Hi Jake -
It can take a few days for all the exposed areas to break out in a rash. There are a number of variables involved including the amount urushiol oil at the contact site and the thickness of the skin. The places that are most likely to break out first are where the skin is thinnest such as in the ___ (whatever that name is your mom mentioned) and on the face.
I would imagine that you should be over the outbreaks by now (unless you are recontaminating yourself) and are just dealing with plain old rash. I can't answer the systemic question as I just don't know. I haven't found substantive information (yet) about just what constitutes a systemic reaction and what the results are. I've found a few words written here and there but to be honest I wasn't sure that the source was truly reliable. I prefer to get corrobative information from research reports from noted specialists in the field. And of course here goes the standard statement - I am not a doctor.
Now to your other questions. For the folded over areas of the body, that's tough as it causes friction, moisture, etc. all to irritate the rash. What I've done in the past when there were irritants such as skin to skin contact or tight clothes to skin contact (such as at the waistband of pants), I'll cover the rash with a drying lotion and then cover that with a large gauze pad. I know that leaving the rash uncovered is recommended but this is a case where you need to cover it so that irritants are removed and the rash has a chance to heal.
And for the final question, I certainly do understand the self-employed issues (am myself) and if the rash isn't bad why not look at self-treatment? OK - gotta say it again. I am not a doctor and if you feel that the rash is bad, please consult with one. Now back to the rash issue. There are things you can do to make sure that the rash is limited in duration. Make sure that you keep the rash clean and dry. Consider a mild drying agent (I like swimming in a chlorinated pool) - there was a homemade lotion posted on this board that sounded interesting. Don't scratch the itch and definitely don't stress over it either. If you do keyword searches on this message board for either topic (stress or scratch) you'll find responses I've left about why these can make matters worse.
It sounds like from your treatment regimen that you are doing the right things to keep the rash under control. Good Luck! |
