Insanely Itching

[jaideeguy]

My wife and I both have the same symptoms......started out with a few pimple like bumps, itched like heck, then 1 or 2 days multiplies by a factor of 100 in whelts. took the wife to a GP at the hospital where they didn't diagnose, but pumped her full of steroids [iv, pills and lotion]. helped for a couple of days and whelting subsided, but itch and bumps remained.

Now i have same and know the agony she is going thru...itching at night is most irritating.

In the meantime I researched [thanks google] but came up with an overload of info [thanks google] and came away with the idea that it could either be scabies [mites] or heat rash.

Today, we are going into see the best dermatologist in CM, hopefully to get a true diagnosis.

it has been hot and sticky weather lately and leads me to believe that it is heat rash.

anyone else out there experiencing the same???

i'll post my diagnosis for anyone interested....

[Ijustwannateach]

Small red welts, especially if spreading/contagious, sound like scabies. Only way to know for sure is under the microscope, so head to the doc. Easy to cure with simple salves and lotions.

[krystian]

Hi ,, do you have them on in between (web) your fingers and in the groin area? these are signs of scabbies,, they multiply overnight and is easily transfered when you get in contact with the area and touch another part of your body.. it is adviseable not to repeat wearing the thing you have, this means you have to change yor bed sheets blankets, underware, shirts, sox anything that gets in contact with your body.

[bina]

if u keep animals, u can get animal scabies which lasts until it finishes but doesnt continue or spread or go to other people : rabbits, goats, etc all have their own kind of scabies... most go away w/o treatment or with, same same... cool showers, loose clothing, calamine or zinc or aloe vera and a heavy dose of something before u go to sleep (when itching, everything gets worse at sleep time as u are not preoccupied with anything else)....

your dog or cat been sleeping in your bed? birds as pets?... if any of the above, then get your animal's skin scraped and checked for scabies mites also (ujnder microscope u can see the little buggers)... and/or ivomac them (rabbits, dogs horses oral, birds, mix with parafin and put on breast area of bird)... put everything in the hot sun or boil laundry or throw away or burn...

spray house with bug stuff against mites (not usually the same as for mosquitioes or flies)

stomach area, thigh/groin/inner elbow or behind knees... i get that permamnently every summer from our rabbits (they are treated but i am super sensitive to the ###### buggers so i am like a mite magnet for any that are in the cracks in the walls etc).

[jaideeguy]

Thanks all for your feedback...especially Bina. good food for thought!! we do have hamsters and our naughty cat has night freedom and comes and goes thru an open window, sometimes bringing in a fresh rat to chomp on usually under our bed.

The Dr's visit didn't reveal much. She took a scraping and found no scabies so ruled that out also because scabies usually start in the webs of the hand then spread from there. also ruled out airborn allergies...they start outside of clothing. and also ruled out heat rash as that usually starts in the groin area or under armpits. Her dx was that 'maybe' it was an allergy to some insect bite that we have recently come in contact with and to air all our bedding in the sun, wash all bedding and clothing with hot water [not easy here in LOS] and spray bedroom and de-bug our pets.

a question that I would like to ask Bambina [are you listining Bambi?]...is how do i de-bug our cat [she does sleep with us] and our hamsters who do seem to scratch a lot, but i thought that was the nature of hamsters. Our cat WILL be locked in or out of the house unless she learns not to bring her kills in side to eat!!

[Sheryl]

You can buy a flea collar for the cat (the ones that are sold for dogs are OK, just cut it shorter) I find them in places like Tops supermarket. Works well with my cat who also goes outside and sleeps with me.

I'm wondering about bed bugs possibly? Or flea bites? Certainly sounds like some sort of critter is to blame....

You can but sprays for bedding at pet stores that will get rid of fleas if they are present.

[solo siam]

Allergy to mold?

[Farma]

I'd also check around for bed bugs. The symptoms sound similar to mine during my one and only encounter last year. Little pimples similar to small mossie bites that itch like mad. Flip your matress over and look for small white eggs the size of sand grains hidden along the edge of the mattress where the seams are.

