# Poison ivy = deep muscle pain?



## ent_mom (Aug 30, 2004)

My poor DH has a terrible looking rash on his chest and back - red with pus filled blisters. Sure looks like poison ivy to me. How on Earth he got it under his shirt is a mystery.

Anyway, he said it started 3 days ago and now he feels it deep in his muscles, making it painful to fully move his arms and what not. Could this still be "just" poison ivy?

I saw an herbalist's, LadyB, wonderful Five Buddies in a Blender recipe (jewelweed, plantain, comfrey, burdock and chickweed). But I don't know where to get fresh jewelweed or comfrey. Any suggestions? Can I use dried or will that be useless? I have comfrey oil, but I think oil is a big no-no with poison ivy, right?

I made a plantain with Apple Cider Vinegar poultice after soaking the area with an oatmeal "sock". And plan on making a slippery elm/marshmallow root paste later.

Since it's November, how potent will the leaves I do find? (I'm in the Finger Lakes region of NY). I know how to identify burdock and plantain. I can't ever remember seeing jewelweed around our place...









Thanks for any help!


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## Twocoolboys (Mar 10, 2006)

I can't answer your questions about the herbal remedies, but my dh gets poison ivy often, so we have dealt with it frequently. One of the best anti-itch remedies we have tried is a baking soda and water paste. We also like an oatmeal compress. I put a scoop of oatmeal in a washcloth, close it with a rubberband, soak it and rest it on the worst area.

The last time my dh had poison ivy, it was on his legs and it was pretty bad. Unfortunately, we didn't notice it soon enough, so he was probably re-exposing himself to the oils on the bedsheets for a few days before we realized he had poison ivy. He had also had some bee stings the same day he was exposed and we thought he was having a bad reaction to those. Anyway, his poison ivy was the worst he had ever had and the baking soda and oatmeal weren't cutting it. So, he had to use hydrocortisone cream. The oatmeal was actually working, but during the day, at work, he can't really walk around with an oatmeal compress - lol.

Your dh may have been exposed on his chest by coming in contact with clothing, sheets or a towel that had the oils on it. Poison ivy can also be systemic, meaning it gets in the blood stream and can pop up anywhere on the body. With him feeling it in his muscles, I'd consider that as a possibility. I don't know how you feel about doctors, but I think I may make an app't if it were my dh with those symptoms. I'd also be worried about a secondary infection. Does it look infected anywhere?


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