Topic: poison ivy !!!!
Log in to post a replyPosts: 1737
- Posted on: Apr 29, 2008 07:36 am
a couple of weekends ago i was out working in the yard (before the leaves had sprouted). i was wearing gloves and being careful of thorns, bees, etc. i cut a brown vine off an apple tree.....well, the vine must have been poison ivy or something like it. even though i thought i was protected, two days later i had a poison ivy-like rash all over my forearms, collarbone and feet.
bad enough, but the upper arm on the side where i had 19 nodes removed turned bright red and became really swollen. the poison ivy rash became especially bad there, and it got as numb as it was after surgery, besides horribly itchy. it seems weeks later everything on that side is having a very slow time recovering.
i am just winding down from a long course of prednisone (dermatologist said "not to worry" about the arm) and although the PI is about gone everywhere else, that arm has a slightly red, circular area (along the tricep), is warm to the touch and just not back to "normal". it's going away, but it's taking forever.
anyone have any experience with recovering from poison ivy/oak/sumac on the affected side? any tips for treating this? i am five years out from treatment, this really caught me by surprise.
denisa
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Binney4 Joined: Aug 2004 Posts: 3387 |
Apr 29, 2008 01:55 pm
Binney4 wrote:
Denisa, hi! Good to hear from you, only I'm really sorry about the occasion. How are you doing other than the PI? You sure do have a history of coming up with, uh, "interesting" If it's newly warm to the touch go quick and get help, as an infection is sure possible. If it's been warm to the touch all along and doesn't seem to be worsening, then it well might be just the delayed healing you could expect on an at-risk arm. It would seem to indicate some stagnation of lymph in that arm, but I'm not sure whether either massage or compression would be a good idea unless you're absolutely sure you're not dealing with an infection. (Did you have any antibiotics phophylactically when it happened? That might be a thought if you have any question about possible infection.) If you are sure it's not infection, or if you start an antibiotic, then I think compression and massage might actually help. Aw, nuts! Hope it only gets better and better. Do stay well hydrated, keep your arm elevated as much as possible, and be super careful to keep the skin intact. Congrats on your five-year status! Don't let this get you down, okay? Keep us posted, Binney |
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denisa Joined: Feb 2003 Posts: 1737 |
Apr 29, 2008 02:38 pm
denisa wrote:
hi binney and thanks for digging out some archives for me. no - no antibiotics, just the prednisone, which i am finishing off today. i tried doing a little light massage on it when it first appeared, but it ended up causing bruising (yes! i could not believe it!) along the affected area where the PI first appeared and it got swollen at itched worse. last night i saw a massage therapist, who also did some light drainage-type upward massage - she was the one who noticed it was much warmer to the touch. there are no longer any breaks in the skin (PI blisters have healed). i am assuming it will continue to go away - it just seems the recovery time for anything on that side is a whole lot slower maybe? guess it just goes to show that we have to continue to be mindful, even years later. thanks so much for your quick response - denisa |
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NaughtybyNa… Joined: Oct 2003 Posts: 620 |
May 14, 2008 08:42 am
NaughtybyNature wrote:
Hi Denisa: are you feeling better? Love, LILIA..." If knowledge is power, I prefer ignorance’s bliss!" - "Viva la cure!" - "'An eye for an eye!' We are going to be a blind world!!"
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bygrace1 Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 1021 |
May 14, 2008 11:50 am
bygrace1 wrote:
Hi Denisa, I had a bad case of poison oak on my unaffected arm. Because of my truncal LE, I am at risk for developing LE in my unaffected arm. I had 2 rounds of antibiotics and some prednisone. It took weeks for the blisters to disappear. I still have a scar where the worst was. That happened last July. I wish I had known about this product, Tecnu, that you can buy over the counter. A lady in the local thrift shop told me about it. If you catch the poison ivy/oak/sumac right away, before the blisters break, you can use this. It removes the oils from the skin. Last week I got another batch of poison oak (from my cat), and as soon as I saw the welts and felt the itching, I tried the Tecnu. It worked!! Just amazing. Within a couple of days, the redness lessened, and the blisters never popped, just went away. No antibiotics needed!! I now keep this product in my cupboard, along with my 50+ sunscreen, and insect repellant. It's my personal war on keeping lymphedema at bay! This won't help you this go round, but you might want to keep a bottle in your cupboard for future use. LE Hugs, grace
Dx 5/10/2004, DCIS, <1cm, Stage 0, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes |
questions, Denisa. Actually nosurrender had a run-in with PI awhile back, and I pulled that thread to the top for you. Don't know if there's information in there that'll help you at this point, but at least you'll know you're not alone! You might want to contact her here or at her own web site.