How does poison ivy keep spreading once you've already got it?

So it bubbles and the bubbling keeps getting bigger, but is that because the poison ivy chemical is still on the surface of the skin, or does it come back out of the already inflamed part?

How does poison ivy keep spreading once you've already got it?
If the rash seems to be spreading, there could be a few explanations:



- Your skin absorbs the oils from the ivy at different rates. You may see the rash begin to appear in different places as the oils are able to penetrate the skin.



- The oils may have gotten on some surface that you continue to come into contact with. For example, a pet, your clothes, a towel. You need to clean any materials that might have come into contact with the oils to prevent further exposure.



- The oils may have attached to your soap. If you used bar soap after you were exposed to the oils, the oils may have attached themselves to the soap. Everytime you wash with that soap, you can expose yourself again. Throw away your bar soap and use liquid soap to wash.



The rash won't spread because your scratch, but the itch can be hard to handle. I've found Benadryl is very effective in drying the rash and calming the itch. Other people use Calamine lotion. It can also be be helpful to dry the rash out by spending some time in the sun. Just be sure to read all of the warnings on the labels if you are going to treat your rash with lotions. It's hard, I know, but it will end in a few days. Good luck!
Reply:This link might be of help to you



http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/cures.ht...
Reply:contrary to popular belief if u burst a posion ivy blister it does not cause it to spread. It adsorbs through the first and second layer of skin and the inflammation process (heat and swelling or blisters) cause it to spread. The best defense is to wash the area thoroughly after exposure. If it is too late for that then use a drying agent like calamine, benadryl lotion, lye soap.
Reply:the oils in poison ivy are tenacious and will stay on your skin for several hours or even days and if you touch other parts of your body then that area will also react. if you think you have contacted it immediately go and wash the area really good with soap and water...and keep calamine lotion in stock.
Reply:Poison Ivy is by far the most common cause of this allergic skin reaction. The entire plant, except the pollen, is toxic throughout the year, even during the winter months when the branches and stems are leafless.



Contact dermatitis simply means that something has been applied to the skin which has caused the skin to react to it. An initial exposure is necessary to "sensitize" the patient; In other words, you get "one free pass". A subsequent exposure will result in an allergic reaction if the plant oil remains in contact with the skin for as little as 10 to 15 miniutes. The resulting rash begins after a 12 to 48 hour delay and persists for about two weeks up to four weeks or longer.



The resulting rash can range from mildly unpleasant to a true emergency with intense swelling, blistering, and oozing. With even a moderate case the itching can seem unbearable





The best thing to do if you know you've been exposed to poison ivy / oak / sumac is to wash your skin immediately with rubbing alcohol (or Tecnu), in which the resin is soluble. Beer or other beverages containing alcohol will help to dissolve the resin if rubbing alcohol is not available. Soap works, but not as well. If the oil has been on the skin for less than six hours, a thorough cleansing with strong soap, repeated three times, may lessen or even prevent a reaction.



If you do wash with soap, make sure you do it in the shower so the resin is washed down the drain, not deposited in a slick on the sides of the tub to spread to others. If you can wash the area with plain cold water within a few hours of being exposed you may be able to remove a lot of the urushiol. Use a LOT of COLD water. Be aware that the water is simply spreading the oil around; the idea is to use enough water to wash all of the oil from your body.



Do not use hot water which can open your pores to the oil.



The resin is absorbed quickly into the skin. If the oil is on your skin for as little as ten to fifteen minutes, it can lead to an allergic reaction. The eruption is characterized by redness, papules (bumps), vesicles (blisters) and linear ("in a line") streaking. Mild cases can last 5 to 12 days. More severe cases can last up to 30 days or longer.



The eruption usually appears within two or three days but may occur within eight hours. The eruption rarely is delayed longer than ten days.



Once the rash appears, the original oil has all bonded to the victim's skin, so it can't be spread to others.



Contrary to popular belief, the fluid in the vesicles or blisters is not allergic and will not spread the rash. The blisters are the body's natural allergic reaction to poison oak and poison ivy. If the blisters break and ooze, the fluid does not contain the oils that cause spreading. The rash will frequently break out in stages and continue spreading for the first 1 or 2 days.



