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Pityriasis Rosea? Please help..Pics Included
Around the time of Halloween I noticed a small red splotch on my arm. The same night that I noticed it I remember feeling really yucky like I was getting the flu or something. About a week later I went to my family doctor to look at the splotch and for my general yucky feeling. By this time the splotch had turned into what looked like classical Ringworm. He gave me some cream and a new medication for IBS.
About a week and a half to two weeks later I started noticed other red splotches on my body. They were on my stomach, back, sides, and neck. Went back to the doctor and told it was fungal and was given Diflucan and told to keep putting the original cream on my entire outbreak.
I've now been on the Diflucan for well over a week and the splotches aren't going away. Some have gone completely but I still keep getting newer ones. Now I'm getting smaller bumps on my arms and legs. The entire rash does not itch. The only place it itches is in the back of my neck near my hairline. It gets much more prominent after a shower and it seems that new spots appear. No one has caught this from me so I'm assuming its not contagious since it has been over a month and I sleep in the same bed with my boyfriend every night.
The only thing that I have found that looks like my rash is Pityriasis Rosea. Except that I have multiple herald patches. Can someone please please look at my pictures and help me out? I have a call into the dermatologist but they had no openings so I'm on a waiting list for a cancellation. This is driving me crazy and making me feel so self conscious and I'm confined to wearing turtle necks in public.
Pic Album on Photobucket: http://s356.photobucket.com/albums/oo6/girlrockPR/Skin/
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I feel like a freak :(
About a week and a half to two weeks later I started noticed other red splotches on my body. They were on my stomach, back, sides, and neck. Went back to the doctor and told it was fungal and was given Diflucan and told to keep putting the original cream on my entire outbreak.
I've now been on the Diflucan for well over a week and the splotches aren't going away. Some have gone completely but I still keep getting newer ones. Now I'm getting smaller bumps on my arms and legs. The entire rash does not itch. The only place it itches is in the back of my neck near my hairline. It gets much more prominent after a shower and it seems that new spots appear. No one has caught this from me so I'm assuming its not contagious since it has been over a month and I sleep in the same bed with my boyfriend every night.
The only thing that I have found that looks like my rash is Pityriasis Rosea. Except that I have multiple herald patches. Can someone please please look at my pictures and help me out? I have a call into the dermatologist but they had no openings so I'm on a waiting list for a cancellation. This is driving me crazy and making me feel so self conscious and I'm confined to wearing turtle necks in public.
Pic Album on Photobucket: http://s356.photobucket.com/albums/oo6/girlrockPR/Skin/
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I feel like a freak :(
oh Boy I got this PR thing the first week of Jan after comming home 2 weeks earlier from Mexico and noticed that the back of my shoulders had this dry patch on them. Well the first few weeks had mild outbreak and no itching and around week 5 or 6 wanted to kill myself. Itching was so painful and nothing would help. The pharmasist told me to use Lubaderm for the dryness. So I could not take it anymore was covered from head to toeeven starting bad on the hairline few on the face tops of my hands all on my neck. Had to wear turtle necks all the time. I was very depressed. I called the doctor went and saw him and he gave me a steroid cream that helped for a few hours at a time and took a skin biopsy and yes the other day came back PR. So now I see that they are not so inflammed or raised they are more blended in with my skin but still get red after a shower or at night. I have been tanning about 8 times and seems to help but them I get very itchy after and I have white spots where there were red when it went away. I am still covered in the **** but each day it gets a little better. I have finally been able to take hot showers and baths and I have been using epson salts whick helps alot I find every morning after one of those baths its a little better. Everyone just hang in there and have some steriod cream ready when it hits its peak. You will know when it starts to itch and dead skin flakes off everywhere. I had a house covered in it. It peels off very easy. I have had this 8 weeks now and will probably have it for 4 more.
Thats great news....!! I was lucky enough to have a doctor who knew what it was, I could only imagine having to go through more hoops.....
The epidemic thing is weird... I hope that if thats the case that doctors would pool together to research this thing. It seems like the mystery virus (or whatever it may be), It just seems bizarre that its been around for so long and nobody knows how its caused or how to treat it..... It almost has the HIV ring to it although not as serious....
Maybe we are just spoiled with medical research, but if this virus mutates into something that didn't go away, I think there would be a heavier concern for it's existence.
On my front, I am noticing some clear up... One thing I have tried over the last few days is Caladryl... IT RULES.... Takes the itching away, and dries the areas up. I am thinking that I will be clear of this thing in a few weeks.... So good luck to you GirlRock.
The epidemic thing is weird... I hope that if thats the case that doctors would pool together to research this thing. It seems like the mystery virus (or whatever it may be), It just seems bizarre that its been around for so long and nobody knows how its caused or how to treat it..... It almost has the HIV ring to it although not as serious....
Maybe we are just spoiled with medical research, but if this virus mutates into something that didn't go away, I think there would be a heavier concern for it's existence.
On my front, I am noticing some clear up... One thing I have tried over the last few days is Caladryl... IT RULES.... Takes the itching away, and dries the areas up. I am thinking that I will be clear of this thing in a few weeks.... So good luck to you GirlRock.
