Poison Ivy Cure - Impatiens?

As a child, it used to be my greatest foolish trick - rub a poison ivy leaf on my skin and watch the fear in my friends' eyes - and their utter amazement that I wouldn't ever get the rash.

27 years later, and covered head to toe, I'm apparently making up for lost time.

I've had this for 4 days, and it's beginning to blister. My elbows are so covered in rash, I can't bend them.

I've been to the doctor and got the cortisone shot, which has relieved some of the itching but not the burning pain. He's prescribed methlypredisolone, but it has huge mental side effects, and I'm frankly terrified of taking it. Calamine just seems to irritate my very sensitive skin.

I've heard that impatiens are a good natural remedy. Can you use regular impatiens, or does it have to be the touch-me-nots?



THANKS!

Poison Ivy Cure - Impatiens?
Well, I'd go back to the doctor and tell him your fear and get an alternative medicine. I'm horribly allergic to poison ivy, and I get an old-fashioned prescription--it's called a dose pack--and it's some kind of steroid. You take like 5 tablets the first day, four the next and so forth.



I don't know any home remedies that work. Get well soon.
Reply:Actually, I (quietthunder) voted, not the community. I don't know why it didn't note that! Anyhoo, thanks! Report It
Reply:get steroid shot or pills from doc
Reply:Someone told me, you should put the part in tomato juice for a while.
Reply:Yes, it works!

For a home remedy, try applying the crushed leaves of jewelweed (Impatiens capensis). The beauty of this home remedy is that jewelweed is a common weed in damp areas. This "treatment" may very well be growing right in your own backyard!



Also cool compresses in one form or another are quite soothing. Try using a towel or wash cloth soaked in either plain tap water or Burow's Solution (an astringent solution -- you can make it yourself using Domeboro tablets or powder packets available over-the-counter). This can help relieve the intense itching and remove dry crust that has formed as a result of the rash. A fan blowing over the cool compress will diminish some of the heat of the itching and help to dry up some of the ooze coming from the rash. As the skin is cooling, the blood vessels compress and that cuts down on the itching and the new ooze. This is especially good during the two or three worst days of the rash. Along the same lines, some dermatologists recommend rubbing an ice cube gently over the rash several times a day, then letting the skin air dry. Soaking in a tub, particularly using an oatmeal bath such as Aveeno, can also be very soothing to the itch. Be sure the bath is cool or lukewarm -- but not hot -- as heat tends to make the rash even more inflamed.