If new areas of rash appear after 3 days, you are probably getting re-exposed to the plant oils, most likely from contaminated clothing, tools, or even your cat or dog (their fur protects them but can harbor the oil for a prolonged period of time). As mentioned above, the resin will remain on any exposed (but uncleaned) objects such as clothing or equipment. If you put on your exposed shoes a week later, you can wipe the resin from your shoes onto your face or other areas.



Interestingly, the urushiol can be vaporized when exposed to a fire. If you have a neighbor who is burning poison ivy, the resin will rise with the smoke. If you are downwind when the resin cools off and rains back down to earth, you could receive a coat of urushiol on any uncovered areas resulting in a surprise case of poison ivy.



Under no circumstances should you burn the plant; the smoke is as potent as the plant itself. Inhaling the smoke can produce a systemic reaction, including potentially serious, and life-threatening, lung inflammation.



Most of the treatments are aimed at reducing the itching until the self-limited rash runs its course, which takes about two weeks. Since easing the itching is the important result, trial and error works very well. If one of these suggestions seems to work, by all means, stick with it. If it's not working or seems to worsen things….please stop.



Never break the blisters! An open blister can easily become infected and lead to blood poisoning. If the blisters break, cover loosely with a sterile bandage. In severe cases, see your doctor.



Most people find that cool compresses in one form or another are quite soothing. Try using a towel or wash cloth soaked in either plain tap water, Epson salt water (up to about 2 tablespoons of salt per cup, stir until the salt dissolves) or Burow's Solution (an astringent solution -- you can make it yourself using Domeboro tablets or powder--available over-the-counter). This can help relieve the intense itching and remove any dry crust that has formed as a result of the rash. Let the water dry on the area, leaving a salt dust covering. Do this a couple of times a day (or more).



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. (I'm aware that some people maintain that a VERY hot shower can dull the pain and relieve some itching. I, personally, do not recommend heat therapy for Poison Ivy).



After cooling your skin (using any of the forms mentioned above) coat the rash with a lotion such as Calamine. This continues to help relieve the itching and dry up the blisters. Be sure to check the expiration date on an old calamine bottle in your medicine cabinet, since it may not be effective after the expiration date. Calamine may not seem to do much, in some cases, but I don't think it will hurt anything and is worth a try in the early stages.



Be sure the lotion does not contain benzocaine, zirconium, or a topical antihistamine, such as Benadryl (which is in Caladryl). These can actually make the rash worse by producing their own allergic reactions when applied to already sensitive skin.



Smearing on 1% hydrocortisone cream (available over-the-counter without prescription) may give some relief, but is nowhere nearly as effective as the potent topical corticosteroid preparations available from your physician by prescription. These can help suppress the itching and give temporary relief, but do little to hasten the drying up of the rash.



Special Note: For on-the-trail treatment and prevention you can't beat nature's own remedy, jewelweed. The Native Americans used Jewelweed. It is usually found in moist, shaded areas and is identified by it's waxy leaves. After a rain or heavy dew, water beads up on the waxy leaves and looks like jewels. It's almost always found close to ivy, so it's usually availible when you need it. Crush a few leaves and stems and rub them on your skin, or crush and soak in water for a larger amount. You can also put a mess of jewelweed in a large glass container and make a "sun tea" out of it to use as a compress (not to be taken internally) to help soothe the eruption if it develops.



Antihistamines

Benadryl is available over-the-counter without prescription and can help with the itching. Taking Benadryl at nighttime will make most people drowsy and help them sleep through the night without itching. Again, don't use Benadryl cream or spray topically, because this can cause its own reaction. Several other antihistamines (Atarax? , Periactin? , etc.) are available by prescription when you see your doctor and may be more effective than over-the-counter products.



my mom helped me answer this and my mom also had to help my dad with it he loved camping
Reply:you must be scratching it if it is doing this

Comm college to Ivy League--possible?

I graduated from a high school in a poor country in Asia. I have spent only 1 year in American high school and became a valedictorian of 4.0 GPA. [I have only two honor courses in high school here]



I just finished the first semester at a community college. I took five transferable courses with a total of 18 units. [two college honor courses]. My college GPA is 4.0.



