My dermatologist diagnosed me with pityriasis rosea. It's going on the 2-3 week, and the spots are spreading all over my abdomen, trunk, upper arms, and back. Has anyone ever had this? I'm 20 years old. Is it unusual for the herald patch to be on the foot?
Hello, It's going on Week 4. It seems that the number of rash spots continues to multiply on my abdomen, boobs, back, upper thighs, and upper arms. I even have one rash bump on my hand! Shouldn't I be in the resting cycle or should the rash start to peel away? I've noticed that the herald patch on my foot is beginning to chip away and fade.
Note: It doesn't help that I also have a cold (fever) so my body is probably well above normal body temperature as well as the fact I'm living in a dorm room with no central A/C unit in it (the turbo fan is my air).
Update: I'm am developing PR-related bumps on my hands now. I thought this disease was supposed to avoid the extremities, especially sun-exposed areas.
MichSM2-I had this 7 yrs ago, mine was in June and July, and was told it only happens in spring and autumn, so the dermo wasn't sure why it happened then, but said it usually isn't the same in any two people. No one else I know has ever had this.
My herald patch was on my neck. While it is unusual for the herald patch to be on a foot, it's not uncommon. The rash is usually on the back in a Christmas tree pattern, and usually isn't on area of the skin where it is exposed to sunlight--just like you said. Sounds like you and I weren't the typical cases...Mine like yours was all over the front--and man, did that ever suck. (talk abt adding insult to injury--you already look like you have jungle rot and then your b**bs itch so bad you can't think straight, along with everywhere else on your body.) Mine was all over my forearms too-the underside mainly, there and my chest is where I first noticed the rash. Had a few on my hands. It looked terrible!! I have no scars or spots on ly skin, and I'm not in mhy 20's....so that's good. They say you'll never get it again(like the chicken pox) and it's a relative of shingles and cp. I am guarded when I say "never" b/c the rash is never supposed to be on the back, the herald is supposed to be on your neck, or trunk...and I think between the two of us we've blown those theories right out of the water. I've not had any incidents since, TG. I had the Allegra to take and some e-mycin topical cream for the itch, but oatmeal didn't do squat. Did they give you anything to use or take? Heat WILL make it worse, so try to restrain your activity, and also, take cooler showers if possible.
Thank you so much, sch. I'm starting to form PR-like bumps on the insides of my forearms and hands. It's hard for me to avoid "heat" since I play club tennis at my university. How can I tell my coach I can't play sports when it's obviously I feel healthy? I guess I will have to live with a rash that worsens...
This is the 5th/6th week I've had this so far. It looks like it will never improve, given my physical activities. And oh yeah, it's been horrible for my self-esteem since I can't even wear revealing clothes. I'm starting to form bumps along my neck too. Sighs...
Yes, that would be very difficult to minimize any heat exposure if you play tennis. It's hard on you because most people have never even heard of this, and until you have it, you don't even know it exists, nor can you imagine physical and emotional imapact. If it's any consolation, mine lasted about 6 weeks or so, not the 8-12 I was originally told. I also got new bumps the entire time, but towards the end they seemed to go away much quicker than the early bumps did. I know its rough on the psyche, your self-esteem does take a beating! You're coming in to the end of this and even tho it seems they will NEVER go away, it will. Use anything meds they give you and be very dilligent about it. Are you seeing any improvement at all?
Hey sch, I mostly use Benadryl when I go to bed so that I can sleep without the itching. I don't know any itching tablets I could use during the day (Benadryl makes me sleepy). I just live with it; the itching is not that bad. It's only worst on my lower back or bra area. I look at the areas in the morning, but it looks as though it's the same. During my first two weeks in school, it was sweltering hot (my dorm has no air conditioning) so that probably made the bumps on my body worsen. Now that it has cool, the temperature in my room is bearable to sit and sleep. I can't quit tennis because of this disease. Eventually it will go away, eh? These bumps love my hands...
When your rash went away, how did your herald patch look? Mine basically looks salmon-colored and shiny, although I notice one side looks redder while the other part matches my skin complexion.
Right now, I'm concerned about my face because I have four little bumps (two on both cheeks, 1 on my nose, and 1 on my chin) and they MIGHT form PR-like papules. They look like what my bumps on my hands looked like before they got bigger and darker. If this is the case, then I'll be ******.
Mich -- I can't imagine what it must have been like in a dorm w/no a/c. I'm sure you're welcoming the cooler weather. I took Allegra capsules (script antihistamine). It's non-drowsy & worked really well so I could work during the day(in a hot laboratory!!) It was 1x day-and kept the itch away for a full 24 hrs--and b/c it was so effective I didn't need the benedryl at night. She also gave me some topical hydrocortisone cream-you can get a 1% h/c cream OTC that will help too.
