Treating Poison Ivy with Coconut Oil

I tramped in the woods wearing low-cut shoes although I know better, and at home rinsed and toweled off my legs to dislodge chiggers and ticks, but didn't scrub with soap and water, and the next day enormous red blistered patches were blotching both ankles and one spot on my calf. Last time I had poison ivy I saw a dermatologist (15 years ago, back when you could get in to see a dermatologist), which reminds me:

Friend developed rashes shaped like a map of South America up and down her legs, and they were enlarging. Worried and feverish, she called the dermatologist, then another, then another. No appointments were available for a whole year. She went to a dermatologist's office anyway and told the receptionist she'd sit in the waiting room to see a doctor, even if it took all day or all week. Finally one saw her. Friend had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a tick-borne, potentially fatal illness. They got her the medicine and then, really oddly, thanked her for coming in.

But poison ivy must run its course of 3 itchy, miserable weeks, doctor or not, so I used the standard treatment, cortisone ointment, but still itched. Finally I anointed the bright-red rashes on my ankles--they blistered and itched the most--with coconut oil. The next day the ankle patches (bottom of photo) had lost their redness, while the untreated calf patch (at the top) was still bright red. Used coconut oil on all patches for another night. Redness and itching faded. What a relief. Photograph taken three days after getting poison-ivied. I hope this information helps someone.