Scabies question... Please help! - Open to All Other Health Topics Message Board

Melissa765 · 07-11-2006, 12:43 PM

Hi! For the last week or so I've had an itchy rash that started on my hands (between my fingers and on my palms), on the tops of my feet, behind my knees, and a little bit under my breasts. A few days later, I got all the symptoms of a virus (body aches, fever, sore throat, etc.) so my doctor just assumed, without looking at the rashy areas, that the rash was just all a part of the virus.

What I find concerning is the location and intense itching of these rashes, as well as just the generalized itching that's all over my body (with no rash though). I've been paranoid about scabies since the day I knew about it basically, and I go to so many doctors appointments (unrelated to this present illness), that I'm worried I could have picked it up there... like if they didn't change the sheets or pillow on the exam table.

Here's what my questions are:

1. My dermatologist said that the schedule was too full to see me any time soon, and said that it sounds like I have allergic dermatitis. She prescribed a topical steroid cream and said to take Benadryl. This seemed to have helped the itchiness,but once I stop using it, the rash/itching comes back. If I had scabies, would that be the kind of reaction I'd have to that treatment? Temporary improvement, but then a returning of symptoms?

2. Does scabies start really rapidly? What I mean is, if I have scabies, would I KNOW I had it, and right away it would be rashes everywhere, or can it be like it is now -- just the occasional rash here and there, and some itchiness?

3. I live with my parents, and neither of them have rashes. I've even laid in my mother's bed a few times to watch TV, so would that definitely pass scabies to them (if they slept in the bed that night) if I had scabies???

4. Does scabies look at all like eczema? Because this rash that I have doesn't look at all like "allergic dermatitises" that I've had in the past, and it looks really dry and kind of scaly to be honest.

Thanks if anyone can answer these, because I think I'm making myself more worried!!!

BioAdoptMom3 · 07-11-2006, 08:14 PM

Its hard to say. We had a foster daughter once who came infested with it and it presented itself as a red rash all over her body. My suggestion to you would be to (in addition to what the doctor has told you to do) go swimming several times in a chlorinated pool or soak in a bathtub a couple of times a day with just a capful of bleach. Chlorine or bleach (very close to being the same thing) will cure it if it is scabies or any other type of fungus. We have a pool and when we started swimming it cleared completely up. Even the prescrption cream and recommended baths couldn't accomplish what the pool could.

Nancy

mommaboyz · 07-11-2006, 08:58 PM

I had scabies 10 years ago. I had them so bad I use to work at a walmart which I know is where I got them. Scabies like warm places between fingers toes ect. But not only those places I had them everywhere. I wanted to die literley. The are small bumps best I can recall in a line. What happens is they are micro scopic bugs and they jump thats why they are in a line. I went to 6 doctors er doc too. Mhy one could tell me what they were. I was pregnant at the time and believe it oir now I gave birth to my son and gave them to him. FINALLY hes doctor tested us and treated us. If you have them it doesnt mean your family will get them it just depends. I did give them to people but I have them for several months. I would tell the dr to do a skin scraping for scabies asap. easy and painless. is your rash in a lone or circles? hope this has helped some.

ozzybug · 07-12-2006, 12:34 AM

Melissa-
Another thought just hit me. I don't want to alarm you, but with the outbreak of the rash followed by the viral symptoms, is it at all possible that you have come in to contact with someone who has syphilis? It's just that what you described does sound similar to it- especially with the viarl symptoms.

I hope that what you have going on is something very easily cured, but I would make that doctor look at the rash and do further testing. Whatever it is, I hope it goes away soon. I know it's got to be miserable itching and that's compounded by worrying about scabies.

Please keep us posted.

Lezlee

Melissa765 · 07-12-2006, 08:38 AM

I DID end up finally getting into the doctor though, and when I asked him if he thought it could be scabies, hand food and mouth, and then a few other things I threw in there (just so that he didn't think I was crazy), he said, "No--not hand foot and mouth, and it doesn't really look like scabies either..." ... he then walked over to my hand again and held it really close to the light... "Well, it looks like a little patch of eczema here. Nah, it doesn't really look like scabies. I mean, I don't see any burrows yet."

My mother : "Well, you you test her anyway?"
Him: "There isn't anything to test though. Maybe in 3 weeks if this hadn't gone away we'd think 'maybe scabies', but her skin is REALLY dry, and it looks a lot like eczema. "

Can that be true? Can there really be "not enough to test" or was he just saying that because I was the last patient of the day, and they were already open an hour past scheduled closing???

Anyway, he then gave me an RX for a really strong antihisthamine, a topical steroid ointment, and said to use eucerine for my entire body. He also said that if it doesn't go away by the weekend, they'll give me a cortisone shot, but he wants to wait as long as possible because I just got over an infection.

BioAdoptMom3: That sounds good... and easy!!! We don't have a pool, but my grandparents do, so it's literally 5 minutes away.

mommaboyz: that was very helpful! Mine aren't little bumps in a line or a circle -- they're really random and not really "bumps." It's like little patches of reddness/itchiness (that turned into white and dry skin... I think from the topical steriod). I still get the occassional hive-like thing on my palm, but it goes away within a 1/2 hour... even if I don't put anything on! It's like the case of the vanishing rash! I'm glad you're okay now though; that sounds like absolute hell to go through.

ozzybug: I don't think I did!!! I don't know how contagious it is, but I haven't even so much as held hands with anyone in the past few years. Perhaps this is a good time to throw in that I have a germ and dirt/grime/gross-things phobia, and I don't come in close contact with people for just this reason! I used to think that I was going to catch headlice at school, but that hails in comparison to how crazy I'm going about this. And it's not just "in my mind" because there's definitely a rash--and the doctor "doesn't really think" it could be scabies... so that's always a looming possibility that I may have to face in 3 weeks, if this isn't resolved! It's just the grossest thing in the world because although I'm extremely clean (I clean my house top to bottom 3X weekly... taking 4-5 hours each time, and I bathe twice daily), I don't care who you are, when you think "scabies," you think "dirty"! And if I have it, which I don't know how I'd get it, I want to get rid of it NOW and not have to later worry about telling people "oh by the way, I have scabies so you have to be treated too." *shudders* GROSS!!!

Well, any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated as well!