rash

[gemmy909]

Hi I'm a 28 year old female and int he last 2-3 days I've grown a symmetrical fast spreading red itchy sometimes burning rash that is a little on my arms but mostly on my inner thighs, right behind my armpits (technically on my back), my lower back, and butt.  The soonest doctor appointment is in 2 more days and I want any information I can get in the meantime about what this rash could be, if it is likely to be dangerous, if i can lessen it in any way, if it will spread even more, if it seems like it will be chronic/how long will this take to go away, and what type of treatment is involved?

[gemmy909]

^^^^^^^^^^Edit: I meant to type the doctor at the hospital told me NOT to use the borax.  I bought "20 mule team borax" cause I figured I'm desperate and if there is a chance of improvement I want to try it but if it would be dangerous at all I won't use it.  That's what I was trying to ask, thanks again!!

[gemmy909]

Thank you so very much for your reply.  My uncle scared me into going to the hospital so I wouldn't have to wait to deal with the rash.  The medication they gave me (prednisone and dishenydramine) was improving the rash (it went from bright red to light pink and less dots/bumps) but now that the 3 days worth of prednisone are elapsed it is itching more and seems to be spreading again and instead of small dots like before the irritation bumps are wider and seeming to connect into larger bumps - not too high though)  I went for a follow up to my original appointment and they prescribed clobetasol propionate cream which doesn't seem to be helping in any way so far and may even be the reason why it is getting worse again.  The soonest appointment I got get with the dermatologist they referred me to is a whole week but I'm scared at this rate by next Friday it will be much worse and widespread.  It's already starting to travel down my legs further.  Nobody was helpful about determining what could have caused this.  To my knowledge I have not eaten anything out of the ordinary or taken any medications prior to the outbreak.  I do have a horrible problem right now of bed bugs which should be cleared up in the next few weeks (money problems have prevented me with dealing with it as soon as I would want to) and the doctor at the hospital didn't communicate well with me and must have assumed the bed bugs were new and blamed them for the allergic reaction (but I've been stuck with the bed bugs for 1 - 3 months so to me it makes no sense why I wouldn't have had a reaction to them earlier).   That doctor prescribed me permethrin cream but I'm not allowed to use it until the extermination is complete so I'll try to take your advice in the meantime and hope for the best.  I started crying in the hospital because the doctor said she didn't know if the rash would ever go away.  But then again that hospital is notorious for being unhelpful.  Thank you for caring and taking the time to give me the most informed advice you can.  I have a few questions:
1) since the prednisone was helping should I call the doctor and see if they can give me a refill? and if so because it is a steroid are there more dangerous risks taking it for a longer basis?
2) the prescription for dishenydramine said to take it every 6 hours for 2 days and then after that as needed.  I'm not even sure what the drug does so I don't know when I need it.  Could you please explain that to me?  I only have 4 more doses left so also it would be good to know if I should request a refill.
3) Also, is it dangerous to combine over the counter medicine like benedryl at the same time as dishenydramine?  I'm not sure if they do the same thing or not.
4) I read in two places online that if I put borax on my rash it will help with the itch and the improvement time.  But the doctor at the hospital said to use it and wouldn't go into detail about if there was any risk to trying.  Could you please let me know your opinion?
THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[Arti Sharma, M.D.]

Hi there!
It is difficult to confirm anything about the exact cause and the duration of rash without a clinical examination. Based on the information shared by you this rash seems to be allergic in nature. It could possibly be an allergic reaction to some drug, medications, food or any other allergen in the environment. You may try taking over the counter medications like antihistaminic for relief in itching till the appointment. Application of calamine lotion locally may be helpful. Do keep us posted on how you are doing.
Best of luck and regards!