So. Itchy.
May 22, 2013 3:00 AM Subscribe
YANAMD. I have many mosquito-bite like pimples on my arms, legs and parts of my back, which typically become itchy in the evenings. As I'm currently abroad and travelling I'm paranoid that it's the symptom of some rare tropical disease and I'm harbouring a parasite or something. Please put the mind of this hypochondriac at rest!
They look almost like acne when they're settled down, but sometimes become itchy and flare up like a mosquito bite. I can count about 15 on my arms and another 10 on my legs. (Pics: arm back forearm wrist)
They've appeared about 3 days ago, 2 days after returning home from SEA (Bangkok and Siem Reap) - initially I just thought they were hives so would go away in a few hours, but they're still here in the same spot 3 days later (albeit not as itchy or swelled). I'm currently in transit in a third country (Japan) before going back home in another fortnight. I have travel insurance with medical cover, but I want to know whether I can just wait for 2 weeks until I get home, or whether this seems like something worth going through the arduous admin for to get treated here in Japan.
I have no fever or anything but do have general malaise (which I attributed to tiredness from my trip), plus some stomach aches and gastro (but not overly out of the ordinary). Is this bedbugs? Hayfever? Heat? Hives? Tapeworm? YANAMD, but just asking for some reassurance or insights into what this is/isn't.
They look almost like acne when they're settled down, but sometimes become itchy and flare up like a mosquito bite. I can count about 15 on my arms and another 10 on my legs. (Pics: arm back forearm wrist)
They've appeared about 3 days ago, 2 days after returning home from SEA (Bangkok and Siem Reap) - initially I just thought they were hives so would go away in a few hours, but they're still here in the same spot 3 days later (albeit not as itchy or swelled). I'm currently in transit in a third country (Japan) before going back home in another fortnight. I have travel insurance with medical cover, but I want to know whether I can just wait for 2 weeks until I get home, or whether this seems like something worth going through the arduous admin for to get treated here in Japan.
I have no fever or anything but do have general malaise (which I attributed to tiredness from my trip), plus some stomach aches and gastro (but not overly out of the ordinary). Is this bedbugs? Hayfever? Heat? Hives? Tapeworm? YANAMD, but just asking for some reassurance or insights into what this is/isn't.
Response by poster: (Sorry not to threadsit)
They appeared after I arrived in Japan where there are hardly any mosquitoes, and all 20 or so pimples appeared at once - I guess they could be, but they feel and itch slightly differently to mosquito bites.
posted by pikeandshield at 3:19 AM on May 22, 2013
They appeared after I arrived in Japan where there are hardly any mosquitoes, and all 20 or so pimples appeared at once - I guess they could be, but they feel and itch slightly differently to mosquito bites.
posted by pikeandshield at 3:19 AM on May 22, 2013
My kids have had OHGODICAN'TCOUNTSOMANYRASHES (chickenpox, Coxsackie virus, poison ivy and a lot more) in 21 years, and after years of IANAD experience, they're always ultimately treated with either Benadryl, antihistamine cream, hyrdocortisone cream or anti-fungal cream.
Drink lots of water.
One of those things will kill it, or they'll go away on their own.
Obviously, if they swell crazily or you get any other problems, see a doctor.
But if you were my kid, I wouldn't even take you to the doctor for these.
posted by kinetic at 3:38 AM on May 22, 2013 [2 favorites]
Drink lots of water.
One of those things will kill it, or they'll go away on their own.
Obviously, if they swell crazily or you get any other problems, see a doctor.
But if you were my kid, I wouldn't even take you to the doctor for these.
posted by kinetic at 3:38 AM on May 22, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'm thinking this could be bedbugs.
posted by bunderful at 4:04 AM on May 22, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by bunderful at 4:04 AM on May 22, 2013 [3 favorites]
This could be a lot of things and sorry, but that includes bed bugs. I hear they are common in the part of the world you've just come from. I've had them, and the problem is that it's really hard to tell just by looking at the bites whether that's what they are. I don't have links but you could look online for more info about them and compare that info to what you have - go in with a strong mind, it can make you super paranoid!
If you think there's even a chance of it being them, I would definitely recommend giving all your clothes (and bag) a hot wash and tumble dry before going home - over 60° I think it needs to be so you kill the bugs and eggs.
Good luck...
posted by halcorp at 4:19 AM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you think there's even a chance of it being them, I would definitely recommend giving all your clothes (and bag) a hot wash and tumble dry before going home - over 60° I think it needs to be so you kill the bugs and eggs.
