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tskoffina

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I have this infection on my hand. Pics at bottom, warning gross. I went to Urgent Care and a Dermitologist. Tomorrow is my 3rd visit to the Derm. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on what this could be because he didn't have any idea last visit. Here's the chronology:
Monday 1/12 Cleaned garage, had red allergy spots on hand
All went away except one at the base of my pointer finger. 2 days of Neosporin, not better. 2 days of Bennadryll due to itching and burning, not better.
Saturday 1/17 Went to the Urgent Care center. They said was probably a spider bite with an infection. Prescribed Keflax (?) and a Prednisone dose pack. Felt better for a few days, started itching and burning again. Started pussing and growing.
Wednesday 1/21 Went to the Derm. He said allergy to the Neosporin, keep the Keflax, modified tht Prednisone, 4/day 2 days, 3/day 2 days, 2/day 2 days, 1/day 1 day. Added Betamethasone Cream twice a day, and Zyrtek. Itching went away again. After a few days started again and pussing just kept getting worse.
Friday 1/23 Showed up on my opposit shoulder.
Monday 1/26 Went back to Derm. He said wasn't better (Duh). Took a biopsy from my shoulder, changed Prednisone again to 40mg a day everyday, added Ciprofloxaci 500mg 2/day. Left the Zyrtek. Said it didn't look like Ring worm, but just to cover all bases, added Terbinafine 250mg, and Oxistat Lotion 2 times a day. One spot seems to be getting worse, the first spot stopped pussing, the spot on my shoulder is getting better, but he cut most of it off for the biopsy.
Going back tomorrow. Not feeling to confident with answers right now. Finally looked ok to post (so gross before my son saw it and pretended to throw up in the toilet and he's 5 and loves gross stuff). Should have the biopsy results, but just in case, was wondering if anyone's ever seen anything like this before? The one by my index finger wraps around my hand, and looks like the one by my thumb, but can't get a better pic of it.
 
warning gross pics on link
Bethany, it looks alot like these spider bites here;
http://venomous-spiders.nanders.dk/spiderbite.htm
Man, you must be in a lot of pain! You probably shouldn't handle the chins like this. I guess if you have to, put some little plastic trash bags to use as gloves because I know it's too painful to wear gloves like that. Hope you get better fast, Theresa
 
Given that you're in South Florida, the main spiders one would worry about for that degree of infection would be widows and recluses. Recluse bites usually get seriously necrotic, and widows cause more of a systemic reaction than a localized one.

Do you have any systemic symptoms? Nausea, vomiting, muscle aches?

If it is a brown recluse bite, something's doing a good job at keeping it from becoming necrotic. Perhaps the derm should lance it or something... But it can take weeks for those types of bites to heal.

Let us know what happens tomorrow!
 
I keep it wrapped in gause, which Lily and Spock both hate. Kirk just snuggles on it like he wants me to feel better. i'm out of cage duties, but I still visit, modified playtime daily. Behind building the last cage due to useless hand, but I'm doing my best, and typing 1 handed is a trip. It throbs and the joints, bones, ache, but prob from not using. Getting desperate for an answer here, a bit deppressed too, but the extra brownies aren't hurting. lol
 
Are they sure it's not shingles? It looks an awfully lot like the bout my mom just had with shingles and hers was on her hand as well. Does it hurt - as in when you're just sitting around, does it feel like the nerves are just on fire? Have you had chicken pox? Do some research on shingles....you'll see why I'm suggesting this.
 
If your older and have had the chicken pox before you can get shingles. Depends on whether or notthe virus went latent. If it did, it can become a lytic infection again - shingles. It would explain why the meds aren't working. Really no cure to viral infections but i have heard of using vaccines and such to provide specific antibodies to fight it off. And shingles is usually just on the skin. It's from the herpes virus family, which explains the latency (why people have recurring herpes infections, the virus hides in the nerves and gets reactivated during times of stress).
 
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From what I understand, you don't necessarily have to be "older" to have a case of shingles. The only true requirement is that you have to have had chickenpox before. Chickenpox, once you get over it, lays dormant on your spine. In cases of severe stress to the body (actual stress or perceived stress by the body) the virus can become "active" again in the form of shingles. The area of the body that the virus affects is totally dependent upon where on the spine the virus laid dormant as it will affect the part of the body for which the nerves that control that part are connected to the spine in that very section. It's actually quite an interesting virus, not that I envy anyone with it.

They do have a vaccine available for shingles now, but it isn't recommended for anyone until they're over age 60. Hence the reason my mom hadn't gotten it yet and wound up getting shingles instead; she's 55. And here's another little tidbit that usually is misunderstood (incase what you have really is shingles), you CAN get shingles more than once.
 
I did research a few years back. My son got the vaccine, and then a year later ended up with a bad rash that now that you mention it does look like this does now, and he had shingles. But he had no puss, and it didn't grow like this did. My research also said it usually effects one part of the body, arm, trunk, leg. Not multiple. It's on my left hand and my right shoulder, back. Without prednisone it itches and burns. With I just have a dull ache in the bone almost, where it feels like my hand is in a different position than it really is. It wakes me up at night and Slowly gets worse. The one by my thumb sticks out 1/2 inch. It's been 3 full weeks now. with my son's shingles they lasted 2 weeks with the worst after 1 week, getting beter quickly. I don't remember puss with it or my research, but there was yellow puss oozing and massive swelling at the begining. The puss just went away yesturday.
 
My mom's looked JUST like yours. Her's lasted a total of around 6 weeks. The blisters were gone in about 3, with a shot of cortisone and oral predisone on top of that. They went ahead and gave her anti-viral medication as well that helped too. They suggested antidepressants or nerve meds for the nerve pain (of which she described very similarly to what you described - waking/keeping her up at night - sheets being pulled across it would hurt like you know what, etc) but she declined that. I would revisit the MD and ask him/her to consider shingles as your diagnosis and treat it properly. And remember, if this is shingles...it is contagious in the form of chickenpox to those who have not had it, the immunosuppressed, and to pregnant women.
 
Nope don't have to be older but the majority of cases occur as you get older.

Whatever it is, I hope you find out quickly. That doesn't look comfortable at all. Good luck and take care!!!
 
So I got back from the Dr and he said it was a fungus. But not like any ring worm he's seen. He said it didn't present like a fungus at all. Without knowing about my animals, he asked if I had pets because it looked zoological in origion. How does something look zoological? I told him about my animals and he was surprised at them. So I get to take less pills and use less stuff now. WooHoo. And figure out what to do about the pets. Sigh.
 
Yikes! Fungus is a nasty one.
I remember talking with my vet about it, she said she caught it once and it took months to get rid of. It is very stubborn, and very contagious.
 
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