On Sunday night, a few hours before bed, my ears started to itch. Both ears were very red and wildly itchy and I just chalked it up to being weird and old. I slept terribly Sunday night into Monday because my arms, knees, legs, and feet itched all night long. I even had a dream that there was dirt mixed into my sheets.
As WM was getting ready for work Monday morning, he suggested I use some Benedryl gel and call the doctor. I applied the gel, tried to sleep for a little more after he left, gave up, and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I looked into the mirror, I had a literal jump scare. A rash had spread up one side of my face, across my forehead, and down the other side.
Of course, I took photos. One of those pictures is at the bottom of the post, because while I’m always down for a gross medical photo, I don’t always want it as my featured image.
And because the 2020s have been what they’ve been and because I was on the tail end of a nasty cold, I said, “is this fucking scarlet fever?” I took my temperature (my thermometer has been in easy reach since February, 2020) and no, no fever. Only scarlet.
When 8:00am rolled around, I called my dermatologist and was lucky to score one of the only two open afternoon slots. By then the rash on my face had faded completely, so I was happy I had the photos. I took a late lunch to accommodate the appointment.
My dermatologist is fantastic. I showed him the photos, told him my tale of woe, and after confirming that I was eight days into a cold, dropped the diagnosis: post-viral exanthem.
It often happens to children towards the end of a virus, but it can show up in adults, too. He said I was the fourth adult he had seen in a week that came in with the same symptoms, so something is definitely going around. It’s also not contagious at this phase.
It can resolve in a week or it can last four to six weeks (nooooooo). The only treatments are with steroids, Benadryl (or generic equivalent), and cold compresses. I opted out of steroids for now, but if it lasts more than a week he said to call him for the prescription.
As a bonus, he scanned me for any suspicious pre-cancerous spots and found none. He also didn’t try to sell me Botox this time, which was fantastic because the temptation is HUGE right now.
I stopped at CVS on the way home to pick up generic Benadryl and itch relief cream to soothe the rash, and a pack of TastyKake Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes to soothe my soul.
The CVS brand itch relief cream has the texture — and faint scent — of Elmer’s Glue. So much so that I’m disappointed when it dissolves into my skin and I can’t peel it back off grade-school style.
As I type this, the itching is primarily on my hands (between the fingers, which is rotten), lower legs, and feet. If you need me, I’ll be glued to my keyboard and chair for the next few days, trying not to scratch.
Photo warning! Leave now if you don’t want to see it.
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