A few months back I noticed a few red spots came up on my tummy, over a week they pretty quickly turned into a round eczema type looking rash.
But I was pretty sure it wasn't eczema since it wasn't responding to anything.
Went to the Dr's and they said it was ringworm, spent the next 6 weeks trying to find something effective to use on it. After about 2 months it was totally gone. I continued using tea tree shower gels and applying the creams to make sure it was 100% gone since apparently they have a tendency to be stubborn.
About 2 weeks ago it started coming back, it's nowhere near as bad as it was yet-and I'm on another course of antibiotics to hopefully send it packing for good.
I've still got a few days to go on the course but I'm just wondering if anyones experienced anything like this? Did you find anything which cured it?
I'm kinda losing my patience now, I'm changing my bedding every 1-2 nights and washing every item of clothing after wearing and it just isn't going away... The itchy feeling is super annoying.
It's really getting me down tbh! I'm wondering if it really is a fungal rash and not something else causing it. Could the Pill cause something like this? Is there anything dietary which might help? I honestly don't see what caused it, the only real change around when it happened was that I gained some weight back.
My daughter had ringworm awhile back. I had her use an anti-fungal cream (for athlete's foot-Lotrimin) and it was gone in a few days.
Have you used anything like that? An antibiotic works on bacteria, not fungus, and could actually make a fungal infection worse.
You should see your doctor again if it continues to get worse.
Good luck
My son had ringworm once. It does take awhile to get rid of. Do you have pets? He had been at the house of a friend and the friend had it. They had a cat that was everywhere and apparently that was the source.
I once had a similar rash appear. I was sure it was ringworm after having seen my son's rash. I used the leftover cream he had and tried all sorts of over the counter stuff. Most of it just irritated the rash and none of it worked. I finally went to a dermatologist and got a couple of creams and they seemed to do the trick. There was no official diagnosis. She just acted like it was a normal non-discript thing that sometimes comes up. I have had a few spots creep up from time to time, but nothing like the original rash.
Mine seemed to appear around my neck, face and on my arms though. Nothing on the stomach or trunk of my body.
I'm not sure if they really are antibitoics I just assumed that was the term for it. The drug is called Itraconazole which is apparently an anti fungal drug.
The creams I've tried have been Trimovate which was 100% useless, Daktacort which helps a bit, a Canesten one and also Lamisil which is for athletes foot etc.
We do have a cat and dog, but they're both wormed and they both have flea treatments every month which also protect against ringworm and other things. So I assume I couldn't have got it from them.
Since my Dr hasn't taken a swab or anything yet, I was just curious if it could be something else totally since it's kinda on my upper stomach/under my chest. Which seems like more of a place to have a yeast infection.
I will definitely go back to my Dr's when I've finished this course though, but I think he is at a loss too. And since visually it is considerably less now it feels silly to be referred to a derm, not to mention the waiting list is huge
I had something like that. My doctor said it wasnt a ring worm but some kind of bacteria. He gave me hydrocortizone for it. It didnt really do much, but it eventually went away.
Ugh. I had a horrible "rash" for about EIGHT MONTHS. It started after a jelly fish sting (I "think" it was a jelly fish!!!) one day at the beach. ON THE BACK OF MY HEAD. Itched like CRAZY! - Went to derm, got meds, it STILL itched. During a derm visit, doc said it was "65%" better. Didn't FEEL better. Then I said "what's this thing right here?" (another "rash) on my upper right abs) ... she said it was heat rash. Huh? I haven't BEEN in the heat. AT ALL. Because heat/sweating made my head itch even more. I even took totally cold showers (this was in the middle of summer).
A few days later, rash spread over my abs. Then my chest. Upper arms. Kept spreading. Finally, after a few weeks, it was all over me, but not all at the same time. It would pop up, then disappear & then pop up somewhere else. Then one morning, I woke up and my lips & tongue were swollen. I called the derm, she sent me straight to an allergist.
