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This forum is for questions regarding Dermatology issues, such as: skin rashes, acne, birthmarks, skin infections, rosacea, and general skin care.
Itchy welts on thigh and lower back. What is this?
by hunterq82, Apr 18, 2008 01:31PM
This winter I developed three welts - one on my inner thigh (above the knee), one on my left hip and one on my lower right back (around th belt-line). They originally formed as small clusters of raised bumps (like patches of acne without the head). The two on my leg were about an inch in length and the one on my back was about the size of a dime. They itched but were not particularly painful. They did not form blisters and after about two weeks they receded - but left faint purplish scars where they had appeared. One on my leg appears to be a series of dots (unlike the patch that it seemed to be while "active").
The week prior, I had been fighting a cold and the lymph nodes were swollen in my neck at the time of the outbreak. I had also been dealing with some intense stress with work that month.
At the time, I suspected these were hives triggered by the combination of stress and being sick. I took benadryl and treated the "rash" with cortaid cream and they went away.
However, several month have passed and I am a little concerned because the scars have not completely disappeared - which makes me think that the welts were less superficial than they first appeared.
I'm most concerned that this was a herpes outbreak. I was sexually active with my girlfriend at the time of the outbreak but didn't think to consider this a possible cause. The welts did not appear in my groin area or on my genitals. Also, she noticed the rashes and claimed to have never experienced anything similar.
I've never had a similar outbreak in the past and haven't experienced anything similar since.
I was keen to get a HSV test but read that they are only most accurate if taken during an outbreak - is this true? With my annual physical, I tested negative for HIV and didn't' find anything unusual in my blood tests - other than a slightly high cholesterol count and a slightly low white blood count (which the doctor attributed to a cold I was fighting).
Any opinions or advice would be much appreciated.
The week prior, I had been fighting a cold and the lymph nodes were swollen in my neck at the time of the outbreak. I had also been dealing with some intense stress with work that month.
At the time, I suspected these were hives triggered by the combination of stress and being sick. I took benadryl and treated the "rash" with cortaid cream and they went away.
However, several month have passed and I am a little concerned because the scars have not completely disappeared - which makes me think that the welts were less superficial than they first appeared.
I'm most concerned that this was a herpes outbreak. I was sexually active with my girlfriend at the time of the outbreak but didn't think to consider this a possible cause. The welts did not appear in my groin area or on my genitals. Also, she noticed the rashes and claimed to have never experienced anything similar.
I've never had a similar outbreak in the past and haven't experienced anything similar since.
I was keen to get a HSV test but read that they are only most accurate if taken during an outbreak - is this true? With my annual physical, I tested negative for HIV and didn't' find anything unusual in my blood tests - other than a slightly high cholesterol count and a slightly low white blood count (which the doctor attributed to a cold I was fighting).
Any opinions or advice would be much appreciated.
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