Poisin Oak...

Poor little ducky! You should take her to her pediatrician ASAP. Poison oak can be a horribly painful experience, especially if she has it on her face. You might get some prescription meds that would clear it up faster. I was once hospitalized, as an adult, with poison oak, so I know just how awful it can be!

Tecnu is a great product (and can be used for children over 2). Its what my doctor recommended when I had an extreme case, and both the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts "swear by it".

The hydrocortosne and Benedryl you are giving her are also good.

We live in the Santa Cruz mountains and get poison oak all the time, especially as transfer from our pet goats. We use a product called Tecnu which you can get at the pharmacy. Depending on the store, sometimes it is on the shelf, sometimes you have to ask the pharmacist for it, some places keep it behind the counter because it is expensive. Tecnu really helps prevent poison oak, but also can help speed the recovery. Aveeno oatmeal baths help as well.

Greetings H.: I advise you to run not walk to the nearest Dermatologist!!
It really may be poisin oak BUT phorisis is often mistaken for excema amd it can be a miserable combination.
Having suffered myself and having 2 children with it. It can feel like you are itiching all the way to the bone. If you have poisin oak in a tear gland/duct that would be so miserable as well.
Being 3 with any of this is diffulcult on all of you. Keep her in lots of lotion, and my Grandmother used to have us bath in baking soda to help dry it out( don't know if it really did since I was the child). I bet your doctor will be able to give you lots of ideas. I hope that you can both find relief and soon. Just know this is only the first adventure of this kind in parenthood-- so enjoy the adventure of a life time and treasure it so you can giggle 20 years from now when you have survived it all. With 5 children and 5 grandchildren I can say it has been the best adventure in my life, Nana G

Hi H.,
Yes, it will be rough for awhile with a 3 year old with poison oak! My husband is a mountain biker and seems to get it if he gets within 5 feet of it! LOL! We've found that tea tree oil dries it up quicker than anything else we've ever tried (and I think we've tried nearly everything!). The smell is a bit strong, but much better than suffering. You can find it at health food stores, or some grocery stores / markets. Just dab some on the infected areas with a cotton ball.
Good luck!
A.

Just make sure you get her in to see the DR if the rash gets near her eyes, mouth or groin as those areas can cause serious problems if affected. She may find an oatmeal bath soothing (I like the Aveeno brand.)
My kids are all super sensitive to poison oak, but even the worst rashes usually began to subside within a week. If she's having a really hard time the DR can perscribe a stronger anti-itch cream to help it heal faster.
Good luck & hope she's better soon :(

Dear H.,
I was so horrifically allergic to poison oak as a child that I had to go to the hospital. On more than one occasion. I was the only person in my family that ever got it. Strangely enough, I'm guessing I had it so bad as a kid, that I don't even get it anymore even if we go walking and see poison oak right by us.
Anyway, they told my parents to put me in a bath with baking soda and my mom made a paste of it and dabbed it on me. It helped dry it up. She just let me be naked wrapped in a cool sheet with the baking soda.
I think the only thing you can tell your little one is that if she hates the itching....NOT TO SCRATCH because it will make it spread and itch even more.
Give her some play-doh or something she can squeeze, let her cry....just tell her not to touch anything that doesn't itch, or she'll be itching there too.
You don't want to freak her out, but if she thinks a few spots are bad, she'll hate life if it gets any worse.
I actually had to be given steroids and they gave me medicine every summer before going to visit my Grandfather as a preventative measure.
Try baking soda baths, but don't rinse her off afterwards. Let it dry on her skin.
Hope it helps!

Techno works great for washing off the stuff and there is a lotion for treating as well. Also, some homeopathy remedies work wonders. I got one from Dr. Donner in Piedmont a few years back which cleared it up in a few days. His # is ###-###-####

Hi,
There is tecnew (sp?) which works somewhat if used right away but there is a new product on the market called Zanfield. It really works especially if you follow the direction accurately. Walgreen's carries a generic brand that is half price, but the stuff is very expensive. When I get poison oak it last forever and I have a dreadful time getting rid of it, but this stuff worked for me.
J.

I'd take her to the doctor and make sure it is poison oak. My daughter had excema when she was a little girl and she'd get impentigo (not positive on the spelling)very easily. It looks similar to poison oak, however, hydrocortosne will make it spread.

If it is posion oak, the dr. can help with meds to make it heal faster so she won't spread it.

hello H.,

poison oak responds poorly (spreads and itches more) to heat which is created by acidic foods (sugars, very sweet fruit and anything that breaks down fast to sugars like breads, cereals). excema also is better with ph balanced diet.

best to alkalinize her body to cool it down with anything in the vegetable category or lemon juice in water or foods (i know it seems like it would be acidic but it isn't). or you can put just several granules of baking soda in water which will alkalinize it.

also, light cotton gloves (acrylic will be too hot) while she sleeps will help her not spread it and there are alkaline poison oak soaps. also you can keep her cool physically with cold wash cloth compresses behind her neck and/or under her arms.

good luck!
A. m

You could take her to the dr. I had a student who had it and ended up having to be on steroids because his reactions was so bad.

I think you should take her to the dr. and get him/her to prescribe some stronger meds.

S

My kids got a terrible itchy raised rash last year.
2 c of Oatmeal soaked in a tub of water worked wonders to take care of the itch. I got this offline- I doubted it could work but it worked very well. They say to put it in a nylon so the oats don't get all over the kids. Run the water throught it. Walmart carries a commercial oatmeal bath product (processed into a powder) but why pay a higher price when you can do it for pennies. You can probably process it into a powder yourself in a food processor.

Walmart carries tea tree oil as well.

Calagel works wonders for the itching, and she will be itchy! Just make sure she is constantly washing her hands adn hopefully it clears up soon! I used to get it severly as a child, and it usually lasted about a week but I had to go get a shot since i would end up with it in my mouth/throat,ears, nose, etc...and all I had to do was walk by it!

Poison Oak is not fun - I don't get it much but my husband does. I know there are some products on the market but I'm not sure about their use for children under 5 so I'd ask a pharmacist for recommendations. We have a bottle of Tecnu cleanser for poison oak and ivy that we've used but I think it needs to be done right after someone comes out of an area where there was likely to be poison oak. It's a good thing to have on hand though, if it's OK for young children to use.

The other thing that will give her some temporary relief is an Aveeno oatmeal bath. Especially when the weather is hot, it could feel very soothing.

Good luck with it all.

J. F.

poison oak can stay in your clothes and pet fur, so wash clothes and pets to prevent re-infection. On the skin, I like sheep dip mixed with water. It dries up the rash and makes it go away faster. Sheep dip comes from feed stores.
S.