itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
back in march my whole family (except my brother actually) started itching. my nephew had a red rash all over him. they took him to a doctor and they said it was scabies. we did the scabies treatment and we all got better. his rash went away. but i never got fully better and after a while started itching even more. since then i've done 5 treatments fo the scabies stuff. i finally went to my doc last month. he had me try an anti-allergy. didn't help he had me try an antibiotic. he had me try another anti-parasite thing. none of it helped. since last month or so i've had these tiny white bumps on my arms and some small white patches behind my shoulders. i mean these bumps are very tiny. and they're all on my upper arms and shoulders. i also have some slightly bigger red bumps, one on each leg, one on my arm, maybe one or two on my ankle. but i itch everywhere. i got referred to a dermatologist but the appointment isn't til mid september which really aggrevates me. i doubt anyone can help, but it's worth a shot i guess.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
USA.
so you have tiny white bumps as well?
my docotr said my bumps could be caused by scratching and not actually causing itching. i dunno if i believe that or not. the red bumps maybe, but the white bumps? i dunno.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
oh, are you saying your white bumps come and go? cause mine don't.
haven't noticed extra dust or any other differences. i know tho that my cousin had scabies. and my sister was around her a lot, so we assumed we had scabies. and i'm sure we did. so i find it strange i started itching same time as everyone else but i didn't get better. but i think doing 7 scabies treatments would've killed em...
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
i only have one white patch. and i forgot your other question earlier: i think i do have a freckle-like spot or two on my side that wasn't there before.
i think the white bumps and could possibly be from scratching, cause i noticed they're on my shoulders and the back of my neck, but i don't think there's any where i can't reach to scratch really good. but i don't scratch all that much and when i do it's usally not my shoulders, it's usually my stomach/chest, legs, or arms.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
do you have any appts coming up with a dermatologist? i'm trying to get mine moved up to an earlier date.
and does yours vary by day? like some days i hardly itch at all and other days i itch like crazy.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
y'know it does seem like my itching gets worse at night, which is listed as a scabies treatment, but i don't see how i could still have it... tho i did see a post from some guy here saying he's had it for a year and can't get rid of it. tho i'd also think other people in my house would re-catch it.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
Hello GNR and Maurticer! I have the exact same thing as you all have. I've been fighting this for about a year and I'm miserable. I've been to a dermatologist and a regular MD. I was first diagnosed with scabies, then I was given an ointment for a topical yeast infection but nothing has helped. The scabies meds did make the rash go away for a little while but it kept coming back (I've gone through this process several times). The yeast meds did nothing at all....
I was at the hospital for minor surgery today and the nurse said my rash/wounds look like shingles. So, I read on shingles when I got home and I think that may be what we have. Go to shinglesinfo.com or webmd and read on this if you get a chance. I'm anxious to hear if you think this is shingles.
I have an appointment with yet another dermatologist next Tuesday (8/15). I'll let you all know what comes of it.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
hmm, doesn't sound like me at all:
Quote:
When the virus that causes chickenpox reactivates, it causes shingles. Early symptoms of shingles include headache, sensitivity to light, and flu-like symptoms without a fever. You may then feel itching, tingling, or extreme pain in the area where a rash is developing. Several days later, a belt-shaped or bandlike rash appears. This band of pain and rash is the clearest sign of shingles.
The rash caused by shingles is more painful than itchy. The nerve roots that supply sensation to your skin run in pathways on each side of your body. When the virus becomes reactivated, it travels up the nerve roots to the bandlike area of skin supplied by those specific nerve roots. This is why the rash appears on only one side of your body, usually the chest or back, and sometimes on your face around one eye. It is possible to develop more than one bandlike rash on your body with shingles.
my bumps are on my shoulders mostly and are either very tiny white bumps (tiny, like pin-***** size) or are tiny and colorless and you hafta look good to see em at all. then there's two spots that are white patches of skin that aren't bumps at all. i have just a couple bumps elsewhre, on my leg and ankle that are more bug-bite like. the bump on my leg itches, but it's really the only buimp that itches. i itch elsewhere of course and kinda all over at various times, but don't see bumps.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
I'm in the US also - Texas to be a little more specific.
I don't know if I have shingles or not. I may just be looking for some/any answer at this point. I don't have all the symptoms of shingles but I have enough of them that I thought I may have some variation of shingles (if one exist).
Here's my story: It started with tiny white bumps across my lower abdomen. These bumps itched like crazy. I'm a scratcher so the bumps turned red and then became sores. Then it spread to my right arm, lower back and around the base of my hairline. The bumps are very tiny - you have to be at the right angle just to see them. I also have a couple of bumps on each leg. The ones on my legs look more like mosquito bites where the others (arms and back) are patches of these small white bumps. The scabies meds did clear everything up for two - six weeks but the rash always comes back. I also itch in places where the rash does not exist. It's driving my crazy....
