OT: Ringworm?

[Princess_Pris85]

Hey Everyone - I'm embarrassed to post about it and if it is at all inappropriate, please close this thread, but I've found that you board members are all so helpful with everything that I'm hoping you'll help me too.


So Mid-February I developed a rash-like thing on my inner elbows. I went to see a doctor and he thought it was contact dermatitis, but suspected it might have some fungus as well. He prescribed clotrimazole ointment and told me to use it for 2 weeks. Well I used it for about a week and a half, saw it going away and was clear of anything for another week.

Getting to early March the rash comes back with a vengeance. Then it was really round about 3 inches from top to bottom and very red - bright red after showers. I went to see my doctor again and he was certain it was tinea corporis (ringworm) and prescribed ketoconazole pills. I saw him again 2 weeks later, he continued my prescription and told me to put on the clotrimazole ointment along with the pills.

In total I've been on pills for almost a month and putting the ointment on for the last two weeks. And it's STILL there! I mean it looks lighter and all, but I still see it there and it gets a little redder after showers.

Have any of you ever had one of these, kids had one, etc? It doesn't look like the ringworms you see when you google it. Do you have any home remedies? Please help.

 

[mickeytattoo95]

It sounds more like Atopic Eczema. I've got it on the inside of my elbows, back of knees and eyelids and there's no rhyme or reason to when it flares up. I do have severe seasonal allergies so that is a factor.

Today the pollen counts are sky high and I can feel it coming on. I've got a steroid cream that I use for it, but over the years it's caused me to loose pigmentation in my skin. (I can't tan there anymore.) Hydrocortizone does nothing for me. Sometimes antihistamines help it from getting worse, but you're going to need something strong to jump start the healing if this is eczema.

You should google it or look on wikipedia and compare some of the pictures and see if it looks like what you have.

Don't just go by what I said though. If you're just going to your regular Primary Care Provider, you should ask for a referral to a Dermatologist.

Also, consider if you've switched soaps, laundry detergent or lotions recently...that could have brought it on.

 

[Princess_Pris85]

It sounds more like Atopic Eczema. I've got it on the inside of my elbows, back of knees and eyelids and there's no rhyme or reason to when it flares up. I do have severe seasonal allergies so that is a factor.

Today the pollen counts are sky high and I can feel it coming on. I've got a steroid cream that I use for it, but over the years it's caused me to loose pigmentation in my skin. (I can't tan there anymore.) Hydrocortizone does nothing for me. Sometimes antihistamines help it from getting worse, but you're going to need something strong to jump start the healing if this is eczema.

You should google it or look on wikipedia and compare some of the pictures and see if it looks like what you have.

Don't just go by what I said though. If you're just going to your regular Primary Care Provider, you should ask for a referral to a Dermatologist.

Also, consider if you've switched soaps, laundry detergent or lotions recently...that could have brought it on.

Thanks for the response mickeytattoo. I asked my doctor about eczema and he said he definitely didn't think it was that. I AM considering going to a dermatologist though - luckily the "rash"/"Ringworm"/whatever it is doesn't itch or burn or anything

 

[SarahKate]

First of all, you should NOT be embarrased! It's not an uncommon thing. And I think people have that "eeeeew" feeling when they hear the word ringworm because they imagine little tiny crawling things but it's just a fungal thing.

But with that said, I had to laugh when I saw your post because I have a ringworm rash on the inside of my right elbow. I haven't gone to the doctor because my DD had it when she was 3-4 and I can tell what it was.

At first it was pretty small (and at the time I thought it was sensitivity), but then it got to be about 1.5 inches in diameter, w/ a reddish ring and a definite lighter center. The pictures you see if you google it are many times MUCH more severe than a "normal" case of ringworm. I bought Tinactin for mine and in 2 days it's already gotten much fainter. I had to quit covering it w/ a bandage because the bandages were causing a rash that looked WORSE than the actual ringworm spot itself.

It does sound like maybe you have something else. Does it have the ring or is it ALL red? Seems like you should be getting some relief by now, after all the treatments you've had! Did you go to a dermatologist or family doctor? Maybe a visit to the derm is in order & see what they think.......when DD had it, took a while for it to finally go away (maybe close to 3-4 wks) but observably got better w/ the ointment, it wasn't irritating to her, and it didn't get redder after showers that I can recall (and the one I'm treating doesn't change after showers either).