Chicchicchic...thank you so much for replying! I got in for an appointment this afternoon and sure enough...the derm said it was PR. I even said it in sync with him...he was surprised by my research! Apparently I have a cool dermatolgist and he actually recommended UV treatment. However, he wanted me to do the UVB one that they have in their office. He gave a free treatment today. Basically it was just a stand up tanning bed. But he said that UVB lights are less harmful and than the UVA(I hope I'm keeping this straight) from the regular tanning beds. However...the treatments are quite expensive and I'm not sure that my insurance is going to cover it. Plus it takes about 15-20 minutes to get to his office so I can't justify going there 3 times a week for a 1 minute treatment. I'm just going to sign up for tanning at a local salon. He also suggested this moisterizing cream for me called CeraVe. It is over the counter and he said to put it on after I get out of the shower. He also prescribed a cortizone cream in case of itching but like I said...I'm lucky thank goodness I don't have the itching. Only at the bottom of my hairline in the back of my scalp.
Now he said what the Internet basically says. They don't know what causes it..maybe a virus and since I showed the symptoms of feeling sick when I first came down with the herald patch, it makes sense. Another INTERESTING thing that he said was that he hadn't seen it for a while but now that I came in with it...he is suspecting an epidemic and should start seeing more cases soon. I guess that's how it goes around...because of the virus? I'm not sure.
Needless to say I'm so relieved to have a diagnosis! The family doctors were scaring the **** out of me. And I do feel for you and your body image. I've been with my boyfriend for 8 years and I am feeling ashamed and self-conscious around him without my clothes on. So I can imagine how it would feel with a new lover. Just do the same you suggested to me! Be up front about it and reassure that it is not contagious and fairly common.
To anyone else reading this: Try the UV treatment and moisterizing cream(such as CeraVe). That advice came straight from the doctor!
Now he said what the Internet basically says. They don't know what causes it..maybe a virus and since I showed the symptoms of feeling sick when I first came down with the herald patch, it makes sense. Another INTERESTING thing that he said was that he hadn't seen it for a while but now that I came in with it...he is suspecting an epidemic and should start seeing more cases soon. I guess that's how it goes around...because of the virus? I'm not sure.
Needless to say I'm so relieved to have a diagnosis! The family doctors were scaring the **** out of me. And I do feel for you and your body image. I've been with my boyfriend for 8 years and I am feeling ashamed and self-conscious around him without my clothes on. So I can imagine how it would feel with a new lover. Just do the same you suggested to me! Be up front about it and reassure that it is not contagious and fairly common.
To anyone else reading this: Try the UV treatment and moisterizing cream(such as CeraVe). That advice came straight from the doctor!
The patches on your side and back look alot like mine, except I have dozens more and I itch like crazy. I would say you you have PR. At the beginning I even thought mine was Ring Worm, but after trying various anti-fungal meds, I quickly learned that it wasn't because like you said they don't do anything (neither does benadryl cream btw). I don't mean to scare you but it looks mild and if yours is anything like mine is, get ready for a ride... It gets worse.
This is probably one of the worst things I have ever had in my entire life, and the Doctors out there won't touch it because the "book" doesn't say anything. So I will lay out my observations about Pityriasis Rosea so others can understand what to do and what not to do.
1. DO NOT SCRATCH IT. If you start itching you need to do everything you can do to stop the itching. Claritin will help with the itching during the day, I've noticed benadryl doesn't do much but it knocks me out so I take it before bed.
2. Lotion is psychological. If you have dry skin, lotion will help that but will not take the spots away.
3. Tanning..... I haven't noticed any effect...
4. Have you felt tired?? I have lost alot of energy since this started :(.
5. Showering.... Now most people are anti-shower when it comes to things like this, I tend to disagree. It gives me relief for a few hours, doesn't make the red spots go away (and yes they may get worse in color due to the heat) but showering makes my itching a little less prevalent.
6. Keep your head up. As long as people know that it's not contagious, you'll be ok. I told all of my friends what it was, they were happier it was some unknown rather than scabies, body lice, herpes, etc. So socially your friends and family should be accepting. As far as the public is concerned GirlRock, consider yourself lucky for having a boyfriend. I am a gay man, you could only imagine how hard it is, If I took my shirt off in front of a gay guy they would **** themselves.....
The hardest part about this is the appearance of it. I hope mine will go away soon, I am going crazy myself both physically and mentally, so I hope the docs were right. I am moving next week so I am hoping that change of environment will have an effect.
This is probably one of the worst things I have ever had in my entire life, and the Doctors out there won't touch it because the "book" doesn't say anything. So I will lay out my observations about Pityriasis Rosea so others can understand what to do and what not to do.
1. DO NOT SCRATCH IT. If you start itching you need to do everything you can do to stop the itching. Claritin will help with the itching during the day, I've noticed benadryl doesn't do much but it knocks me out so I take it before bed.
2. Lotion is psychological. If you have dry skin, lotion will help that but will not take the spots away.
3. Tanning..... I haven't noticed any effect...
4. Have you felt tired?? I have lost alot of energy since this started :(.
5. Showering.... Now most people are anti-shower when it comes to things like this, I tend to disagree. It gives me relief for a few hours, doesn't make the red spots go away (and yes they may get worse in color due to the heat) but showering makes my itching a little less prevalent.
6. Keep your head up. As long as people know that it's not contagious, you'll be ok. I told all of my friends what it was, they were happier it was some unknown rather than scabies, body lice, herpes, etc. So socially your friends and family should be accepting. As far as the public is concerned GirlRock, consider yourself lucky for having a boyfriend. I am a gay man, you could only imagine how hard it is, If I took my shirt off in front of a gay guy they would **** themselves.....
The hardest part about this is the appearance of it. I hope mine will go away soon, I am going crazy myself both physically and mentally, so I hope the docs were right. I am moving next week so I am hoping that change of environment will have an effect.
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