Itchy & Scratchy =[

[WillMc88]

I have no idea what's going on. For the past month or so now, I cannot stop itching!

I've gone over every option I can think of: maybe it's poison ivy? Can't be. Is a new body wash? Maybe I'm allergic? Nope, been using the same one. Allergic reaction to food? Well would it last this long if it was something I ate??? =[

I seriously need some help, it drives me crazy. It's not just in one spot, it's pretty much everywhere! My arms, hands, legs, feet, stomach, chest, and 'other areas'.
There's no visible rash, other than the redness caused from scratching, but that goes away when I stop, naturally. And hot showers make it worse =/. I read somewhere that heat irritates rashes, so I don't know...

I got tested for any STDs a few weeks ago, supposed to get my results the 15th, so it could possible be something sexually-transmitted..?

Any ideas, comments, thoughts would be great!

 

[Horschallen]

Any ideas, comments, thoughts would be great!

Talk to a doctor.

 

[Homoerectus]

Have you changed detergent, fabric softener, soap, shaving cream, hair gel, hair conditioner, installed new carpet, drapes or painted the walls. Think back to around the time this started? Something changed. Oh, one other thing. Have bee been exposed to mold or mildew such as in a flooded basement.

 

[WillMc88]

Let me go down the list... No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. And no. Don't mean to sound like a smart ass, I really was thinking about each one in a mental list.

I was at a friend's house when I first really started to notice it.. but it may have started a few days before. It was just so... well... unnoticeable at first! I mean, the only reason I noticed anything is because it didn't go away. =/

Thanks for the suggestions though!

 

[theblackajah]

http://www.vexman.com/botfly.htm

Perhaps you went to a Tropical country and your skin is now crawling with tiny parasitic larvae :O

Or perhaps it's another parasite- perhaps swimmer's itch?

I dunno.

Go to the doctor, not a buncha queers on the net.

 

[OttawaJanus]

Were there any animals at your friends? Maybe you've got an allergy to some pets or something? Or possibly your skin is just really really dry at the moment - tried goldbond lotion or anything?

 

[tonyboy]

http://www.vexman.com/botfly.htm

Perhaps you went to a Tropical country and your skin is now crawling with tiny parasitic larvae :O

Or perhaps it's another parasite- perhaps swimmer's itch?

I dunno.

Go to the doctor, not a buncha queers on the net.

Well, I"ve had the same thing as WillMc88 going on in my life since last October. And I've been to 4 doctors, a dermatologist, an allergist, and a cancer specialist.
No one can explain it. I've had numerous blood tests and chest xrays. In fact I spent 3 hours getting a full body xray. They take about 30 shots and include every part of your body. I've had a bone marrow biopsy ($4K)....
I"ve been given pills, lotions, and salves.... nothing works.
So man, writing to what you call 'a buncha queers on the net' may just tell you how desperate one is when facing this 'thing'......
It happens at any time of the day. And while it is not over the entire body at one time it hits different parts whenever it feels like it. Just imgagine being asleep at night.... suddenly you awake because your leg itches, then suddenly your chest itches.... then it moves to you back (where you cannot reach), then goes from those spots to your arm. This can go on for hours each night or morning.
Then it may go away for a few hours.... but you never know when it will be back.
I've had it on my face so badly that I wanted to cry. No rash is ever present. It just hits.
I've had it for 10 months.... no one knows where it came from nor what to do about it.
I hope our friend WillMC88 doesn't go through all of this.

 

[Brer Fox]

You might have scabies, I just got over an epic battle with them. For the first month (4-6 weeks) you may not see any evidence of their burrows, but if you start getting little red spots and mosquito bite looking things, go see a doctor.

I believe they happen to be going around, and they are very easy to get from sexual contacts, kids, or anyone else you touch.

 

[tonyboy]

You might have scabies, I just got over an epic battle with them. For the first month (4-6 weeks) you may not see any evidence of their burrows, but if you start getting little red spots and mosquito bite looking things, go see a doctor.

I believe they happen to be going around, and they are very easy to get from sexual contacts, kids, or anyone else you touch.

No, scabies are not the problem. There are no red spots or anything like that. And I've been to so many doctors that it would have been diagnosed if that were the problem.
But thanks for your idea.....

 

[Yngbldhwk]

A question to both WillMc88 and/or TonyBoy:

This is a long shot, but does anyone in your family (especially on your mother's side) have fibromyalgia?

I have some knowledge of this syndrome, and uncontrollable (and often seemingly unexplainable) itching is sometimes a symptom.

Since you're both male and young, it's not the first thing most doctors would think of or look for.

 

[WillMc88]

!!!! =[ Mk I thought it was scabies. I did some research, and yes I have the bumps. I'm treating my skin with tea tree oil which is supposed to kill them. If it doesn't get better, I'll go to a dermi.

And my aunt on my mother's side has fibromyalgia.....

 

[Jonny_Longhair]

I have had scabies, and I'm sending love your way if thats the problem. They are annoying little fuckers.

I highly recommend going to your GP immediately, and showing them the rash and explaining the itchiness. Look up scabies on the net and see what it has to say. I found I would be especially itchy round my torso, and on my arms. I only really had the burrowing monsters on my fingers, but they were so disgusting and vile, to know I had something living inside me.

