Pityriasis Rosea, Pink Eye, STI

[Rambo117]

i have had a main red circle on my ab like a week and a half ago, and then couple dats later on just one or two more dots lower down but not groin (no pain involved, just flat round circle about an inch in diameter, dry skin on it). then 5 days ago i went on a 7 mile hike in the woods, the day after i noticed in the shower the patch of red flat dots with peeling skin in the crease and area by where the groin and inner thigh meet on my right leg, and a few on the left. and nothing from that point on. and i have taken my contact out last nite, and it hurt a little bit to take it out, and next morning (today) i had a bit of a pink eye, but i did have some soap on my hand so that could have been it, but im just worried if the rash is herpes, that i got ocular herpes, so any advice that can calm my nerves would be much appreciated :)

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
The earliest symptoms of herpes zoster will be similar to a flu which includes headache, fever, and malaise. This is very non-specific and therefore has no diagnostic value.

These symptoms are commonly followed by sensations of burning pain, itching and sensitivity to heat, cold, light or touch. The pain may be extreme in the affected dermatome (the area of skin supplied by the affected nerve), with sensations that are often described as stinging/ tingling.

The pain comes on 1–2 days (but sometimes as long as 3 weeks) prior to the appearance of the characteristic rash. The rash initially appears similar to the appearance of hives but they will be limited only to the area of pain (dermatome distribution). Later, the rash becomes vesicular, forming small blisters filled with a serous exudate, as the fever and general malaise continue. The painful vesicles eventually become cloudy or darkened as they fill with blood, crust over within seven to ten days, and usually the crusts fall off and the skin heals.

Laboratory tests are available to diagnose herpes zoster. The most popular test detects VZV-specific IgM antibody in blood; this only appears during chickenpox or herpes zoster and not while the virus is dormant.
Lymph collected from a blister can be examined with an electron microscope for virus particles.
ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpes_zoster

Since the rash on your thigh has not turned into blisters nor do you have any associated pain, this would favor a diagnosis of an allergic rash, probably due to a viral infection. This could be responsible or the rash (non-specific dermatitis) as well as mild conjunctivitis.

You could treat it with an anti-histamine like Loratidine and application of Calamine lotion on the rash.