Oh wait, it gets worse!
So the allergist did all kinds of tests. Took me off the meds the derm put me on. Put me on different meds. Pills, creams, lotions, soaps. Been 8 weeks at this point.
Finally, the rash started to disappear. It was gone for about 4 weeks. Then... started again. First just a little on my abs. Then my chest. Upper arms, legs, etc. This went on for EIGHT MONTHS. About 6 weeks of crazy-I-just-want-to-die-already itching, then for about a month, it'd be gone.
The allergist diagnosed me with Chronic Urticaria. Basically, "hives" & they didn't know why.
Allergist sent me to two specialists. An infectious disease doc and a Rheumatoid doc. I was checked for several things, including Hep-C, leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. Nothing was ever conclusive.
These "hives" were red, swollen, looked like a bunch of tiny little bug bites. They were all over my body (but not all at once) EXCEPT for my face, feet, and hands. WEIRD.
Through all the doc visits, tests, different meds, etc. I kept saying/thinking it all started that day at the beach. The doctors all had their theories, but bottom line is that modern day medicine couldn't give me any real reason for the rash. I THINK that sting on the back of my head lead to some sort of fungal infection & the rash was my body's way of trying to rid my system of that infection.
That day on the beach was in July 2010. I've been "rash free" since about May, 2011. But the back of my head STILL gets itchy from time to time. Derm says that's folliculitis, could be caused by "menopause". Whatever. All I know is that with that rash, I tried EVERY.SINGLE.THING. that OTC had to offer. Creams. Lotions. Gels. Shampoos. Oils. Old-wives-tales kinds of things. Prescribed stuff, too. It all worked... for a mintue! - but NOTHING WORKED for any long period of time. Sometimes I scratched til I bled & bruised myself.
I FEEL YOUR PAIN, and I hope you find some cause for your itching, and can also get a cure.
I have allergies, my doctor sent me to a specilist, there are hundreds of things that can cause allergies. They said the best thing you can do is know what to do when they hit. Take two Benadryl as soon as you notice anything. It works, benadryl is OTC and fairly cheap. My allergies were so bad I actually ended up in ER . I am now never without Benadryl.
My first thought in reading the first post was Allergy.
My next thought was Poison Oak, many times we get Poison Oak from our dogs. If they are outside a lot that could be a problem.
BETADINE IODINE is an old standby remedy for body itch and rashes. (generically povidone-iodine).
It is sold in pharmacies...no prescription needed. Walmart sells it also. It does not sting.
The store brand will be the cheaper to buy. If you have an over-all itch, just step in the shower and get wet all over. Then spread the Betadine all over your body and maybe let it sit for 5 minutes. Then rinse it off.
It will kill body odors and most irritations will go away. I think it also kills ringworm on humans. It is also used in vaginal douche. It might be diluted one teaspoon per quart of water.
It will kill ringworm on cats & dogs. I think you let it sit for 5 minutes on an animal.
It is a treatment that must be repeated several times during a week.
Best of luck.. Washing a cat is a very unique experience.
One nice thing...it will also kill some fleas on an animal.
It is also good for stubborn scalp dermatitis. I think you let it sit for 5 minutes on your scalp before rinsing off or shampooing out.
I always keep a bottle in my medicine cabinet. Its the same stuff that is sometimes used to wipe your skin before surgery.
Search for: "betadine iodine remedy" in the internet and you find a myriad of uses for it. And you'll find out how to apply it correctly.
Beach_Patrol: It's interesting you have that story as well, since the initial spots I got months back appeared after I was very badly sunburned at the beach.
But since then I've been in the sun loads of times with no problems.
Allergies was another early thought since I had washed a few loads of clothes in a different detergent, but quickly swapped to the old one after this happened. I might try swapping to another one.
I've not heard of poison oak before, maybe this is something in America? I am from England so hopefully it will eliminate that
I think I have to agree with the steroid creams-That was one of the first things i applied to it thinking it was just some eczema or contact dermatitis and it got rapidly worse!
