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[tsunamibomber]

Oh my God, I have a rash all over my face, chest, and back. It itches so much, and I look horrible! And I have to go out tonight, because it's Geckogiving! And I still have to cook things! I'm hoping it'll go away once I get myself out of WV... :\

<3
valerie

Comments

[thevargasgirl]

What does the rash look like? Have you had it before? Have you had chicken pox before?

[steffyx]

you should take a picture of it. benadryll, dude.

[thevargasgirl]

It sounds like shingles. Of course it could also be an allergic reaction to a detergent you use (and yes, even if you have used it for years, you can develop an allergy) but I would think the rash would be on your legs and arms as well in that case. Are the rashes on both sides of your body or just one? (And I hope you don't mind me asking. I'm trying to play doctor and see if I can get it right.)(No, not THAT kind of doctor)

[steffyx]

does it really matter? in the doc's office, we'd say to take some sort of anti-histamine, see if it helps. if it does, then ok. if not, then you look for other causes, or even try a topical steroid cream. some sort of dermatitis/allergic rxn is probably on the top of the differential dx list, and shingles would be lower, especially since she said "all over my face, chest, and back.

[thevargasgirl]

Shingles shows on the waist (the word shingles comes from the Latin cingulum meaning girdle or belt) and can show on face, chest, and back. That is why I first thought shingles (I get them on my back). I asked her if it was on one side, because shingles is almost never on the mid section because it effects the cutaneous sensory nerves which are unilateral.
And as I said, I didn't think contact dermititis first because it would be rare she come in contact with something only on her face, chest, and back. Usually with lotions, detergents, and the like it would be more widespread.
Valerie knows I'm not a doctor (yet) and that I want her to first get better before humoring me.
And mind your business. I didn't ask you, I asked Valerie.

[steffyx]

i'm already on rotations. you don't have to explain to me what shingles are... and they can occur along ANY dermatome. i've seen them on the torso and the thighs so far. some of these things are idiopathic. if something like benadryll gets rid of the problem and it never happens again, it doesn't really matter what the cause of it was.. unless you want her to go to an allergist and spend lots of money on useless tests.

[tsunamibomber]

I took an antihistimine, and it helped a lot. I think it was actually caused by ONE article of clothing- a Poison shirt. I wore it to sleep a few nights in a row when I was at my mom's, then I painted and stipped a floor while wearing it.
It makes semse, because while I slept and then worked, it touched my torao, forearms, and neck/ chin area.

<3
valerie

[thevargasgirl]

Haha... a Poison shirt gave you a rash.