Yesterday night he said his hands hurt really bad. They were swollen and red but no rash yet. Then this a.m. he had a rash on his neck, a little above his waist and little spots here and there. But it's the neck and side of his face that is the worst.

He has such intense itching! My dh had a bout of it a few years ago, and bought this stuff called Zanfel that is safe for children too. It's basically a gritty soap treatment that washes that oil off. So far he's had two treatments.

He was so bad at dinner I'm thinking he won't be able to make it through a whole school day tomorrow. And then I read it can last up to over two weeks! It's only day 2, the Zanfel brochure said it won't peak until day 8 and might get worse before it gets better. The only good (?) thing is that he bites his nails so he has nothing to scratch with really.

I'm using hydrocortisone cream in between the Zanfel washings but it's not taking the itch away. All my books say that there isn't really much to do except the hydrocortisone and to wait it out. The weirdest thing is that we don't even know where he picked it up. We thought at a scout outing yesterday, but the kids he was playing with in the woods were not affected I just want my peep to feel better. Any one go through this and what was your experience?? Thanks.

Oh poor thing...

We LOVE Zanfel...Dh uses it when he gets poison ivy and it works great for him. He's never had it last as long as 8 days, but it probably depends on the person, their sensitivity etc When Dh gets it, it's the second day that is the worst for him and then it progressively gets better each day, after that.

I would probably call my ped, just to cover all my bases, but that's me...just because it could be something else, or they might be able to give you some tips etc.

I hope he feels better soon!

I would give him Benadryl at bedtime if you are not already.

If it gets worse, I would go to the doctor and ask for prednisone. Hopefully you can get it under control. Poor guy!

The last time I was exposed, I had it for about 2 weeks, it was awful.

I just got over a bout of both poison ivy and oak (according to DH, based on the rash differences), and for me, it always lasts one week to the day. It showed up Monday, and was gone the next Monday, other than where I may have scratched it so there were scabs or marks.

I just use Caladryl Clear stuff on it, and then Benadryl at night or when I know I can not drive for a while. It's a super common occurrence for me, since DH works in trees and doesn't get it - he just brings it home to me.

I've heard oatmeal baths help, but they never helped me.

If it gets near his eyes or mouth/nose, it's best to call the doc ASAP and get him on prednisone.

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Thanks for the info. He was up this morning at about 3:30 or so, so I put some hydrocortisone cream on it then. He's still sleeping...based on yesterday there was no way he was going to make it through school a whole day so I'm letting him sleep.

I am planning on calling the ped. so make sure there isn't anything else we can do outside of meds. Glad to hear that most cases (on here) didn't last 2 weeks! That makes me feel better

My ds got poision ivy this past summer. I gave him benadryl, used calamine lotion and gave him oatmeal baths(which he loved) One of the wonderful ladies on here told me how to make a homemade oatmeal bath that really worked well! She told me to take a knee high panyhose or cut the leg out of an old pair of hose, and put some plain oatmeal in it, tie a knot and use it as a 'tea bag' in the bath tub while its filling with hot/warm water. It really helped with the itching. You can even lay the oatmeal bag on your ds skin(on a bad spot) to get extra relief!! Good Luck!!

My ds stopped itching reall bad after a few days but the rash was still visible for abotu 2 weeks. I hope your ds starts feeling less itchy quick!!

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