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

do a search for:

Pityriasis Rosea

I thought I had ring worm BUT it was actually the above!!!!

 

[beachlover9395]

OMG - I am dealing with this right now and it's awful!!

Back on Feb. 1, I noticed a red bump on my back - looked like a mosquito bite. Next day, I had a red bump on my right arm. Both itched like crazy. I had outpatient surgery Feb. 3 that had been planned for several weeks, but I was extremely stressed out and worried since I needed general anesthesia, so my immune system was probably down due to that stress. Anyway, a few weeks later I noticed the bump on my back looked like it was in a ring. After that, it went all over my midsection and I have more that 45 fungal sites that came up.

I tried every, and I do mean every OTC cream, ointment and spray that was available and even my kids ketoconazole cream. Finally, I was in tears and called my kids dermatologist and got in the same day, thank God. This was St. Patrick's Day. She took a skin scraping (in case it was pityriasis) and she said it was positive for the fungus (she saw "hyphae").

She put me on generic Lamisil and a very expensive antifungal cream, Naftin. I'll be on both for one month and will be rechecked at the end of that month. She also told me that the darkened patches on me (former fungal sites) are post inflammatory hyperpigmentation and it will take a while for the darkened skin to resolve itself. She also gave me a moisturizer with 12% ammonium lactate in it.

I would highly suggest going to a dermatologist since you feel like you're not getting better. Skin conditions can sometimes be a little tricky to diagnose. I can tell you one thing - I don't EVER want ringworm again in my entire life! Hope you can find out for sure what's wrong very soon. Good luck!

 

[princessmom29]

do a search for:

Pityriasis Rosea

I thought I had ring worm BUT it was actually the above!!!!

I had this as well, initally misdiagnosed as ringworm by my GP. The dremo did 2 UV treatments and it went away. They were eseentially like laying in a tanning bed, but the bulbs are different. Mine spread really quickly, so by the time I got a dermo appointment my upper torso was pretty spotted.

 

[ajw1117]

My daughter had ringworm last summer on the back of her thigh, It took about 4 mos for it to disappear. The doctor said to just keep putting on the cream and really rub it in. I thought hers took longer to get rid of because of swimming and yes it looked worse on swimming days.

 

[Princess_Pris85]

wow 4 months is a while. I'd read in other places online that it generally takes a while for these things to go away. I've read about people who've had ringworms for YEARS.... I mean luckily it doesn't really bother me - just looks...ugly... But I made a dermatologist appointment for Wednesday! So we'll see what she says.

 

[Jdougherty]

my DD has a form of eczema that looks like ringworm but isn't we've had to have statement from both of the Dr. she's been seen for this and the one that "got it right" was a ped.oncologist who diagnosed the same thing in her cousin. It gets worse when it's dryer out and when she used certin types of soap in her bath. (no more bubble bath)

DD can only use Dove and Aveno and we have to be VERY carefull with pool time. The wierd part is that niether of us, her parents have eczema...... but her cousin, my DolderS son has it so there is some wierd trait that came out. Have it checked out, look at what you shower with you might need to switch to Dove or Aveno.

 

[Chloesmom]

It doesnt sound like ringworm...
My DD had ringworm off and on for a year thanks to the cats at her dad's house. We would get rid of it and a few weeks later.. it was back...
DD is diabetic so the first time she had it I had no idea what was going on and we went to the dr. He took a scraping and confirmed it was ring worm. He just put us on OTC Lamisil and it worked great. The spots would fade within days and be gone within a week or 10 days. Then she would go to her dad's and before you knew it it would be back. We figured out it was his cat's because he moved and got rid of them and she didnt have it after that plus we only have a dog and they aren't carriers. He on the other hand had 19 cats. Oh also.. the last few months before he got rid of the cats we had DD use a dog anti fungal shampoo as a body wash immediately after she got back from dads to try to stop it from progressing to full blown ring worm. It seemed to work because she only got it once during that time. I know it sounds odd but we had to try something.. the Lamisil was getting expensive and DD was gettign tired of having fungus.
A PP posted that swimming made it worse but the chlorine should have sped the healing of it. I work in the pet industry and its an old school treatment to put bleach on ringworm on your pet to kill it.
Basically I would insist on some tests to figure our what it is...

 

[EKW]

Did your doc scrape it? If so, then you know it's not a misdiagnosis.

There are two things I catch by just walking by someone who has them...pink eye and ringworm!