The creams are quite effective, but don't take this lightly. Scabies can infect your family, or close roomates, and can come back to plague you if you don't destroy them completely.

Wash your bedclothes, towels, these are very important, and clothes as well if you can. Then cover yourself in the ointment at night, and wash it off in the morning. I found I needed two treatments to get rid of them, the first time they came back.

I found after you have had them once, they are not nearly as itchy the second time, so you may be fooled into thinking you are ok. That said, the itch takes a while to subside even after the mites die.

Oh man, just thinking about those bastards makes me a little itchy. No one get the wrong impression of me either, I do take care of myself ! Scabies can infect people who have good hygiene, high living standards and are not a thing to be ashamed of.

 

[WillMc88]

What about carpet Jonny? Is there much need to disinfect that too?

 

[Brer Fox]

Get a prescription for 5% permethrin cream (standard treatment) nooooooooooooooooow before it is too late. You should get these tubes that are made by 'Peregrin Pharamceuticals' or something. Slather yourself everywhere, and I mean absolutely everywhere, with a whole tube at a time. Make sure they give you two tubes, you will need to retreat in about a week.

Like Jonny said, wash everything like you are god damn Mr. Clean. Your bedding is most important, and actually, many circles say you should stay off your mattress for about two weeks. I started sleeping on my futon for the last of my treatment just in case. Carpet does not seem to be a problem. Most sources will state that it is very rare to contract them from furniture and clothing, but don't take any precautions.

Do not rinky-dink around with home treatments, you have to absolutely destroy these things. They do get worse, and once they start reproducing you are going to have a hell of a time ridding yourself of them. I let them go for about three months out of total ignorance and it took me ivermectin and six tubes of permethrin to fully rid myself of them.

You want these guys gone. Hopefully you have not had sex since you had them (honestly I was so gross I was totally celibate, all the marks have just started fading) or your partners have them too.

 

[WillMc88]

O_O! I'm gonna make a doctor's appointment for hopefully later this week or next. I live with my dad and older brother, so how probable is it that they'll catch it too?

So when you use the cream, does it kill all the mites minus the eggs? I mean, otherwise, wouldn't anywhere you slept afterwards be infested as well? What do you use on your clothes/bedding/matress to kill them?

And out of curiousity, how did you guys contract them? Thanks a TON for the replies!!!

 

[Brer Fox]

You get them most commonly from extended human-to-human contact. If you work with kids it is not hard to catch them, and I work with kids. The most common route, though, is through sex. Scabies are often popularly referred to as an STD, but even though that probably accounts for most cases, it is easy to get them from other pursuits.

I tend to grapple (Jiu-jitsu) a lot, so I am rubbing around on shirtless guys all the time, so it may have been from that. But then again I end up with random hook-ups every once in a while. It is no one's fault, you just might bed a guy that has picked them up from wherever and is asymptomatic.

 

[Jonny_Longhair]

I think I picked them up from my boyfriend, although he may have picked them up from me. I blame him, like a healthy man!

Will, here's the list for you mate.

1) Go to the doctor, pick up the phone and make an appointment. They will have treated this before, and will be very understanding. DO IT TODAY

2) Once you have got the cream, apply everywhere. Try to get your father and brother to put it on too, if you have had close contact.

3) Wash bedding, towels and clothes. Use a hot wash.A vacuum of the house would be a good idea.

4) Re-treat in a week. Perhaps even do a second week treatment, just to make sure.

Good luck! Take antihistamines if the itching gets bad.

 

[WillMc88]

Thanks Jonny. I go a prescription today, but it was only for one tube. Do you need two? Or can you spread one tube out for two treatments?

It seems like he would've known to give me a prescription for two if it's necessary, you know? And I didn't even think to check the slip to see how many until I got to the pharmacy =X.

Another question (sry!), do you need to wash your bedding before you put on the cream, then sleep on the newly washed bedding while wearing the cream? I mean, I don't want to wash it, then sleep on it, only to have it reinfested with the bastards! Thanks!

 

[Jonny_Longhair]

You may need two, or you may only need one. I was pissed off at them using my body as a motel, so I decided to fumigate

I think you put on the cream, and then go to sleep in clean sheets.

Read what it says in the packet, I found it very useful.

 

[Matthew-]

Well, I"ve had the same thing as WillMc88 going on in my life since last October. And I've been to 4 doctors, a dermatologist, an allergist, and a cancer specialist.
No one can explain it. I've had numerous blood tests and chest xrays. In fact I spent 3 hours getting a full body xray. They take about 30 shots and include every part of your body. I've had a bone marrow biopsy ($4K)....
I"ve been given pills, lotions, and salves.... nothing works.
So man, writing to what you call 'a buncha queers on the net' may just tell you how desperate one is when facing this 'thing'......
It happens at any time of the day. And while it is not over the entire body at one time it hits different parts whenever it feels like it. Just imgagine being asleep at night.... suddenly you awake because your leg itches, then suddenly your chest itches.... then it moves to you back (where you cannot reach), then goes from those spots to your arm. This can go on for hours each night or morning.
Then it may go away for a few hours.... but you never know when it will be back.
I've had it on my face so badly that I wanted to cry. No rash is ever present. It just hits.
I've had it for 10 months.... no one knows where it came from nor what to do about it.
I hope our friend WillMC88 doesn't go through all of this.

And its very sad that you had to go through this also.