What caused this reaction?

[Janelle205]

I'm sure that your doctor won't be a jerk about it, but note for anyone else who might read this...

When I had the caterpillar rash, which looked like this, I went to the doctor after a few days (I was itching even through my sleep and would wake up with blood everywhere.)  I was working seasonally at an outdoor ed. program, and had to go to a stat-care facility, where the doctor gave me a TON of crap and asked a lot of what I thought were totally ridiculous questions before finally giving me steroids.

Apparently my caterpillar rash looked very similar to something that is common in iv drug users. 

[Mookie86]

I went to the doctor today.  The rash is persisting, but getting better, however today I have 100.1 and a sore throat.  My glands are a little swollen, and my throat is a little red.  Rapid strep test was negative.  The doctor thinks it's viral hives.

[PurpleCat]

Whatever it is, it's not fun - I hope it clears up very soon!

[CMdeux]

Oh, me too-- that looks just miserable, Mookie.   

[Janelle205]

I don't want to jinx you, but I also had a similar rash, low grade fever, and really horrible sore throat when I had mono.  Have you had it before?

[Mookie86]

Thanks for the sympathy and well wishes.  I've decided that pain is much easier to manage than itchiness.

I had mono when I was an infant.  I know, how do you tell that a 6 month old is too sleepy?  My mom swears that I tested positive for mono.

My throat isn't too sore.  Hopefully it'll stay that way!

It's hard to assess if I'm excessively tired given all of the Benadryl I've been taking.  Today, I went 12 hours between Benadryl doses, and I still needed a 2-hour nap, but my body clearly is fighting something. 

I'm making progress in terms of the rash and hives!  I took Benadryl at 7 am, and nothing reappeared until 7 pm this evening.  Of course I was busy helping the kids with dinner, shower, and so on, so I didn't catch it early and take some Benadryl to stop it from reappearing even worse.  Interestingly, the rash didn't reappear until my fever spiked up more and then broke.  I guess my body is fighting this virus in different ways.

[Macabre]

I have had mono twice. Bonafide.

[YouKnowWho]

For the last four days, during dinner prep and until bed, the side of my left breast has been insanely rashy, itchy and full of hives.  WHY?

[Carefulmom]

To me it looks like it could be scabies.  (replying to the OP)

[Mookie86]

I know it's hard to tell from a photo, but it looks different from scabies photos I found online.  Also, given that I had low-grade fever and swollen glands yesterday, I think the doctor is right that it is viral hives.  It continues a bit, but now I'm down to taking 1 Benadryl just a couple of times per day.

YKW, are you reacting only in the evening and then it goes away on its own?  Is it happening after you've been outside playing with the kids, so it might be pollen-related?  Also, it's hot here and I'm guessing it is hot there as well.  It's not heat rash, is it?

[YouKnowWho]

YKW, are you reacting only in the evening and then it goes away on its own?  Is it happening after you've been outside playing with the kids, so it might be pollen-related?  Also, it's hot here and I'm guessing it is hot there as well.  It's not heat rash, is it?

Hotter than hades here, pollen count climbing but the odd thing is that it only happens at dinner prep and after the kids go to bed, gets better.  Don't think it's heat rash and I am not always outside.  Just this weird flukey thing that happens daily lately no matter what bra I wear.  And it may just be that during dinner prep, my kids are sitting quietly and I have a few minutes to myself to itch LOL

The fun of allergies.

[Mfamom]

To me it looks like it could be scabies.  (replying to the OP)

Out of curiousity, I googled scabies and looked through tons of pictures.  I cannot fathom how that rash looked anything like scabies. 

[Mfamom]

and mookie, I am glad your doctor seems to be on the right track with the source of the hives and that you're feeling better soon. 

[Carefulmom]

To me it looks like it could be scabies.  (replying to the OP)

Out of curiousity, I googled scabies and looked through tons of pictures.  I cannot fathom how that rash looked anything like scabies.

Scabies looks different in each person.  I have seen scabies that looked just like the OP`s photo.  I have also seen scabies that looked nothing like the OP`s photo.  Scabies is notorious for causing itching that is so bad it just drives you crazy.  Viral rashes can itch, but not with that much intensity.  That is the part of the OP that really sounds like scabies.  A long time ago my boyfriend who lived in a different state described this horrible itching rash on the phone.  Scabies is notorious for this intense itching.  The benadryl wears off and the itching starts up again.   I told him on the phone it sounded like scabies.  He went to the doc, doc said no.  Continued him on antihistamine and steroid cream for a week where he could not work because he was on such a high dose of antihistamine that he was too sleepy to safely drive.  Finally he convinced the doctor to give him the rx for scabies and the rash went away a few days later.  Scabies is a contact dermatitis, sort of the way poison ivy is.  Meanwhile, I decided since I had been exposed I should be treated.  It takes four to six weeks after exposure to break out, so doing the math I had been exposed.  I went ahead and did the treatment, the laudry, etc, just to kill anything that might be there.  I had had this very small area of bumps at the base of one finger for about six months.  It itched alot, but never spread.  I never worried much about it, just kept applying steriod cream.  I treated myself for scabies, and low and behold the rash went away.  My scabies was just a few little extremely itchy bumps.  My boyfriend had caught it from me.

Anyhow, it might be scabies, it might not be.  The fever would then be due to a separate virus.  It is  good to know that it is getting better.  If it doesn`t go away when the fever and swollen glands do, I`d consider asking for a scabies rx.  I`d also think about any other contact dermatitis---poison ivy?  poison oak?

[Mookie86]

Thanks for that info., carefulmom!

FWIW, I've had a head-to-toe rash and hives only one other time, and that's when I discovered I am penicillin allergic.  That one also itched like crazy for five days.  I would wake up 3.5 hours after taking 50 mg of Benadryl, itching like crazy and trying not to scratch so much that I scarred myself.