Rash or Hives?!

[ShariB]

Hello,

Nine days ago, in the middle of the night I started itching all over my arms and legs. In the morning I thought it might have just been because it the middle of summer and very hot. Over the next two days I started noticing extremely tiny, almost unnoticeable bumps over my arms and legs. They were almost just white in color but looked more like the area of the bump was lacking in color. They itch terribly. Since then, they have spread and seemed to have gotten slightly bigger, although still quite small and now they are more red in color and more noticeable. My arms, legs, ankles, and the tops of my hands are covered in these little red bumps, which still look like the skin beneath is drained of color. Almost like the rest of my body is tan except where all these little bumps are. None so far are on my stomach, back, or buttox, but they are creeping up my shoulder. At first I thought it could be heat rash, then I thought maybe sun poisoning. I have never had a history of allergies and I do not have sensitive skin. I've changed my sheets, vacuumed, been using calamine lotion, I have not changed my diet whatsoever or detergents, body washes, etc. I have been living the exact same in the past week as I have been for the past month. Benadryl puts me to sleep so I can't take anything during the day when I work. Can hives be induced by stress? Because that, I am. I'm always very stressed and I work a lot and am in school full time, as well as planning to transfer to a university (which is a full time job in itself). I do have two cats, but both are indoors always. Do I have hives? The bumps (tons and tons of them) seem to stay somewhat suppressed without itching them, but lately they itch just as bad and are still noticeable without touching them. I thought it very strange that they spread to the tops of my hands! (But not feet) It is driving me insane it's so itchy! And very unsightly! Everyone I've spoken with says something this bad and persistent must be internal and so internally cured, but I haven't changed my diet? Should I go to a doctor? Or a skin specialist? I am 24 years old, female, and have no insurance, which is why I have put it off for so long. If I had extra cash I would have seen a doctor the second day. Are there any homeopathic remedies? Any plant extracts or tintures? Please help!

[ShariB]

I do not have insurance and saw the family doctor of my landlord (who is a pediatrician), and who did not know what the cause of this rash is. He prescribed me an anti-biotic which I have been taking now for a week, three times a day. It seems to supress the itching, but it is not clearing up and if I forget to take a pill for a few hours, it flares up again. I was wondering if I have folliculitus (because the itchiness and bumps are only on my arms and legs) and if so, will this last forever? I have read forums where people have had folliculitus for years, however most things I read about it say it should not last long. The tiny "goose bump" like itchy bumps all seem to be on hair follicles, but when I asked the doctor if it could be that, he seemed to think it was not. I have had this for about three weeks now with no signs of it clearing up.

???

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms the possibility of scabies needs to be ruled out. It is an infestation of the skin with the Sarcoptes scabiei mite. It is characterized by intense itching, usually at night and by small insect-type bites lesions on the skin. Diagnosis of scabies is made by scraping the skin and viewing the material under a microscope to see the characteristic mite or eggs.
Hives are less likely because often they come and go in a matter of hours. I suggest you to get it evaluated from a dermatologist to confirm the diagnosis. I hope it helps. Take care and regards.

[ShariB]

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