Poison Ivy

mybigfatgreekfetus

Ughhh, after years of never getting it, I managed to come down with an epic case of poison ivy. I'm a biologist, so I'm exposed to it pretty regularly while doing field work, but I've never gotten a rash until now. What started as a small rash on my arm has spread to both arms, my belly, my breasts, and my back. It's miserable!!! My doctor said she could prescribe prednisone, but I'm really hesitant to take anything. In the meantime I'm sticking with cortisone cream, calamine lotion, ice, and colloidal oatmeal baths. Does anyone else have any good home remedies to help me keep my sanity? Should I bite the bullet and take the prednisone?

JLaVO888

Did the Dr say there were any risks to taking the prednisone? Is it your OB that's prescribing it? If not I would talk to my OB and if he/she gives your the green light, I would take it. Why suffer anymore than you must. Good luck.

oceanchild

I had gotten two cortisone shots in my first pregnancy for an injury; the orthopod I worked for gave them to me – his wife happens to be an Ob-Gyn (but not mine). It's what they give mamas to help with lung development when a baby may be premature, and they were both comfortable with my having it. If I was that miserable and its ok'd by my doc, id get the prednisone. Hope you find some relief!!

J234

oceanchild said:

I had gotten two cortisone shots in my first pregnancy for an injury; the orthopod I worked for ....

I totally read this as "the arthropod I worked for..."  lol.  
Good luck!  I had poison ivy before while 7 months pregnant and it was awful.  I had better luck with pink calamine than the clear stuff.  

MrsLeanMeanClean

take the drugs.... the insanity and sleepless nights are far worse then some drugs that stimulate development!

dotharyk

Oh my goodness, @MyBigFatGreekFetus - I feel terribly for you. Take the prednisone if your doctor allows it - it's the only thing that touches a bad case of poison ivy in my experience. Take care!

mybigfatgreekfetus

Haha, arthropod. You must be a science geek like me.

Ended up going to the minor emergency this evening and the doc prescribed topical steroid ointment and some antibiotic cream. So far, so good. Definitely helped with the misery. Hopefully by tomorrow morning it will have settled down a little more. Thanks for the advice ladies!