I have been volunteering in a hospital. media director of pre-med club. secretary of a science club. volunteer every weekend in the health fair sponsored by CVS Pharmacy. These are all my activities in college. I don't play neither sport nor music.



I have only 1770 SAT score.



Do I have chance to get into the Ivy schools? I am applying for next semester.



What is your advice?

Comm college to Ivy League--possible?
Yes.

Because of the desire of Ivy league schools to have multi-culturally diverse student populations and your outstanding grades and community service, then you have a chance.



You will need to write a really great personal statement with your admission. You should also narrow it down to a few certain schools and attempt to get Letters of recommendation from alumnus of those schools. The alumni calling the admissions officers on your behalf will help. The administrations like to keep their prominent alumni happy.



The SAT needs some serious work. Buy a prep course workbook at the bookstore and do it religiously. Your SAT score needs the most work, in fact, sacrifice some of the volunteer stuff for SAT prep work. That is the most serious obstacle standing in your way. The non-traditional educational background, just makes your story better and your admission more appealing. But, your standardized test scores will prevent your admission. You need to radically increase your scores.
Reply:No you don't. Give up on Ivy league schools and work on finding a school that more realistically works for you.

boots

Need help with a bad poison ivy rash. Got any advice?

i was out in the yard, and ONE damn little ivy leaf touched my hand, my finger. later on i scratched and thats where it spread to my arms. Heres the worst part, i forgot i had the poison on my finger.........and i had to go.........piss. Now i have a bad, BAD rash. All over my chest, my arms, thighs, and my......how should i say it........my package. Its extremely painful, extremely itchy, im miserable because of it and i hope no other man has to go through what im goin through. Does anybody know ANYTHING that i can do to get rid of this poison ivy rash fast and relieve the itch and pain. ANYTHING??? please help me, im miserable and im suffering. (Imagine a mosquito bite, 10 times stronger and everytime you scratch you get a second of relief then extreme pain, on your wang, all day everyday. I cant even get any sleep) Thanks for any advice.

Need help with a bad poison ivy rash. Got any advice?
Take some benadryl and then use some regular like anti-itch cream. If it gets really bad go to the doctor and they will give you a shot for it. Especially cause it is down there, and another thing DON'T SCRATCH.



If you would have washed the poison ivy oil off right away you wouldn't have gotten it. Any time you think that you have come in contact with it go wash your self with hot water and dish soap.



Also they have oatmeal bath packets that Aveno makes especially for poison ivy and stuff like that. I would go and get some it really helps that away that itch.
Reply:do to the ER, they will give you a shot of decodron, within about 10-15 minutes the itching and pain will stop and in about 2 days the rash will clear up. That is my best advice. The decodron works wonders.
Reply:I've had a extreme case of poision ivy.....in fact it was so bad I cant even be around poison lvy when it's merely pollenating. Because it got into my blood stream.

I used Sunlight dish soap. Wash with it constantly. What happens is.....a oil from the plant gets on your skin, you sratch and this oil spreads everywhere!!!!!!!

Sunlight will help a lot but unfortunaly you'll have to go through so discomfort and time will heal it.

Do you think ivy will winter well in large planters or should I bring it into the basement for the winter?

I have the ivy in large 1/2 barrel planters. I live in zone 5.

Do you think ivy will winter well in large planters or should I bring it into the basement for the winter?
I also live in zone 5…

I have had no success with ivy surviving in containers over the winter.

I suggest that you either move your ivy into the ground for winter or take your containers into a warmer place to go dormant over the winter. (Such as a garage or porch that remains that doesn’t drop below 30 degrees.)

I have success with placing containers by my dryer vent.