[bina]

bambina and bina are two separate women!!! both we both work with animals , she's a vet, and i (bina) run a petting zoo

forgot about bedbugs i was thinking along the lines of fleas or scabies mites but bed bugs could be an other thing... in which case the everything but the use of ivomac applies: use a cat friendly insecticide like front line for cats (or advantage) which is the pipernyl stuff; sun dry everything if u dont have a dryer;

scabies by the way also attack gerbils and things so check their housing and them (check their feet, if their feet look bitten and raw, or they look 'flea bitten', they may have scabies or fleas)...use opigal powder for chickens but mix it with corn flour pretty dilute (sorry dont know the ratio for a gerbil) and dust the gerbil a very small amount or u will overdose it...and wash out their cage, thouroly and sun dry...

[Luckydog]

Try PRICKLY HEAT POWDER with anti-bacterial agent. It's in a tall tin and you can get it everywhere.

I use it and put it on the dogs when they start to scratch a lot.

Avoid scratching ....it just makes matters worse. Easy to say I know.......

[leisurely]

Also, if you haven't been given any, try some antihisthamine. That should at least stop you itching even if you aren't treating the underlying cause

[tim armstrong]

Also, if you haven't been given any, try some antihisthamine. That should at least stop you itching even if you aren't treating the underlying cause

Maybe not relevant but have you changed your washing powder, soap, or added something new to your diet. Are either of you taking other medications that you might be reacting to ? Tim

[mikethevigoman]

My wife and I both have the same symptoms......started out with a few pimple like bumps, itched like heck, then 1 or 2 days multiplies by a factor of 100 in whelts. took the wife to a GP at the hospital where they didn't diagnose, but pumped her full of steroids [iv, pills and lotion]. helped for a couple of days and whelting subsided, but itch and bumps remained.

Now i have same and know the agony she is going thru...itching at night is most irritating.

In the meantime I researched [thanks google] but came up with an overload of info [thanks google] and came away with the idea that it could either be scabies [mites] or heat rash.

Today, we are going into see the best dermatologist in CM, hopefully to get a true diagnosis.

it has been hot and sticky weather lately and leads me to believe that it is heat rash.

anyone else out there experiencing the same???

i'll post my diagnosis for anyone interested....

Quadriderm, i swear by it, its worth a go,.

[baabaabobo]

Could be fungal given the humid weather - google "jock itch" and you'll see if the symptoms are the same ... had it a while ago and it is a bu@@er to shift.

[BambinA]

a question that I would like to ask Bambina [are you listining Bambi?]...is how do i de-bug our cat [she does sleep with us] and our hamsters who do seem to scratch a lot, but i thought that was the nature of hamsters. Our cat WILL be locked in or out of the house unless she learns not to bring her kills in side to eat!!

For external parasite,

Hamster = Ivermectin 200 microgram/kg per oral or subcutaneous injection (average weight of a mature hamster is 85-150 grams)

Cat = Frontline spot on

[thailien8]

I'm currently having a hel_l of a time with an itching skin affliction. It started out in my crotch as a rash and after several days developed into something that looked like ringworm. The Dr. at BNH Hospital in Bkk. thought so too, and prescribed meds for ringworm, that I took for a week. On my third visit to him, he noted that nothing had improved, so did a scraping of the skin and sent it to the lab, which reported that no fungus was present, meaning it is not ringworm. I was asked to come back the following week for a biopsy to determine the problem.

Then followed a hellish weekend when the crotch infection started spreading rapidly to my arms and legs. These do not look like ringworm (as yet), but are many small, and larger red bumps of various sizes and shapes, that itch a lot. This shit is aggressively spreading to my underarms and sides. Today the biopsy was done, but the result does not come back for a week. Dr. prescribed Physiogel cream, and three kinds of pills: Telfast, Xyzal, and Rulid. The cream does little to relieve the itching. Putting ice on the itching areas for as long as I can stand it seems to give some relief.

The Dr. theorizes that this could be a case of Granuloma Annulare. Researching this on the net is not re-assuring. The cause is unknown, and there is no real treatment. Usually it goes away by itself, but can hang on for months or even years. Right now my arms look scary, and my crotch is from a horror movie. Mercifully, so far the penis and face are unaffected.

Given that this started in my crotch, I suspect some kind of STD from one of the working girls I've consorted with, or it could be an allergic reaction to something. Anyway, I'm itching, look like hel_l, can forget about a sex life, and am worried about this getting worse and lasting forever. Anyone have any similar experience?

