Almost More Challenging than OHS!

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SusanC54

Well....I'm 6 weeks post-op and I have encountered something that may be challenging me almost more than the OHS.

I have somehow managed to get poison ivy all over my body (thankfully not in my incision area)! I have really not been rooting around in the woods or hiking through areas of poison ivy, so the only reason I can think of for this is my cat!

I have read that pets can have the poison ivy resin on their fur and transfer it to humans. Our cat walks all over us at night when we're sleeping and tries to snuggle up to us. I think this is what has happened to me.....I broke out about 6 days ago and it's still going strong. I finally had to take off my Medic Alert bracelet because it was really irritating the rash. Oh well.....this too shall pass!

I'm using tubes of Benadryl cream and Calamine lotion, but I think that time is the only solution to this!

Susan
 
Thanks for this information, Nancy. I've never heard of these products before, but I will definitely be looking for them today at the store!

Susan
 
Susan, I'd high tail it to the doc pronto. Poison ivy can go systemic and you can get in a real mess. My daughter has had that happen - also from a cat that rubbed all over her face & hands.

And you must buy calamine lotion by the gallon to get it all over you!!!!!! Do you have to put it on with a paint roller? :D

Please take care of this; it can get really bad.
 
Oh my goodness. You must be just miserable!! You most certainly could have gotten it from your cat. Many years ago, when a senior in high school, I used to help my boyfriend wash his dogs. They were St. Bernards. I would sit on them to hold them still. (of course, I got more wet than the dogs, we laughed and played more than worked, but you know.....high school!) At any rate, I ended up with poison ivy all over the inside of my legs. And just in time for HS graduation....... who could foget this?? Our colors were red and black. Women wore red. Our graduation was in Cole Field House at the University of Maryland (not air conditioned in the dinosaur era!) and I think it was 100 degrees in there that day. I was pretty darn miserable.

I hope the benadryl and calamine are working for you. Oh. That just doesn't seem fair!! :(

Take it easy! :) Marguerite
 
Are you sure it's poison ivy and not some other type of rash? I would definitely see the doctor (if you have not) to make sure.
 
I'm pretty darn sure that this is poison ivy....saw my surgeon on Friday for a follow-up and he admitted that he knew absolutely nothing about poison ivy, but he said he's quite sure that it's not an allergic reaction to any medication. Only thing I'm taking is Coumadin and I think I would have shown a reaction to that before the six week mark.....haven't changed tablet brands or anything like that.

Now....what would a systemic reaction to poison ivy feel like? I never heard of this and you folks have got me a tad bit worried!

Susan
 
When it goes systemic it doesn't look quite like the oozy poison-ivy stuff - more like an itchy rash that pops out all over your body. My daughter had this happen to her when she was in the hospital for something unrelated; they couldn't be bothered bringing in a dermatologist (she was in neuro, and you know they have trouble treating more than one thing at once). After about a week, when the rash had changed in appearance and continued to spread, the dermatologist was called (duh) and finally got it under control. That was the first time I'd ever heard that contact dermatitis could spread like that.

And Rachel, you've been really lucky not to get poison ivy from your dogs. My daughter used to get it from the cat about once a summer - in lovely places like between her fingers & on her forehead. And it's certainly true that other stuff - like citrus - can cause the same kind of oozy hive-y rash. This same kid had hives from head to toe from a measles shot (mild egg allergy that pops up when a vaccine is egg-based).
 
Thanks for everyone's input on this. I'm pretty sure that it's poison ivy, since my college-aged son who was home for a visit last week just called to ask what to do about the poison ivy all over his arms!

His cat is the culprit and I know that while he was home, he was holding and patting his cat!
 
Poison Ivey

Poison Ivey

Hi Susan, I get PI from my dogs occasionly(one time is too many!) and nearly always end up at the doc's for a shot of prednisone...keep this in mind if it becomes unbearable! Get better....Sandy:)
 
My kids have had both poison ivy and oak. They find the Benadryl gel much more soothing than the cream. My oldest daughter had it everywhere including her face the week prior to starting high school! A couple of days before school started we gave up and took her to the doctor.
 
Aren't some people more sensitive to getting PI? My SO used to get it really bad, even if he went no where near it, and hid poor skin was a mess and drove him crazy! I would hardly ever get but a few bumps here and there.

Hope it goes away soon!:)
 
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