor guy was covered!!!

Lee found out about Zanfel *after* the fact, and according to his reading & word-of-mouth from others who have used it, it's supposed to work really well. It's available at drugstores.

http://www.zanfel.com/

Best of luck!!!

[Adventure Girl]

I’ve had poison oak a couple of times. One time it was really bad. One time it was really, really, really bad!! Whenever I mountain bike in shorts and short sleeves, I use a poison oak blocker (kind of like sunblock). There’s a commercial product called “Ivy Block”. It leaves your skin blotchy white… It looks bad, but it’s worth it. After I ride, I wash everything twice. I spray my shoes and bike with Tecnu. Then I rub Tecnu all over myself and take a really long shower (cool water seems to be better).

The worst case I had was about 2 years ago. I had to see a dermatologist. He said it was one of the worst cases he had ever seen :eek: . Lucky me! I got two steroid shots and was on prednisone for about a month! Benadryl and calamine lotion helped the itching a little, but I was really miserable for a while.

If he has it really bad, I'd suggest a visit to the doctor. Don't let him suffer! By the way, Costco sometimes sells big bottles of Tecnu.

[SadieKate]

Bubba and I both say thank you and I'm out the door to RiteAid!

[jobob]

Ice cream never hurts either ;)

(administered internally, not topically)

[SadieKate]

Yowza! The Zanfel better be good! A 1 oz tube is $40 bucks! I got him some Peeps just in case. :D

Will report later. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[snapdragen]

Oh, poor guy! The Peeps will definately help, he may need Circus Animal Cookies too....along with ice cream of course.

[jobob]

Yowza! The Zanfel better be good! A 1 oz tube is $40 bucks! :eek: :eek: I had no idea!! :eek: :eek:

Well, according to Lee, if it works the way people told him it does, it's well worth it... ( my poor sweetie was in agony for many days :( )

- Jobob, wondering what the heck's in it

[SadieKate]

That's so funny! We have a bag of Circus Animal cookies in the ride snack bag! However, the carrot cake that we couldn't eat last night seems to be helping. The Peeps are sliced open and aging nicely (he likes them chewy).

BUT, the big news! The Zanfel is working as promised. He washed with it and the itching is gone except for 2 spots. According to the directions, these 2 spots would need retreatment because the outbreak is leathery rather than blisters, so another shower is scheduled at 11 pm. He's in the living room napping peacefully. Before he was going crazy trying not to scratch, feeling anxious and a little nauseated.

The ingredients: Polyethylene granules, sodium lauroyl sarconsinate, nonoxynol-9, C12-15 pareth-9, disodium EDTA, quaternium-15, carbomer 2%, triethanolamine, water -- and gold nuggets :D .

It worked. From now on, Tecnu after every ride and keep the Zanfel for emergencies. Bubba says he owes you a lifetime supply of Paydays.

Thanks, girls! Now to find the Ivy Block before the next mtb ride.

[snapdragen]

Ah - a man who knows the proper way to eat Peeps!

Glad to hear he's feeling better!

[sarahfixit]

I went down that road too many times. :rolleyes: Last summer, while I was landscaping I weedwacked a bunch of it and it plastered my legs. Man that was bad. It was so bad I went right to the doc. He gave me something internal and it was gone in like 2 days, but since then I found Ivy Block. That stuff rocks. Ivy Block before and tecnu after. I only got it 3 times minorly out of the whole summer, still as a racer and landscaper.

[gilly]

Poor Bubba, I can't begin to imagine what he must have been going through, I'm glad you're sorted.

I couldn't have done this when you posted, because of the time difference, but another good remedy is essential oils.

Immediately after contact, wash with soap and water then apply NEAT Eucalyptus oil. Lavender or Chamomile will also stop the irritation. If it's over a wide area, apply a cold compress with 2 drops of ONE of the above oils and the irritation should subside within a couple of hours.

Sorry I couldn't be of any help when it counted :(

[jobob]

Sorry I couldn't be of any help when it counted Ah, but someday when someone else is in the same predicament, hopefully they'll know to run a search, and will find your suggestions !

That's one of the great things about the way this board is set up, people's words live on ...


-- and gold nuggets :D LOL, that's what I was thinking too! I'm so glad it's helping - not just for Bubba's sake, of course, but also because I would have felt terrible if you dumped all that money on something that didn't work !

Lee would most certainly enjoy a lifetime supply of Paydays :D :D :D but if he gets fat again there'd be h&ll to pay from his wife ;)

[SadieKate]

Thank you, everyone for your help! Bubba wisely decided to stay home today so he can stay in some soft flannel jammies and not walk around too much. He must have wiped the oils of his bike clothes onto extra parts of his body because he has even has inflammations on his tush and back. The itching has subsided quite a bit and he got a good nights sleep after one more round of treatment with the Zanfel. I'll probably stop at the co-op tonight and look for some of the essential oils. Even a plain old cold compress would probably help. I'm going to order some 32 oz bottles of the Tecnu and hope the same site will have the Ivy Block.

Jobob, we'll just be sure to have Paydays whenever we ride with you and Lee which I hope is often!

[SadieKate]

I thought I'd better post an update. I took him to the doc and he's now on Prednisone, so he's going from cranky to really cranky. It's a 7-day dose and both the doc and the pharma said that he should start to feel some relief in 4-6 hours. The swelling is significant and it looks like a branch scraped his calf so he got a huge dose of the toxin. I don't think Ivy Block would have helped. :rolleyes:

I took him home, he's fed, watered, and tucked back into bed with my remaining supply of dark chocolate easter eggs. He's exhausted, but hopeful that by Saturday he can do little bit of riding. Fortunately, the affected areas aren't near a bike saddle. :D

Thanks, everyone, for your concern and well wishes. Yellow, your Peep fly really made him laugh!