Um. What is it?

[Laurie]

I can't believe I'm disagreeing with Jer because he's super smart, but that does not look like shingles to me at all. Shingles run along the nerve lines of our body--not in a huge circle. I would almost guess poison ivy from those pics but it doesn't look puss like.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

Maybe poison oak? I agree, after looking more closely, and with my glasses on, that it does not look like shingles or poison ivy. I have never seen poison oak before, but could this be it?

 

[Ash]

If it is, I got it in the wind... All I know is it itches like ****, unless I have my lab coat on for work. Then it burns. Benadryl cream doesn't help, and hydrocortisone makes it burn. It sucks! I hope it starts going away soon.

 

[Rori]

*Tilts head* Do you have Rocky mountain spotted fever out there? Cause it looks like what I had, or it could be lymes disease. In either case, steroids (To help the swelling go down) and antibiotics are what a doctor normally gives in cases like this.

 

[Ash]

I don't think so, Rori, but I could be wrong on there being RMSF out here. I have steroids, but no anti-b.

 

[GorillaJTA]

I can't believe I'm disagreeing with Jer because he's super smart, but that does not look like shingles to me at all. Shingles run along the nerve lines of our body--not in a huge circle. I would almost guess poison ivy from those pics but it doesn't look puss like.

I thought it looked like poison ivy as well, but with no exposure, I discounted it. I have had family members get it after burning branches with poison ivy growing on them. It was terrible because it was on all exposed skin.

 

[Ash]

I've been told I could have caught it on the wind, but in 21 years, that's yet to happen.

 

[starleomach]

ummm how do I word this...has Keith caught it LOL....if it isn't easily contagoius it isn't poison ivey....

 

[Ash]

LOL! No, nobody in the house has caught it, including Keith, who gets closer to me than anyone else... Then again, I don't think anyone in the house GETS poison ivy. My best way to tell would be to get around my little brother Nate, but that'd just be mean. He's allergic to it and can get it from 10 miles away... Lol

 

[pamszoo]

I'm gonna throw this out there: contact dermatitis. I have had this twice this year on my arms and hands. Red, itchy blotches that can hurt but don't always, and it gets kinda raised like poison would bit never seeps or blisters. I went to the Dr twice for it and she just gives me pred. Thats the only thing that will finally get rid of it for me.
We have figured out, at least for me, it comes from some kind of vine we have growing in some of our trees. I can't work outside anymore unless Im in gloves and long sleeves.
Good luck to you. I hope it goes away soon!

 

[Ash]

Thans, Pam! One of the other PA members suggested that, also, in chat last night. The prednisone seems to be helping some (it's not as red as it was) but it is still itching like crazy, and my lab coat at work irritates it a good bit and makes it burn, which stinks.

I got some Aveeno pain/itch relief stuff that seems to help some, but not for a long time. I really hope it starts disappearing soon!

 

[Ash]

Now it's blistering I tried getting some pics, but I can't seem to get decent ones. UGH! I want to rip my neck open due to the itching/stinging!

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

I just googled some pictures of severe poison ivy rashes, and they look exactly what you have in the photos you posted. I even found some that have puss filled blisters with the rash.

I know how miserable you must feel right now! I hope you find something that works in making it go away soon.

 

[Ash]

I hope it goes away soon too! They blisters aren't popping open, but I can't begin to tell you how badly I WANT to pop them open. Instead I washed them with some anti-bacterial soap and that seemed to help them a bit... My pharmacist said it should be OK to take some diphenhydramine (Benadryl or Unisom, depending on what you buy) while I'm taking the prednisone. Ugh. I don't even know WHAT it looks like. I wish it were somewhere I could see it to get a judge of how and what it's doing.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

Have you tried the blow drying technique? You hold the blow dryer on the area for a few seconds at a time, on a low setting, and it helps speed up the drying process. Or you can also make a paste of baking soda and water (thick) and apply to the areas affected. I had poison ivy a few years back and this helped immensely.

 

[Ash]

I haven't. The only thing I've put on my neck have been cool paper towels (I read that online) or my oatmeal paste that the doctor said. I don't think it would be so bad if I didn't have a lab coat rubbing it for 8ish hours a day and have my hair pulled into a pony tail. But if I don't have my hair pulled up, it irritates the area, and I can't not wear my lab coat. I've debated putting a bandage or something over it while I'm working, but I can't help thinking that a bandage is going to rub just as bad....

 

[Ash]

Do you know hard it is to get pics of your own neck? Ugh. Here are some shots from tonight. First two are before I showered and put the oatmeal bath paste on it...

The front isn't blistering like the back of my neck is. My pharmacist/boss said it doesn't look like it's the same type of reaction/rash/infection/whatever the **** it is...

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

It definitely looks like poison ivy to me. The reason the neck area could look so different from the chest area is for the reasons you said: Your lab coat irritates that area more and your hair being pulled back and pulling on that area also adds to the irritation. Either way, I feel your pain and hope it gets better.

That may be a good idea about covering it, especially while you're at work and have to wear the lab coat. That could keep the irritation from that, to a minimum at least.

 

[Lmbswimmer]

Unfortunately an allergy to poison ivy can show up at any time. I am currently (knock on wood) not allergic to it, but a glass of milk would kill me!!

The number one injury (I read this in a report quite a few years ago so going off memory) among city mowers - especially the guys that mow the highways and along rural roads is poison ivy rashes, and in some cases they become so sensitive they end up hosptialized for it ending up in their lungs and they have to quit their jobs.

I had a stump count I had to do last year and we were breaking the vines apart to measure them!! I was petrified I was going to become allergic to it that day. I was literally wadding through it up to my kness for 4 hours looking for stupid stumps. I went home and I washed all my clothes in dawn and then I took a shower using dawn. Never got a rash! Dawn is an anti degreaser and I figured since they use it on oil spills it just might break up the oil in the poison ivy.

Good luck healing, and good luck with any side effects from pred. I have a love/hate relationship with pred. It's an amazing drug and will help with messed up immune reseponses like nothing else, but the side effects hit me hard! Might have to do with the dosage amounts to! The last time I was put on pred. for post anaphylaxis I was tapering off of 180 mg of liquid that they gave me during my reaction. At the time I weighed 115 lbs and they gave me 180 mgs!! The taper was 8 weeks. Going cold turkey off of pred. can cause a heart attack as an FYI.

 

[Dolyphinm]

Ash now that it's blistering it needs air to dry out. If you cover the patch on your neck make sure it's loose so it can breathe and dry up.

My steriod cream did wonders in a few days, but took like 2 weeks to really get rid of it. Also after 2 weeks i had to give it a break per dr because steroid creams tend to thin the skin out.