Good luck...
posted by halcorp at 4:19 AM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
It might be scabies: If the itchiness is strongest in the evenings and there are also small lines/tracks on the skin, scabies treatment might help.
posted by sninctown at 4:30 AM on May 22, 2013
posted by sninctown at 4:30 AM on May 22, 2013
Seconding scabies. Benadryl will make it feel a bit better but not get rid of the bugs. You'd need to see a doc for scabicide, at least in the US. I don't know if its OTC abroad.
posted by lownote at 5:16 AM on May 22, 2013
posted by lownote at 5:16 AM on May 22, 2013
It doesn't look like scabies to me; in my experience (UGH DON'T ASK) scabies sites are little bubbly clusters that look like pimples, which eventually crust over.
posted by SeedStitch at 5:32 AM on May 22, 2013
posted by SeedStitch at 5:32 AM on May 22, 2013
It could be chronic hives -- each hive lasts about 3 days. Sometimes they grow into each other and get quite large, but not necessarily early in the manifestation.
I'd try to get ahead of them with, at minimum, benedryl at night (because its sedating), and cetirizine (Zyrtec) and famatodine (Pepcid -- which also acts as an antihistamine) during the day.
IANAD. But I suffer from chronic hives. It could be chronic hives and not be helped by those meds. But if the meds do help, you could be heading off a nasty, miserable, roller coaster ride of prednisone (try to avoid it) and specialists scratching their heads.
Nothing topical helps my chronic hives at all. I take 3 prescription meds 2x each day plus the Pepcid and Zyrtec 2x each day, and that's working -- but my specialist took a skin biopsy before prescribing that cocktail.
I hope it's not hives -- or I hope it's easily-treated hives. The meds I suggest above are a pretty conservative, low risk suggestion to try out. (IANAD, IANYD).
(Mine started near my elbows and ankles, wrist -- looked and itched like mosquito bites, went away after 3 days, but were always being replaced with new ones, so I was never free of them....within a week and a half, they were growing into each other and becoming inches across and driving me bonkers constantly.)
By the way, hives are worse at night, too, because your body isn't producing as much anti-itch response at night. Hence the sedating antihistamine. I take prescription hydroxyzine instead of benedryl -- a pretty high dose as prescribed by my doctor.
posted by vitabellosi at 5:56 AM on May 22, 2013
I'd try to get ahead of them with, at minimum, benedryl at night (because its sedating), and cetirizine (Zyrtec) and famatodine (Pepcid -- which also acts as an antihistamine) during the day.
IANAD. But I suffer from chronic hives. It could be chronic hives and not be helped by those meds. But if the meds do help, you could be heading off a nasty, miserable, roller coaster ride of prednisone (try to avoid it) and specialists scratching their heads.
Nothing topical helps my chronic hives at all. I take 3 prescription meds 2x each day plus the Pepcid and Zyrtec 2x each day, and that's working -- but my specialist took a skin biopsy before prescribing that cocktail.
I hope it's not hives -- or I hope it's easily-treated hives. The meds I suggest above are a pretty conservative, low risk suggestion to try out. (IANAD, IANYD).
(Mine started near my elbows and ankles, wrist -- looked and itched like mosquito bites, went away after 3 days, but were always being replaced with new ones, so I was never free of them....within a week and a half, they were growing into each other and becoming inches across and driving me bonkers constantly.)
By the way, hives are worse at night, too, because your body isn't producing as much anti-itch response at night. Hence the sedating antihistamine. I take prescription hydroxyzine instead of benedryl -- a pretty high dose as prescribed by my doctor.
posted by vitabellosi at 5:56 AM on May 22, 2013
I have gotten exactly such rashes many times. In my case it's allergic dermatitis. For me it's worse in warm weather as sweat can exacerbate allergic reactions or even be an allergen itself. Vitamin C seems to help me somewhat. Has something new been touching your skin? Perhaps a reaction to laundry detergent or something?
posted by RRgal at 6:50 AM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by RRgal at 6:50 AM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you're still in Japan, just go into a pharmacist and show them your arm/wrist, etc. They will likely recommend an over-the-counter solution.
posted by lulu68 at 6:53 AM on May 22, 2013
posted by lulu68 at 6:53 AM on May 22, 2013
Rule out the most likely things first, before worrying about some exotic disease or something. My best guess would be insect bites (bed bugs, mosquitos, fleas, spiders, etc) or allergic reaction (hives/rash). Hives can unfortunately stick around for a long time, depending on the person, so I wouldn't rule them out yet (I had them for a whole week once, after removing the source of the reaction!).
