Rash is about to send me over the edge....

[ABloodworth]

About a month ago, I developed a small rash on my left hip. The bumps were small, raised & round and itch INTENSELY.  Scratching them makes them itch even more, and makes the area very red & swollen. Soon, it spread across my lower stomach to the other hip. I thought it was a heat rash, and would go away, but it didn't. I went to my Dr (an Internist) last week. They had no idea what it was, but they gave me a steriod shot.  The same day I got the shot, the entire area where the rash was turned quite dark, like I had a tan.  Itching went away.  Two days later, the rash came back in all the original places, plus some new ones.  Now, it's inside my left thigh, close to my knee, and on my sides along my ribcage.  Today, it has appeared in my underarm area.  I spoke with the nurse who told me to drink 'lots of fluids' and take Benedryl. However, I have to be alert at work & this won't work for me. She also said "it can take up to a month for this stuff to go away".. to which I responded, "But you all don't know what it is... How can you know how long it will last?" She told me to call back this week if I was "still miserable" - which is an understatement.  I have tried Benedryl, Gold Bond powder, Hydrocortisone cream, Lanacane, Solarcaine and lastly Sarna lotion - which seems to help the most.  However, the relief is very short lived.  I wake up at night clawing myself because the itching is so unbearable. I have bruises where I have unknowingly scratched myself so intensely.  I can hardly concentrate at work as it is driving me crazy.
Here are some other facts:
-Haven't changed any products (soap, detergent, etc) lately.
-This began 3 days after returning from a week's trip to Florida/Gulf Coast.
-Neither my husband or our cat have any signs of a rash/itching.
-I'm fairly certain it is not Scabies, as there are no "tunnels" under the skin.

I have searched the internet but have had no luck in identifying what in the heck this is.  The one disease I found that had symptoms that I'm experiencing is Fox-Fordyce Disease, but it is listed as a 'rare' disease, so it's probably not it. http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/f/fox_fordyce_disease/symptoms.htm#symptom_list

Any help would be appreciated.
Amy

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
I cannot confirm a diagnosis without examination,but it can be contact dermatitis or scabies(chances are more).

Diagnosis of scabies is made by scraping the skin and viewing the material under a microscope to see the characteristic mite or eggs.

I sincerely suggest you to consult a dermatologist and discuss the possibility of scabies with him.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries.Warm regards.

[jagesh50]

Where I work, almost all scabies cases do not present with classic tunnels.Do consult your doc but my priorities are with scabies.