Poison ivy: when is it an emergency?

Question

I'm in a tough position and would like to know what you would do.

I got severe poison ivy on my arms and face this weekend.  Sunday was just a little spot, yesterday was getting bad - but as of this morning my face is several inches swollen and my eyes are close to swelling shut.

Here's the catch.  I went to the doctor yesterday BEFORE my face was swollen because I knew what was coming.  I wanted my usual shot in the behind (not my first bout of PI!), but being that there's a chance I might be pregnant, he couldn't give me a steroid shot.  He offered to give me a blood test, but by the time the lab results come back, I'll already know one way or the other.

My question is, knowing full well that my eyes will be fully swollen shut by tomorrow, is this worth a trip to the ER where they can get pregnancy test resuts back immediately, and give me the shot if it's negative?  If it's positive, I'll be in the same boat that I'm in right now anyway. 

Are there any major reprocussions to having your eyes swollen shut, or is it just a pain in the butt?  As you know, trips to the ER aren't cheap, even with health insurance.

Blue Haired Old Lady · Accepted Answer

PI in your eyes is an emergency.  Call your doctor back and discuss this.

j1a6k9e0 · Answer

About 15 percent of the 120 million Americans who are allergic to poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac are so highly sensitive that they break out in a rash and begin to swell in 4 to 12 hours instead of the normal 24 to 48. Their eyes may swell shut and blisters may erupt on their skin. This is one of the few true emergencies in dermatolgy says William L. Epstein, MD. Get to a hosipital as soon as possible. A shot of corticosteroids will bring the swelling down. 
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After experiencing several outbreaks of poison ivy, I would recommend going to the Doctor. if the "at home" treatment does not help in 2 or 3 days. I scratched a poison ivy site after doing a lot of yard work and got an infection at the site of the outbreak (this was before I realized what I had). The Dr. gave me a steroid shot and a prescription cream called Diprolene AF, along with an an tibiotic cream to treat the infection and I started seeing improvement within 24 hours. The Benedryl was also very helpful in controlling the itch, and there i s an anti itch cream over the counter called "Itch-X" that worked better than an y other OTC product that I tried.

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Poison ivy: when is it an emergency?

2 Answers