Thank you to those who have been praying for Brandon.
There are more spots than this, but this gives you an idea of what he has been dealing with for the last week and a half. He did bathe immediately after exposure, but he did not use the correct kind of soap. Soap* that is made with LYE is very important in washing off urushiol oil. Letting the lather stay on five minutes between three washings is very effective.
All four limbs were very swollen from the extent of the rash on days two through six. The swelling was alarming for me, his mother, but he assured me he felt fine.
After nine days of soaking in Epsom salts, using hydrocortisone cream, an herbal salve with goldenseal to keep infection away, and taking Benadryl, this is where he is at. The swelling is gone, and the oozing has stopped. The itch now seems to be from the peeling skin. Even though it looks angry red, there is no infection in the spots. That's just how poison ivy rolls. It will turn to a lighter pink in the days ahead.
If you can not soak in a tub due to time or other reasons, you can put a pile of Epsom salts (and aloe, oatmeal, whatever) in the middle of a clean handkerchief or washcloth. Fold up and secure it with a ribbon or a rubber band. Then you can dip the bundle in a cup of warm water and dab onto the spots.
*I use to be a soapmaker. True soap is made with lye. The lye will not harm you as it will be chemically changed with the fat in the soap recipe. If it is not made with lye, it is technically a detergent. Body washes are detergents. They are not effective at removing urushiol. If you can not find a bar of soap such as Ivory, Felsnaptha will help remove the urushiol oil from skin and items. The bathing works immediately after exposure (four hours or less, less is better). I highly recommend superfatted goat's milk soap or Castille soap for bathing after exposure to noxious plants.
