These poison filled bubbles match every regular picture of poison ivy and nothing else. OK.so NOW I live in the western US in an area that supposedly doesn't have ANY poison ivy.yet, as I write this I have the predictable, itchy, bubbly rash in two small but very annoying patches. For a while I believed I was somehow 're-catching' it- even thinking that I must be so sensitive to it that I could get it from a strong breeze- that was when I lived in the northeast where there IS poison ivy all over. That was 25 years ago and every year since I have had an outbreak, some slight, some not so slight, of the EXACT same poison ivy rash that I had years ago. We were blown up like balloons for months, one of us landed in the hospital for 4 days and all three of us spent our 2 summer months indoors praying for it to be over before school started. My two friends and I had our last little 'tween' summer dreams smashed after unknowingly choosing to make a club house in a spot intensely thick with poison ivy. I had a horrible case of poison ivy when I was just 12 years old. I don't believe the medical community when they say poison ivy does is not a recurring malady. Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or in case you have additional queries. Also wear loose-fitting cotton clothing and use an antibacterial soap or mild soap like dove.Avoid any kind of cosmetics.Topical zinc oxide cream like Sudocrem, Desitin are very helpful(apply with a paper towel and not directly with hands).Application of mild steroid cream like dermacort also helps.For the itching pls take some over the counter antihistaminic like benadryl or Claritin.In case the symptoms persist then antifungals may be needed.Pls consult a dermatologist in that case. Pls keep the area clean and apply some topical antiseptics. An intertrigo usually appears red and raw-looking, and may also itch, ooze, and be sore. An intertrigo is an inflammation (rash) of the body folds.It most commonly occurs due to bacterial,viral or fungal infection. Hello, It does not sound like recurrent poison ivy rash without any contact with the poison ivy.It can be fungal infection,heat rash,sweat dermatitis or intertrigo. It has never been a classic poison ivy rash like I've seen in photos. Then I used prescription hydrocortisone cream for 2 wks which helped, but 2 weeks later the rash is back: pruritic, patchy eruption. Has anyone ever heard of this or experienced it? Did my initial exposure permanently damage the nerves in that area or something? I used over the counter hydrocortisone cream for a week to no effect. I even threw out all my old bra's in case they were contaminated with the urushiol and causing rexposure. Now, the rash has recurred a few MORE times since then and I am positive there has not been any direct exposure to poison ivy or its oil. I did not use any cream or medication apart from Calamine. I had a recurrence of the rash in the same exact place on my chest a few months later, which I had assumed was a re-exposure to the urushiol. It took a long time to clear up, at least 2 months. I contracted poison ivy last summer (a year ago) on my chest and forearm.