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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Treatment For Extreme Allergic Reaction To Poison Oak

I have been admitted to the ER twice over the last week (1/21 and 1/24) due to an extreme allergic reaction to poison oak which got into my bloodstream. I was exposed 1/18, saw the rashes start on 1/19, and swelling started by the evening of 1/19 at which point I started using Technu Extreme on the affected areas. I had rashes on my arms, back, face, legs, and genitals (which swelled up dangerously for about 24 hours until the first steroid injection on 1/21 after which it gradually went back to normal). I have been given two courses of steroid injections over the last week at the ER, and am on Prednisone 20Mg 3x/day tapering down to 1x/day over 8 days. They gave me additional pills at the ER including Decadron and Prednisone, as well as giving me a Rx for Prednisone. I m on day 6 of Prednisone, last day of 2x/day before I go to 1x/day for the last 2 days. So now it s been 8 days since I have been exposed. Even on Benadryl, as well as topical analgesic creams and sprays, the painful continuous sensation in my forearms and backs of my hands / fingers is so intense that the only thing that relieves it is blasting my skin with scalding water. After that I would rub my entire body down with Technu and then do several minutes of max cold water to close up my pores. I was advised not to do this when I went to the ER for the second time, and since then I have been trying not to but the sensation builds up and becomes too intense to bear if I don t. I also have a noticeable tremor in both arms now. I am worried about neurological damage and/or permanent tremor. I am also worried about having become sterile since between the exposure to my genitals, swelling, and subsequent scalding water treatments to relieve pain. I realize that to some extent I may just have to wait and see what happens, but I wanted to ask if any of this has precedent, because when I look around / ask around this seems to be more extreme than most cases I have heard about. And, is there anything to be done beyond steroids for this? Are there any supplements or medications which might be advised for the tremor / pain I am experiencing?
Wed, 11 Feb 2015
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Suggest Treatment For Extreme Allergic Reaction To Poison Oak