The warm air coming from the dryer vent seems to save roots from freezing over the winter in containers.
Reply:Ivy will survive most winters.... it is very hardy and also spreads quick so trim it to keep under control
Reply:Hi, my name is Eunice Saunders and I know the answer to your question. Ivy is very hardy and can winter very well out doors in any zone...except maybe Alaska. I would mulch the Ivy with leaves if you expect a really cold snap. I used to bury my Ivy planters (put the pots in the ground up to the rim.) This works very well if you are in a very cold Climate and it will also give you some new starters or runners in the spring when you dig your planters out. I would not bring them in for the winter as it creates weaker plants that can't stand weather changes. But you can bring them in if you like. Just remember to gradually bring them in and then gradually take them out in the spring. Good Luck! Visit my web site: http://agentsaunders.listingbook.com
Reply:I would put it where it can can some sun, cut it back hard. Or, you can take cuttings and start over.
Reply:Hi Susan,



I live in The Great White North where it drops to 40 below zero. The ivy weathers the winter outside with no problem.



Tony
Reply:Being in the UK, I have no idea what zone 5 is.



However, unless you have some rare tropical species of ivy, it should overwinter outside fine - ivy is a native to this country (the UK) and can be found growing up ruined buildings all across the country, including the far north of Scotland. Most, if not all, species of ivy are frost hardy, but if in doubt, check to see if there is ivy growing outdoors in your neighbourhood. If there is, you should have no problem.

Are there any ivy league university in america that allow my guard dog in their dorms?

Are there any ivy league university in america that allow my guard dog in their dorms?

i got a dog from this website so they are very obedient but attack on command.

www.harrisonk9.com

Are there any ivy league university in america that allow my guard dog in their dorms?
why do you need a guard dog?
Reply:I'm afraid if you want to keep your dog, you'll have to look into renting an apartment or a room in a house off-campus. Dogs (and pets in general) are not allowed in university dorms for sanitary reasons. When I was in school, some girls on my floor kept a cat in their room and were thrown out of the dorms.
Reply:Tell them that it's a "service animal". (like Seeing Eye Dogs, or Dogs for the Deaf.) You have to have proof of training, but if you can prove the need for it, they can't deny you.
Reply:all of the ivy's will let your dog in... just tell them that he is a seeing eye dog. they are too p.c. to give you a hard time
Reply:Not likely...
Reply:If your smart enough to go to an Ivy League University, I would think you'd be smart enough to figure this one out. Why do you need a guard dog while at an Ivy League University? Just wondering?

When having posion ivy ,is wearing pants bad?

I have had posion ivy for 1 week now and it had almost passed,i wore pants out and to bed which may have caused it to spread

When having posion ivy ,is wearing pants bad?
Wearing pants is fine. The affected areas are from exposure to the plant. You can't make the blisters spread. The skin only reacts to the oil from the plant. The irritation is actually your body's allergic reaction to the plant oils. Unlike common thought, you can't catch poison ivy from touching someone who has it.

art

Transferring to an Ivy league school questions?

I know that transferring into the Ivy league is extremely challenging, considering the minimal amount of acceptances they admit per year. My question is whether it would be more advantageous to take 3 SAT II subjects or not. I know that they are not required for transfer students in most schools, but I would appreciate hearing from someone who really knows. I'm not sure whether I should concentrate more on SAT II's or on bettering my SAT I score, or on doing the ACT... Thanks!

Transferring to an Ivy league school questions?
The SAT and ACT are required for admission to college for new students who have not previously enrolled in college. When you are transferring into an elite school they are mainly interested in the courses you took in college and what grades you got, not what you did in a high school test.



If you check the stats on any ofthe websites, you see that the retention rate at the Ivies, Duke, etc are 97 or 98% from freshman to sophomore year. That means that if the class started out as 1500 kids, that no more than 30 or so have left. So that is the maximum number that can be accepted in by transfer. I think one of the admissions officers told me they receive about 400 transfer apps a year. So, that's how competitive it is. Mostly the kids who transfer in are either coming from some other very elite school where they did very well in their courses, or they are kids who were waitlisted at the school, went to another school and did very well and are now giving it another shot at the school that was their first choice.



It's all about your college grades in courses you took that were tough courses (physics with calc, not freshman comp!) Your grades in those college courses must show that you could handle the courses at the elite school and will not get into academic trouble if they allow you to transfer.
Reply:There's not just one way. It depends on which universities and programs you're hoping to get accepted to. So, that first thing to do is make a list of your top choices, and then contact each school's admissions officer or and ask if which are the criteria most valued there for transfer students. You'll be surprised by how much info some of them will share.