How to relieve poison ivy torture

Background
I have this wretched affliction as I type this. I was exposed last Sunday while working in the yard. The only body parts exposed were a few inches between my wrists and elbows. The rash appeared on Day 1 after exposure in a few manageable spots on my forearms. It more than doubled on Day 2 and also produced large, bubbly clusters of blisters, which doubled again on Day 3. It continued to spread north and south on my arms by Day 4, when I finally saw a doctor and was prescribed Predisone (a steroid), which (I think) started helping dry up the horrific blisters within hours.

(Photo at right was taken after a couple days of healing had begun. It is now 2 months later and I still have scarring.)

At the onset of my misery, I searched the Internet for suggestions on how to eradicate the blisters and the itch and viewed the variety of suggestions here: http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/misc.html. From those suggestions, I concocted my own remedies and this one worked GREAT for me:

Remedy for reducing itching
Gather the following:

• Baking soda (regular stuff in yellow box: Arm & Hammer)
  
• Rubbing alcohol (or hot water works too)
• Gold Bond Extra Strength medicated powder (the kind in the green bottle, but the regular kind in the yellow bottle would probably work also)

1. Make a paste with the baking soda and alcohol (hot water also works, but I think the alcohol provided a more "tingly" feeling).
2. The "paste"should be wet -- kind of like the consistency of gravy.
3. Use your hands to gently rub the paste all over your affected areas.
4. Allow the pasted areas to mostly dry, then sprinkle the Gold Bond over that and gently pat it on.

That's it. Works great for me. It makes a bit of a mess and you'll probably shed the powder all around, but oh well. I re-apply the concoction two or three times a day and have had very, very little itching. The worst part of the poison ivy for me this time around (I've had it several times before) has been its hideousness, the bubbles of ooze, the inconvenience, and the fact that I have to wear long sleeves to cover my disgustingly gross-looking arms.

If you're reading this, you're probably afflicted and I feel for you and your misery. I hope this helps you find relief. And I highly recommend seeing the doctor if your symptoms progress and spread like mine. Like my doctor said, it had affected my whole system (regardless of location of physical exposure) and was popping out in other places, like my stomach, forehead, etc.

You can bet I'll take even more precautions next time I work in the yard (today). I've already attacked the yard with Round Up poison ivy killer, and I'll be completely covered head to toe, no matter how hot it is. And when finished, my clothes will go carefully and immediately into the wash.

Good luck!