Anyway, I have another appointment tomorrow. I'm not going to hold my breath but I am hoping this guy knows what he's doing. I'll let you know the outcome.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
Well....The good news is I don't have scabies and I don't have a yeast infection. The bad news is the doc doesn't know what I have. He's recommended that I take salt baths and he gave me another lotion and an antihistamine. He told me to come back in a month....
Needless to say I'm not too happy with the outcome of my visit.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
Quote:
The bumps are very tiny - you have to be at the right angle just to see them. I also have a couple of bumps on each leg. The ones on my legs look more like mosquito bites where the others (arms and back) are patches of these small white bumps.
yeah, sounds like me. i've noticed lately tho i have more small red bumps than before. on my chest, hands, etc.
maurticer, what do you have?... i've got moles all over my back. some are kinda huge. gonna have the dermatologist check those out too while i'm there. had em for a long time tho.
still another month til my appointment
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
Hi guys - sorry I've been out so long - life has been crazy.
Well, I don't think I'm cured but I can tell you the salt baths helped tremendously. I haven't had to take the antihistamine at all and I've only used the lotion a couple of times - the salt baths cleared most everything on its own. Just run really hot water in the bath and pour in one cup of regular table salt. Run the rest of the bath water so that you'll be able to sit in it. Sit for 20 - 30 minutes and see if it helps with your itching and breakouts.
I know I'm not completely cured b/c I still get a minor itching in my tummy. When that happens I just put a little of the ointment/lotion on and it stops the itching. The ointment they gave me is Synalar or Fluocinolone Acetonide.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
Hi All,
Have yall been to a dermatologist? It sounds like some of you may have psoriasis?! I do not now what shingles looks like, so... And I have tried the scabies treatment once. That did not work. I am putting on a cream that says it is for psoriasis and the dermatologist also gave me some pills.
If I scratch, it spreads and gets larger. And boy does it itch!!!!! :<
Hope we all get fixed up. I will let you know if I do, so, far the same.
Take care and wear gloves (my daughters idea - which I have not tried).
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
Hi M!
I took the salt baths everyday for about a week. Then I just started taking them when I felt itchy. I have to say, I don't even feel itchy that often any more. I have a follow up with the dermatologist in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know if he comes up with an actual diagnosis. Let me know how the salt baths work for you.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
yeah, i'm fine, just itching to death... what's really annoying me is that on top of this itching i also keep getting bit by mosquitos... as if i don't itch enough...
my dermatologist appt is in 5 days ao hopefully i'll get an answer. i'm not holding my breath on that one tho...
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
well, i went yesterday. she said the same thing my regular dr said, that maybe my skin got irritated by the scabies in march and that i'm in a cycle of scratching and itching. i'm not so sure tho. it's been so long. she prescribed allegra and some kind of creme (i think for acne tho). she also told me to buy cetaphil soap and to apply aveeno lotion after each shower. so i dunno. i don't have the money to buy the prescriptions really. allegra is $76 and the creme is $52. the allegra isn't for allergies per-say it's an antihistamine, same as my dr had prescribed but a different one. he's prescribed atarax, but i ended up taking an otc instead cause i couldn't afford it at the time. didn't take the ptc either tho cause it was making me increibl drowsy. she says allegra won't do that (and i've taken allegra before and it didn't). but, instead of paying this much i might just go back to my dr and have him do a blood test. cause he had given me that as an option, that or a dermatologist. but i'd hate to spend a lot (money and time) on treating a skin condition if it's something else entirely. i don't know what to do.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
she said the white patches and bumps (i didn't mention the more or freckle like things cause i'm not 100% that they weren't there before. never paid attention before this) were exama (or whatever) caused by scratching. i dunno. i think maybe i'll go have a blood test. i hate blood tests tho....
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
Hello All! Just checking in to see how you're doing. I'm still practically itch-free but I have had a few bumps pop up on my stomach. I went back to the derm yesterday and he said everything looked good but still didn't offer to give me his opinion as to what he thought was going on. I'll probably never know but as long as I'm not mutilating my skin I'm happy:-)
Oh - I forgot to tell you. Don't rinse off after the salt bath (if you are) - leave it on your skin. Apparently salt is a moisturizer in itself. I did still use lotion after the bath but I really think the salt helped too!
M - Let me know what happens with your son. It's terrible for anybody, especially kids, to go through this.
Re: itching for months. tiny red bumps and white patches
My husband has had this kind of itching. It has gone all over his body. They are red and raised and some of them with a white area in the middle. They are treating him with steroids but so far nothing works. His head itches and the rest of his body. Sometimes I do not know if they know what they are doing. He is being put in the light box now for the itching. Itching so much can hurt..I hope they find out what it is.