Herald patch was on my neck. It was oval, pink & at first it was dry, cracked & almost scaley& flakey.Then it became smooth, shiny and pretty much the same color as my skin tone, just a little raised, then it was gone. I have no marks at all on my skin from them...not even on the inside of my forearms where the skin is more sensitive...nothing at all on my face but I only had a couple there...Maybe you're coming into the end of this. (crossing fingers!!) PR patches were between dime & nickel size, some were quarter(inside my forearms mostly) and some were smaller too. How big are they?
And GO GET some HC cream--It will really help when you play tennis! (that's probably when you need it most!!)
I'm so happy you mentioned Allegra. My dermatologist assigned me that for my eczema a long time ago. I still have a bottle! I should grab some of that when I go back to my dorm. I just remember that the rash NOW looks worse than when I came to school in my sweltering dorm nearly three weeks ago. I had no rash bumps near my collarbone and could wear polo shirts. Now, I wear plain t-shirts because I have bumps around my collarbone (not really bumps, but they're bumps following the skin lines of the neck). Yeah, I have a few pencil eraser-size bumps and then the oval-shaped bumps along my skin lines.
Yeah, my herald patch is basically the size of a quarter-half dollar coin. Doctors said that the sunlight should hasten the disease, but that's total bull! I tried using artificial light for my foot, and it seemed that it itched when the light was on it. It's red, shiny, and wrinkled. If I am coming to the end of this, I will surely be happy. Maybe November will be a special month for me.
Someone told me that a good sign is when the herald rash (wherever it is) starts to itch, it's in the process of fading away. Is this true or false?
Today was a lovely sunny day; unfortunately, I had appointments all day so I could not sit out in the sun and expose myself. I'm trying the easier, less desired route for now: waiting it out.
Yeah, yet it's a SLOW PROCESS. The middle of the herald patch still looks smooth, but the outer edges are starting to crack and may peel later.
You have no idea how psychologically traumatizing this has been. I've been getting new bumps on practically all parts of my body when the doctors said it usually only concentrates to the upper body/torso. I've just noticed that I had a few bumps on the back of my knees (argh!). Sometimes, my underarms and lower back itch me to death. I'm so not the typical case.
Update: it looks like the PR is spreading into my lower arms and hands. I already spotted two rash spots under the left side of my chin/jaw. It now wants to attack my face! It is now the 7th week I have had this disease....
I remember what it was like, it is VERY traumatizing. It's your appearance--it affects you every day. If it's any comfort, I have no trace of it--everything went totally away. When you see new bumps during week 7, I'm sure it feels like it'll never end. I work in a lab where the temp&humidity levels vary depending on the test I'm running. Some rooms I work in are 90 degrees, and some are 80 deg/80% humidity. Then I'd leave and it was humid outside-and 90 deg here in summertime- so I had little reprieve. I didn't golf b/c I felt like people were looking at me thinking "What is wrong with her?" I wasn't the "normal" case either. I was summer vs spring/fall, front vs back, arms etc, vs trunk only. I just don't think they know a lot about this disease.
Is the Allegra helping? Did you get hydrocortisone?
This looks and sounds like exactly what I have, I cant tell yet if I liked the idea of thinking it was ringworm or this. from what I have read this doesn't sound very promising, Yeah Jungle Rot is a good discription of it. I have only had it a little over a week and I have probably irritated it with all the different things I have put on it, I burned on lesion completly off of me when it first popped up I thought it was ringworm and someone told me to put clear fingernail polish on it repeatedly throughout the day and peel it off and do it again. by night time I almost had a hole in my chest LOL. I also tryed fig milk from a fig tree in my yard. man did that ever burn like the dickens. most recently I have been putting Lamisil on it and benadryl gel. The gel is the only thing that gives me a little relief. so far this is on my chest moving down my stomach and all over my back and upper buttocks
Miss, if you do have pityriasis rosea, whatever you do: DO NOT IRRITATE IT! Putting creams, gels or whatever on the spots will only make it worse. DO NOT TAKE HOT BATHS' take colder or lukewarm baths if possible. Do not use soap either. Bath oil will do the trick. This virus can itch like hell: take Allegra or Benadryl (antihistamines) for the itching. Right now, I've had had this for nearly 7-8 weeks and it's pretty much all over my body (minus my legs, face and feet). Do you have a herald patch? My herald rash is on my right foot. While not much has changed to the center, the edges look like they are chipping away. It takes 6 - 12 weeks for pityrisasis rosea to go away.
That is a sign that you have pityrisasis rosea. It is mostly concentrated on the trunk, upper thighs and neck area. I know mine is in the process of fading away because the rash spots that were on my hands are shrinking and may possibly disappear. THIS IS A VIRUS; no medicine out there will hasten the process. You can stand out in the sun for 30 minutes to hasten it, but medicine won't do anything.
Miss--It sure sounds like PR. Ditto on everything Mich said. The itching will get bad enough on it's own--no need to make it worse than it is. Oatmeal baths didn't do a thing for me-neither did "Sarna" lotion. (They use that on kids w/chicken pox--it does help the itching for that, but not for PR.) See a dermo just to be sure-plus they can give you hydrocort cream that is more powerful than OTC...you'll still have the rash for the duration, but at least it won't itch as badly.
