I have poison ivy, should i see a doctor?

i have poison ivy in both of my eyes and on my neck which is kinda swelling up my throat. i also have it right around my mouth, like on my lips and i have it in my nose and its on my genitals. it kinda looks like a thick leathery burn. should i go to the doctor, or just wait it out?

I have poison ivy, should i see a doctor?
GO TO YOUR DOCTOR!!!!



You are NOT at risk for swelling your throat shut!



There is NO reason to wait it out/suffer! A good doctor will put you on steroids (such as Prednisone) for 14 to 21 days! (less time will lead to a rebound of your symptoms thus making you feel worse!). With the steroid your rash will markedly deminish and you will feel better and look better!



Remember that urushiol poisoning (i.e. poison ivy/oak) is NOT contagious! In other words you cannot transmit it to someone else via your rash! The urushiol toxin is tranmissible by direct contact with the sap/leaf of the plant. This sap stays on your clothes, pet hair etc. (wash all effected clothing in hot, soapy water!). The urushiol binds within 10 minutes of contact so if you KNOW you just brushed up against the plant wash IMMEDIATELY otherwise you are "screwed!" You will not know you have been otherwise effected until 3 days post exposure when the rash appears. This is special type of allergic reaction that, unlike hives, does not begin for 48 to 72 hours (it's called a Type 4 reaction and involves your T cells but you can look that up if you want). It usually starts at the site of exposure but can spread any/everywhere on the body. Benedryl/Vistiril helps with itching but steroids are needed for true relief! (just remember that if your doctor puts you on less than a 14 day course he/she doesn't know what they are doing regarding this allergic type reaction!). Steroid cream and antihistamine creams are also useful but do NOT use a high potency steroid on your face unless you like a lot of redness and possibly cataracts!

In the future there are several products on the market that help prevent the rash by creating a barrier on you skin.

Also, be extremely careful when burning wood for a campfire. The worst cases of urushiol exposure I have seen came from the smoke of unwitted burning of poison Ivy/oak leaves/branches! The person inhaled some of the stuff and you can imagine how bad off they were...



Good Luck! I hope this helps!



Greg M.D.
Reply:oh my god yes
Reply:Yes...Any time it gets inside your mouth it's time to see the doctor....If it were on your skin thats one thing but in you mouth thats another....go now!!!!
Reply:Go to a doctor. Poison ivy in and of itself is not usually dangerous, but because you have symptoms which could lead to internal contamination, you need to see a doctor.
Reply:yes you can lose your sight and if you throat swells up to bad you can stop breathing if you go to the doctor they will give you medacine that will keep the swelling down and help it heal faster!
Reply:dude! go to the doctor right away if it gets worse, even though u should go now. but it should go away after a while so good luck.

PLEASE GIVE ME BEST ANSWER I PUT IT SHORT AND SWEET!!!!

LOL

good luck,

Lester Fester
Reply:Yes my husband had it and waited he now has scars and itches still, because his skin became horribly dry as a affect of waiting go immediately.
Reply:My son had it just like that this weekend, we went to the doc Monday and she gave him prednison and it's almost gone now. GO!!! It can get infected and be nasty!
Reply:Holy sh!t, get to the doctor NOW
Reply:GO TO THE DOCTOR ASAP!! Anywhere else other than the places you described you could treat yourself, but not this. GO TODAY. Your eyes are nothing to play with. And are you for real? On your genitals? I don't even want to know...
Reply:PLease go to the doc immediately. I hope u feel better.
Reply:you should go to the doctor since it is those places. normally you would be able to home treat it, but you should see the doctor any time something is in your eyes and nose. Espicially since your throat is swelling, it could choke you.
Reply:see a doctor if its inside your ears.
Reply:Go to your doctor immediately!!!!!!!! If it is at all near your throat, you have to think of your airway. GO NOW!!!!!!!
Reply:Considering the places you say it's at, I would say go to your doctor. If it was just on your arms or legs or main body, I would say wait it out and use calamine lotion.
Reply:Shocks - you better hurry. It's your life which at stake. Don't take chances. What if it's worst than poison ivy - or your immune system cannot cope up with the effects of that poison. Hurry up, love yourself. It might be too late. Run. . .