The reaction to bed bugs totally depends on the person. Some lucky people get no reaction, some get rashes/little pinpricks, some get ones that look like mosquito bites, some (like me, yay) get horribly itchy welts/hives, and everywhere in between. From your description it could easily be bed bugs, or it could be hives, or something else. Benadryl will help the itchiness regardless of the cause, since it's your body's immune system reacting to some irritant.
Make sure you take precautions to not transport bed bugs to your house, in case that's what it is (easy to find what to do online). They are a total nightmare to get rid of.
posted by randomnity at 8:01 AM on May 22, 2013
The reaction to bed bugs totally depends on the person. Some lucky people get no reaction, some get rashes/little pinpricks, some get ones that look like mosquito bites, some (like me, yay) get horribly itchy welts/hives, and everywhere in between. From your description it could easily be bed bugs, or it could be hives, or something else. Benadryl will help the itchiness regardless of the cause, since it's your body's immune system reacting to some irritant.
Make sure you take precautions to not transport bed bugs to your house, in case that's what it is (easy to find what to do online). They are a total nightmare to get rid of.
posted by randomnity at 8:01 AM on May 22, 2013
Based on the pattern (groups of two and three, sometimes in a line) on your pics...guessing bedbugs. Yuck. If new ones are still appearing: between hotels/hostels, go to a laundromat and wash and dry (on hot) everything fabric you own (incl shoes in the dryer), toss any books and the clothes you wear to the laundromat.
I'm sorry, hope it ends up to be something else!
posted by amaire at 10:15 AM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm sorry, hope it ends up to be something else!
posted by amaire at 10:15 AM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Have you thought of fleas? I'm a pediatrician and see plenty of scabies, and they don't appear typical for scabies to me. (Although I'd have to see the overall distribution on your whole body to really determine that, as the pictures are pretty close up.) But a couple weeks ago my boyfriend and I noticed a few tiny bumps like that start to appear on our wrists and ankles, spreading other places, and then discovered our house had fleas. We don't have any pets, so it didn't even occur to me for awhile that that was even a possibility. I didn't even know it was possible for fleas to be in a house with no pets and almost no carpet, but it is -- somehow they got into the two rugs I have in my house.
I don't know how to differentiate fleas vs. bedbugs based on the bites alone; we don't really have many problems with bedbugs in my part of the country, so not sure how to help you there. I know fleas are a lot more easily gotten rid of than bedbugs. Chigger bites look similar, too. Have you been in wooded areas? No idea if chiggers exist in Asia.
They don't really look like typical hives to me, either. It could be contact dermatitis, I guess, but if they are discrete bumps that stay in the same places that's unlikely. My money's on some type of bug -- fleas, chiggers, bedbugs. Good luck! Let us know if you have more bites pop up. If you were home, I'd say sure, go see your regular doctor. If all that's bothering you is the itchiness, I wouldn't think it's worth a trip to the ER in a foreign country.
posted by alysonagain at 10:42 AM on May 22, 2013 [2 favorites]
I don't know how to differentiate fleas vs. bedbugs based on the bites alone; we don't really have many problems with bedbugs in my part of the country, so not sure how to help you there. I know fleas are a lot more easily gotten rid of than bedbugs. Chigger bites look similar, too. Have you been in wooded areas? No idea if chiggers exist in Asia.
They don't really look like typical hives to me, either. It could be contact dermatitis, I guess, but if they are discrete bumps that stay in the same places that's unlikely. My money's on some type of bug -- fleas, chiggers, bedbugs. Good luck! Let us know if you have more bites pop up. If you were home, I'd say sure, go see your regular doctor. If all that's bothering you is the itchiness, I wouldn't think it's worth a trip to the ER in a foreign country.
posted by alysonagain at 10:42 AM on May 22, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'm going with flea bites.
posted by buzzieandzaza at 3:43 PM on May 22, 2013
posted by buzzieandzaza at 3:43 PM on May 22, 2013
The groups of three are kind of a big pointer to bedbugs. That pattern is common enough that it's called "breakfast, lunch, and dinner".
posted by bink at 4:15 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by bink at 4:15 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks all. Seems like I was unnecessarily panicking (but hey, you do become paranoid when you're abroad...). I went to a pharmacist, who said that they are probably flea bites, and suggested some OTC stuff, but also to take precautions (washing clothes etc) for bedbugs. Just glad to hear that I'm not suffering from some tropical disease!
posted by pikeandshield at 5:40 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by pikeandshield at 5:40 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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