[rak sa_ngop]

Are you sure it is not scabies? The initial spots and itching could be the scabies mites and the subsequent rash could be a skin reaction to scabies infestation. I believe it is difficult to confirm the presence of the mites but a whole-body treatment with a recommended insecticide might be the way to go (not sure what is available in Thialand). Maybe you should check-out some scabies sites and forums for more info.

[puuchai299]

Thalien8,bad stuff,but hang in there,i recently had a strange rash that itched like <deleted>.luckily it stayed on my arms and hands.Doc didn't know what the cause was,he asked me to rack my brains as to had i eaten something not normal to me or changed my soap etc,but no everything the same as always.Tried several types of antihystamines,but nothing stopped it,only now after 3 weeks of it it's suddenly burnt itself out.Now hope it never returns.A friend of mine had something which sounds to be the same as you,he tried using a thai herb called CAMIN,it did the trick for him,maybe worth a try.good luck anyway hope you better soon..

[coldcrush]

My mate had that. It was inbetween his fingers. If I was you just goto the chemist to be safe and lather yourself in cream from top to toe. Apparently his Mum made him sit on the same seat in her house then through it out when he was cured! I hear its quite rampant amongst the ladies of the night and hotel beds....

Edited June 27, 2007 by coldcrush

[jaideeguy]

An update on my 'insane itching' for those interested..............

It's been over a week since we consulted with CM's best derma dr. and my itching has run it's course and now back to normal.

My wife's welts and itching is still there, altho not as intense. mostly on her inside elbows and back around bra line....I bought her a cotton sports bra for going out and advised her to go braless at home [which i like].

At one point, she thought she might be posessed and we even went thru a ritual of offering a pig's head, insense, bottle of whiskey and lots of other little things that go with a northern ritual. Having drawn a blank with the derma dr, I saw no harm in trying the spirit thing. that was a couple of days ago and .....still waiting for those 'spirits' to go bite someone else.

Seems to be a lot of itching in our moo ban with others and still no definate diagnosis or cure.

Will inform this forum IF and when we find out more.

[Sheryl]

Thanks for the update. A few daysago I got wht sounds like the same hing...large, raised red welts that itch like crazy. Mostly on chest and neck.

It seemed to occur afr I had been out in my garden. I'm suspecting that there is some no-see-'em at work biting here. Are there chiggers in Thailand? Dfinitely look like raction to the bite of something and Iwasn't aware of being bitten. And it is definitely not scabies, I know what scabies look like.

[bina]

sheryl,

i just remembered that a few years ago, half the kibbutz kids had fever for a day almost unnoticed and then rash like that for a week or so: diagnoses roseolla ... a viral childhood disease but dont think here at that time that group of kids was vaccinated if there is a vaccine for that, not sure... so maybe....

maybe something viral???

or allergy to something in the air at this particular season, or a pollutant?

[jaideeguy]

A couple of things that i might add to my topic is that 'our' buggers start out like a small pimple, then radiate out from there into multiples. Leaving scars on my wife's back and arms. I've put my 30x magnifier on it and see no trails that scabies leave. it's subsided somewhat, but I would like to find a better explination than ghosts..........

[Sheryl]

Thanks for the update Jai. Mine started as large red welts that got worse and have now finally subsided into purple blotches (like bruises) and some of them have little purpura (pin-prick sized red spots from micro bleeding) around them. These were definitely bites from some critter or other. No new ones have occurred so that rules out my pets and bedding as cause.

When I got mine it was after working in the garden doing some aggressive pruning of bougainvillea bushes, sawing through the wood etc. I am about to do that again...if it recurs then I'll know the critters, whatever they are, are there, some type of wood mite or very tiny spider perhaps??

[thailien8]

Thanks to you who replied about my skin rash problem of June. I thought an update might be of some interest. I did internet research on scabies, and indeed this sounded plausible, so I had a Dr. do a simple skin test described on some scabies websites. It turned up negative. Still, I appreciate the suggestion, as I was able to eliminate scabies as a cause of the problem.

