Oh, I AM SO SORRY TO HEAR THAT!! This is NOT GOOD!! I assume you already washed the oil from the plant off of the area. Oatmeal compresses, as well as baking soda paste may help, as will cold compresses, until you can get some ointment. You may want to read this article. https://www.healthline.com/health/outdoor-health/poison-ivy-remedies

According to it, poison ivy produces an oil that sticks to everything and can last for a long time. It can be spread even by going from your hands to a cell phone, to someone elses hands. It can takes weeks to go away. The article tells you how to dress around it. I am not a person who normally sprays chemicals for weeds (I use IRON-X). BUT If it were my land, I would have it sprayed!!

Rebecca

Thanks for the info.I tried washing the oils off with dish detergent when I first realized I had made contact.It will take weeks for this to heal.Anyone here have any experience on killing poison ivy with chemicals?

Yes, it works great. I've also dug it out, but I'm extremely sensitive to it. Desitin works well on rash helping to dry it out while the Zinc oxide helps it heal.

Kaleidoscope eyes,

I have had poison ivy dermatitis many times over the years. I know how miserable it is. I am sorry for your suffering.

All the above advice you have been given by the above gracious Roses Forum members is right on target.

May I add, as you heal, avoid scratching your rash as much as possible...easy for me to say, I know, because I did not follow my own advice, some years ago when my very last poison ivy episode turned nasty.

It was a mild outbreak, so I ignored it, having had it many times before, and more severely then, too. I scratched it frequently, especially at night. As it healed one small scab on my left forearm did not clear cup. It enlarged, day by day, until it was the size of a silver dollar. There was no pain. The soft, moist scab was dark brown. The skin around the scab was not inflamed much (its red color was obscured by a dark tan I had then....I'm white).

At the scab's silver dollar size, which was two weeks after I first got the poison ivy rash, and the poison ivy rash itself was by now well healed, I decided to stop at my hospital's emergency room on my way to work, to have the scab checked out.

"Doctor, my poison ivy never looked like this before," I said.

The examining doctor told me that my simple poison ivy dermatitis had progressed to cellulitis. He told me further that the next step was blood poisoning and gangrene, unless I started a 10 day antibiotic treatment. I also was ordered to take off work for ten days.

The scab started to decrease in size the very next day after I started the 10 day antibiotic course. The scab was completely gone by the end of the 10 days. My arm hair grew back where the scab was, and the skin was normally colored within two months.

I told you all this to encourage you to take your poison ivy dermatitis very seriously.

Moses

If you can, go to a Walmart or drug store and see if they have a product called Zanfel. It is not cheap, but it does help. It may take more than one or two applications. I use it. Unfortunately, my last round of it darned near did me in. I now think I must have had an anaphylactic reaction even though I don't think I actually touched the sizeable and sneaky plant(s) I was digging out. That was last August, and I still feel like absolute crap. Poison ivy gets in my yard and my neighbors' yards. I wind up digging out about 20 of them every year, mostly small. It is miserable. You have my sympathies for sure.

I'm sorry to hear you got it..I know it's miserable. I hope you can hire someone, perhaps someone who is not allergic to it to help get rid of it on your property.

kaleidoscope eyes, When we were young out running thru the woods etc and got into poison ivy we would rub dirt onto the effected area. The dust absorbed the oil before it could do any damage. You might try any powder you have (baby powder) if you feel the oil is still on your hands/arms.

That's a great idea, toolbelt! Native Impatiens (AKA touch-me-not) is also used as a traditional salve, and while not everyone has that growing in one's yard, it often grows in conjunction with PIvy.

According to this website, pantothenic acid in combination with vitamin C will help relieve you of poison ivy symptoms.

https://neverdonehomestead.com/2016/05/16/a-vitamin-remedy-for-poison-ivy/

I have not tried it but the blogger sure provided a convincing case.

To stop the itch, you can apply liberally 100% pure apple cider vinegar onto affected areas. The acids help with clearing the oils according to an article I read sometimes ago. Good luck.

Thanks for the tips everyone. I think I'm going to have to take tomorrow off work to let it dry out. It is sticking to long sleeves. One thing I am worried about is it getting infected. Im trying to not scratch it. When I get the urge...I've used a warm washcloth. The last time I got this I had to go to the ER because it was on my face. They gave me a shot and corticosteroids.

Karen, thanks for the reminder about vinegar and info about PA and CA. I use regular vinegar and that also works. I usually get this insidious infection every year try as I might to avoid it.