Itches and twitches

[cjsmith]

My shins itch. It started several days ago, invisibly, and now it is a rash that looks like I've attacked the skin with sandpaper. I know I sure would LIKE to attack the skin with sandpaper. In fact, how about those wire brushes you can attach to a power drill?

It quiets briefly with Caladryl or Sarna, and is only slightly improved by Benadryl. Wearing clothing is torture. Concentrating on anything is difficult... anything but sandpaper, that is. I could think of sandpaper all day. Bliss! Sadly, I do not earn a paycheck by loving contemplation of sandpaper.

The only thing worse than having such a rash on one's shins is also having an affectionate cat (or three). All you cat people pictured it instantly, didn't you? You know EXACTLY what those furballs are continually trying to do. I should note that cat fur sticks to Sarna, but Caladryl sticks to cat fur.

EDIT: Enough with the doctor comments, people. Would you believe I almost wrote in the original post, before anyone said anything that anyone ordering me to see a doctor would be summarily unfriended for insulting my intelligence? I know it's a caring thing and not meant as an insult, but enough already. If I were a better writer you'd all be laughing at the image of a Caladryl-covered cat instead. The humor in the situation was part of the point of making a post at all. Some day I'll be more skilled....

Comments

[platypus]

When I had scabies, I thought I was going to scratch my legs off. I couldn't sleep, the itching was so bad. I probably would have gone on another couple of weeks thinking it was mosquito bites, too, if I hadn't had a routine doctor's visit scheduled already. So I definitely recommend having someone have a look at it!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Wow - I don't have the "worse at night" bit common to scabies. That must have been AWFUL. Itching is annoying enough, but not being able to sleep because of it? Yikes!

[platypus]

The treatment is also lovely -- you have to coat every square inch of your skin, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet, in lotion, and sleep with it on, knowing that what you are actually doing is suffocating little bugs UNDER YOUR SKIN. Yum. And Ken had to do it too, because our level of contact made it likely that he'd contracted it. Fun times.

I agree that that's probably not what you have, but a stubborn rash is torture and the doc might have something that'll take care of it faster. Aveeno oatmeal lotion was all that helped me, and that not very much.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yep, and wash all the bedding and towels and clothing, too. No fun at all.

I haven't had scabies but I have had chiggers, another burrowing creature that lays eggs. The rash from that one tends to be very localized to where the critter got in. It looks like a mosquito bite unless you know you're in chigger country. Clear nail polish suffocates them. Lovely thought, huh?