To recap, the mysterious outbreak of a nasty skin disease started in early June, and spread as an itchy rash on arms, legs and torso. Luckily, face, cock, hands and feet are spared. It started out in my groin, looking just like ringworm, but a skin scraping showed that it was not this fungal disease. When the rashes started spreading, a creepy feeling indeed, a Dr. at BNH Hospital did a biopsy that resulted in a verdict of "deep gyrate erythema", tho another Dr. at Bkk. Christian Hospital seemed sure on visual examination that it is "pityriasis rosea". These, and other, skin diseases are of unknown cause and uncertain treatment. They are not contagious and are not a form of STD.

Last month I wrote this lament to a friend here: The itching is very bothersome as it seems that there is always some part of my rash-covered limbs and sides that is itching. It moves around--the right arm may itch for a while and then stop but the left side starts up. As I sit with a bag of ice to quell the itch on one place, I feel like I'm playing Whack-a-Mole as it pops up in another place. With antihistamine pills, skin lotions, ice, valium and general exhaustion, I've been able to get some sleep the last three nights. One possibly hopeful sign is that the site of the original outbreak, the crotch, doesn't itch any more, so maybe the more recent outbreaks will follow that pattern. But my skin looks like absolute hel_l. Some of the newer outbreaks are around the waistline area, sides and front, meaning that when I put on shorts and pants, cinched with belt, these all irritate and itch this area. Thus I'm not comfortable putting on clothes and going out, so spend most of the day sitting around my apt. naked, trying not to look at my ugly body.

I had a top-of-the-line physical check-up done (15,000 baht at BNH), because possibly the skin rash is a symptom of an underlying systemic problem. Part of the check-up was a less-than-delightful barium enema, looking for colon cancer. This was explained to me as kind of a proto-colonoscopy. It was not done under sedation, and I was uncomfortably aware of the nozzle up my butt that was pumping barium into my bowels. An anesthetized colonoscopy sounds less traumatic. The good news is that I seem pretty ###### healthy internally, even the abused liver. The bad news is that there are no leads on cause of skin problem. The consensus seems to be that the skin rashes will gradually go away in time (months), tho they could recur.

So I consulted a third Dr. at Bkk. Christian. He seemed interested, took photos of my rashes, and prescribed a corticosteroid cream, Dermovate. I've been using this for a week, and it has helped greatly. Within the first two days, the annoying itching stopped, and the bright red rashes faded noticeably. Now I look and feel almost normal again, which certainly renews my appreciation for normality. Internet research quickly revealed that corticosteroids are standard treatment for this type of skin problem, which begs the question of why the first two Drs. did not prescribe this wonderful stuff. Lessons learned are that second and third medical opinions can be valuable, and the most expensive hospitals and Drs. are not necessarily the most helpful. Bkk. Christian is now my hospital of first resort for this or any other problem. The charges are considerably less than BNH or Bumrungrad, waiting time is minimal, and the Drs. seem competent.

[Jet Gorgon]

Hi, Thalien. I find it interesting that your rashes are in places convered and/or restricted by clothing (waist bands) and places you sweat most (groin, underarms, chest). Glad the cortisone cream is working, but check your laundry soap/fabric softener or try new brands, and rinse clothes at least three times. Also check your clothes closets and dressers. Maybe wash everything, and clean and spray these areas with bug spray.

Edited July 15, 2007 by Jet Gorgon

[thailien8]

Hi Jet Gorgon,

Thanks for your reply, but either you did not read my post carefully enough, or I did not make myself clear. My underarms and chest were not affected at all by the skin rashes. My thighs and forearms were the worst about two weeks ago. I still use the same laundry detergent, Breeze, that I've used for over ten years here. The plausible theory of bugs, mites, etc. causing this has been discounted to my satisfaction. There are several skin diseases of unknown origin. I will repeat my main points: !. The corticosteroid cream, Dermovate, was a miracle-worker for relieving the itching and the rashes. It has nothing to do with bug bites that I am aware of. 2. Consult several Drs. if you have a problem that seems mysterious to some to them, or that does not respond to treatments prescribed by the first Dr(s) you visit.

[Jet Gorgon]

OK, Thalien! Maybe confused you with the other man. Hopefully the cream will eradicate the rash.

[Dedicated Drifter]

Yeah, I just got it, vacation was going well.

                Good Luck

[Rimmer]

2007 topic resurrected

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