| I went to the doctor after I recently got a bad case of poison ivy (first time for me too) and he told me that it has the potential to spread to random parts of the body that hadn't even been touched by the plant. He said that this was because your body has become sensitized and any itching or pressure on the skin (resulting from tight waste bands, clothes rubbing against the skin, etc) can make you break out in that area. So, no, it's not really in your bloodstream. If your affected areas aren't bothering you too much, then you could probably just use some OTC meds to get rid of it; I would recommend Ivarest (which has a more concentrated amt of Calamine than regular calamine lotion) and Benadryl. (I've also heard that Aveeno makes a bath treatment with oatmeal that works well, but I haven't tried it myself.) However, the OTC meds won't control the spread. So if you see a noticable increase in discomfort or a dramatic spread, then I would recommend seeing a doctor - who'll most likely prescribe steroids (Prednisone works best) to help you out. Hope this helps - Good luck! |