The only time I ever had ringworm was when I was pregnant with my older son. I was teaching K and had gone on a field trip where we had to wear shorts to hike. One of my students had ringworm...touched me on the leg...and there you go! It did take a very, very long time for the mark to go away.

If I remember right, ringworm doesn't like fresh air and sunshine...so try to keep the area uncovered as much as possible. Ask the doc how often you can safely apply the ointment.

Here's hoping it clears up for you soon!

 

[nelson84]

Get a second opinion, the passing class of doctors has say 200 students he might be the #200 of 200 students that got their degrees that year. Some doctors are stupid.


GO TO A DIFFERENT DOCTOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[maiapapaya]

It could also be a condition called granuloma annulare. I was diagnosed with this several years ago. It is not itchy or scaly. The patches of the rash can form in a circular pattern with the centre looking more pale (like a ring). Initially the doctor treated me for ringworm, then dermatitis. She finally did a biopsy and this was the diagnosis she came up with. Good luck!

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

i had it 6 years ago while we were looking at houses...it was awful!!! it started after a stay at a motel(read:not the cleanest!), and started as a bump on my middle back and kept getting larger and larger, with a clear centre...i had no idea thats what it was. finally got to the doc and got perscription cream to clear it up. altho the itching did stop within a day the rash itself took much longer to clear up and go away.

and yes i too felt so embarassed having it! i believe dd had it too a few years ago. thankfully i knew and dragged her to the docs office to get a script to clear it up. hers was teeny cus i caught it in time. eek now im itchy just thinking of it!

 

[Princess_Pris85]

I wanted to thank everyone for writing on this thread about their experiences with similar skin conditions. I went to a dermatologist this morning and he said he's 95% sure that what I have is eczema. He said it usually happens in children (aww was he saying I had that youthful look), but it can occur at any time and stress is a big factor in it manifesting. He did a scraping for ringworm just in case, but he said he was positive it would come out negative!

Thanks again!

 

[Kat77]

It doesnt sound like ringworm...
My DD had ringworm off and on for a year thanks to the cats at her dad's house. We would get rid of it and a few weeks later.. it was back...
DD is diabetic so the first time she had it I had no idea what was going on and we went to the dr. He took a scraping and confirmed it was ring worm. He just put us on OTC Lamisil and it worked great. The spots would fade within days and be gone within a week or 10 days. Then she would go to her dad's and before you knew it it would be back. We figured out it was his cat's because he moved and got rid of them and she didnt have it after that plus we only have a dog and they aren't carriers. He on the other hand had 19 cats. Oh also.. the last few months before he got rid of the cats we had DD use a dog anti fungal shampoo as a body wash immediately after she got back from dads to try to stop it from progressing to full blown ring worm. It seemed to work because she only got it once during that time. I know it sounds odd but we had to try something.. the Lamisil was getting expensive and DD was gettign tired of having fungus.
A PP posted that swimming made it worse but the chlorine should have sped the healing of it. I work in the pet industry and its an old school treatment to put bleach on ringworm on your pet to kill it.
Basically I would insist on some tests to figure our what it is...

Darn cats and their ringworms! I had ringworm as a child that we traced back to my uncles kitten and history repeated itself when my youngest son picked up ringworm from our kitten soon after she came home. Thankfully, the antifungal worked immediately for DS but my childhood ringworm took forever to get rid of.
What finally got rid of it was fig milk but we had a fig tree in the backyard... dunno where you'd get some without one,

 

[mouseketeer_mom]

To the OP: I'm glad you got a second opinion. Let us know how it turns out.

I have a son that wrestles in a youth league and ringworm is one of those things that can be passed very quickly through wrestlers. We are hyper vigilant. The only occasion he had a suspicious "spot", we started him on the cream and it cleared within a few days. That seemed to be a pretty common
timetable among the parents. I too would want a second opinion if nothing was improving after two or three days.

 

[mickeytattoo95]

I wanted to thank everyone for writing on this thread about their experiences with similar skin conditions. I went to a dermatologist this morning and he said he's 95% sure that what I have is eczema. He said it usually happens in children (aww was he saying I had that youthful look), but it can occur at any time and stress is a big factor in it manifesting. He did a scraping for ringworm just in case, but he said he was positive it would come out negative!

Thanks again!

Thanks for the update! I know how annoying that itching gets. I know you're not supposed to itch it but sometimes I just end up slapping it to relieve it! What did they give you for it? Just curious...