Hello everyone! My son woke up yesterday and announced that he had poison ivy. He said he contracted it from a 5th grader on his school bus a few days prior who had a rash and encouraged him to touch it. After ignoring the wise advice of a second grade girl who told him not to, he did. It started out on the tip of his finger and has now spread up his forearm with a couple of patches on his legs. It doesn't seem to be spreading rapidly. My question is, how do I get him to stop touching it? Do I need to keep him away from other children? If so, for how long. It's a beautiful day and we're driving each other a little insane with this! HELP!
That's not poison ivy...I would take him in to see what it is he really has! Poison ivy only happens by touching the plant and it only affects the area of the body that it touches, it doesn't "spread"
Poison Ivy causes a rash if the oils of the plant touch your skin. It does not actually spread by scratching and spreading pus. In other words, you would have to actually come into contact with the oils from the plant. That's why washing your hands right after touching it can prevent the rash.
This is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans
"The oozing fluids released by scratching blisters do not spread the poison. The fluid in the blisters is produced by the body and it is not urushiol itself.[17] The appearance of a spreading rash indicates that some areas received more of the poison and reacted sooner than other areas or that contamination is still occurring from contact with objects to which the original poison was spread."
I agree with Adansmama. I would have this looked at by a doctor. That's the only way you will no for certain what you are dealing with.
eww! first i would not take the word of a 5th grader OR a 6 year old. take him to a dr. poison ivy (in my experience) should not spread like that - the rash reaction is from the oil in the plant, so unless this kid just rolled in it and the oil was coming out in the pus (which does happen but i wouldn't think, enough to cause what you're describing) your son should should not have it so badly that it is spreads like this. GO TO THE DR. (or a clinic since it is saturday). i would do this, like, asap. seriously.
from someone SUUUPER allergic to poison ivy. i've had some bad ones. hope he feels better...and learned a lesson!
You cannot get poison ivy by touching the rash on another person. Not even from the pus or blisters. The rash does not spread. You only get the rash where your skin has come in contact with the oil from poison ivy.
This is from the Mayo Clinic website: A poison ivy rash itself isn't contagious. Blister fluid doesn't contain urushiol and won't spread the rash. In addition, you can't get poison ivy from another person unless you've had contact with urushiol that's still on that person or on his or her clothing.
You need to get your child to a doctor ASAP to find out what is wrong with him. Perhaps he came in contact with poison ivy somewhere and isn't telling you. But he didn't get it from the kid on the school bus.
Some people can clear up a poison ivy rash with over-the-counter meds. Others, like me, are highly allergic and need steroids to get rid of it.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/poison-ivy/ds00774/dsect...
You only get poison ivy from the oil of the plant.
You can not get it from touching a poison ivy rash, you can not spread it by scratching it.
By the time a rash appears, the oils have been absorbed and washed off.
well you can't get poison ivy from a person , you have to get it from the plant.
Take him to the DR and find out what he's actually got.
Poison ivy spreads when you scratch open the sores and the pus gets on other people. He NEEDS to stop scratching and wash his hands when he does.
I would not let him near any children until it is gone. This can easily spread to other people and some are extremely allergic.
Get some calamine lotion or call the doctor to see if you can put something else on it to help the itch. I would loosely cover his hand areas to prevent any more spreading.
Have him go soak in a pool right away. If the pool has recently been shocked then all the better. I had it and after swimming at a friend's house then mine started drying up the very next day and was almost completely gone. What a relief!