I'm definitely suspicious about it being related to the BC pill I am on, since loooking back the time where the rash totally went was in my week off from the pill. But I'm hoping it isn't because it's been a godsend
But I think I'm stumped until my Dr actually takes a swab to confirm what it is. It really is such a nuisance though, and seems silly such a seemingly small thing is getting me down. But between all the Dr's visits and no results I'm more than ticked off about it all :P
I will definitely look into the betadine iodine, sounds like some strong stuff
please be tested for a staph infection....my sister had all sorts of rashes etc for several years that the doctors wrote off as "allergies" or "just a rash on your arm" and never put much more thought into it...granted, she lives in a small town without access to major medical centers...she would take the antibiotics and it would still return...now the doctors have said she has a major MRSA staph infection and that's what it was all along...she just went in for an abdominal MRI this week also and i'm wondering if the infection has gone deeper than her skin...but she also is a chronic alcoholic and the MRI may be addressing those health issues as well...
but really, if you're trying everything out there AND following doctors orders...consider being tested for MRSA...
i wanted to ask, does this red spots come with a small fluid filled sac? sometimes you have to look right at it cause its under the skin. i have them and they are dyshidrotic eczema. the best thing i can do is put athletes foot cream on them. sounds funny but it gets rid of the itch and it goes away in a few days
How about psoriasis ?
Suggestion get a pad and paper and write down all the different suggestions in this post and take it to a doctor and have them checked , he might say no way to some of them or he just might find the culprit.
Get to goal & stay there!
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 849
S/C/G: 235/154.8/150
Height: 5'5"
Quote:
Originally Posted by alaskanlaughter
please be tested for a staph infection....my sister had all sorts of rashes etc for several years that the doctors wrote off as "allergies" or "just a rash on your arm" and never put much more thought into it...granted, she lives in a small town without access to major medical centers...she would take the antibiotics and it would still return...now the doctors have said she has a major MRSA staph infection and that's what it was all along...she just went in for an abdominal MRI this week also and i'm wondering if the infection has gone deeper than her skin...but she also is a chronic alcoholic and the MRI may be addressing those health issues as well...
but really, if you're trying everything out there AND following doctors orders...consider being tested for MRSA...
I'm so sorry to hear about your sister's MRSA. My family and I all have it and it is a pain in the behind. Unfortunately, if she tested postive for MRSA, it is in her blood and not just on her skin. Antibiotics only supress it and will not get rid of it. I have been doing my research on staph/MRSA over a year now, and have found many homeopathic rememdies out there that people claim will get rid of it. I've tried most of them.
Right now, my oldest daughter and I are trying the collidial silver and garlic supplements and they seem to be drying up the infections that we have. Also, MRSA lives off of sugar in your body, and not just sugar from sweets and processed foods. The carbs from white bread, rice and potatoes converts to glucose (sugar) in our bodies, so we've eliminated as much sugar as possilbe (recommended that you not go over 30 grams a day) and that, too, seems to be helping.
Alcohol is converted into sugar as well, so I hope your sister can get that under control. Please have her try the collodial silver and the garlic supplements.
PM me if you want to talk or if you'd like for me to go further into detail of what I've found out about his awful bacteria.
OP, even if what you have is not staph and is ringworm, you also can benefit from a no-sugar diet since ringworm bacteria also thrive on sugar.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by sandcar150; 12-12-2011 at 10:57 AM.
I had ringworm twice as a child, as I had a horse... both times I had a (prescription, I think?) cream called Tinactin. I still remember it, because having ringworm was so darned embarassing - they were literally all over my body. They do have a classic circular shape though - should be pretty easy to distinguish from other types of rashes?
The cream worked within a few days to a week for me both times. I never had antibiotics.. if those things aren't working, I'd ask for further testing and/or a referral to a derm.
Annoying rash! Advice please :)
Washing a cat is a very unique experience. 
