Anyone had Pityriasis?

[Petesy]

Hi Everyone

After 3 trips to the G.P and finishing a course of antibiotics for inflammation of the glands, i get this rash which the g.p has told me can last another 3-6 weeks..

He first thought it was adult chicken pox and sent me on my way with antihistamines (cetirizine), but it gradually got worse and i remember having this oval patch on my back 2 weeks prior to this rash so i went back and showed him how worse it had got and he tells me their's nothing more he can do apart from bloods and referral to a dermatologist that he thinks it's (pityriasis)

If anyone has had this or has any knowledge of remedies for I'd really appreciate it because the itching is beyond a joke now and antihistamines ain't working. Pic of patch below...

Thanks

Petesy.

[Petesy]

That first pic was the patch 2 weeks before hand now it's like this.
Pic below.

[Petesy]

Please excuse the hair lol ��

---------- Post added at 21:53 ---------- Previous post was at 21:33 ----------

I've even called NHS 24 about this and every question i answered and information i gave the nurse she said i've taken the right steps and too continue my antihistamines and that i don't fall under emergency criteria but if i get any worse or can't sleep due to itching too call back, my fiancee has been applying calamine lotion which does seem to help, i guess what's bothering me anxiety wise is the root of the rash what has caused it and all i can think of is (viral infection) :/

[Fishmanpa]

It's a rash... no more, no less. We all get them and for millions of benign reasons. Get yourself some hydrocortisone cream for the itch and let it go.

Positive thoughts

[Petesy]

It's a rash... no more, no less. We all get them and for millions of benign reasons. Get yourself some hydrocortisone cream for the itch and let it go.

Positive thoughts

Thanks for your reply fishmanpa

I will pop into my local pharmacy and get some hydrocortisone cream maybe that's what I've been missing.

Much appreciated big chap

Petesy.

[anthrokid]

Yes, I get pityriasis rosea. Something that works for me is using bepanthen antiseptic ointment, which is actually a nappy rash cream.

[Petesy]

Yes, I get pityriasis rosea. Something that works for me is using bepanthen antiseptic ointment, which is actually a nappy rash cream.

Thanks for your reply anthrokid

Yeah i have been looking at creams and Zinc Oxide seems to be popping up in nearly everything i've looked at aswell as hydrocortisone cream, sudocream is a nappy rash cream for tots but its main ingredient is zinc oxide..

Thanks again guys :yesyes:

Petesy.

---------- Post added at 04:18 ---------- Previous post was at 04:11 ----------

Just taken (chloraphenamine maleate) to relieve the itching but doesn't seem to be doing it's job right now I feel like scratching my skin off really irritated and can't sleep due to this itching will need to get to a pharmacy first thing looking like fester adams that has just crawled out of a poison ivy bush :-(

[MyNameIsTerry]

It's a rash... no more, no less. We all get them and for millions of benign reasons. Get yourself some hydrocortisone cream for the itch and let it go.

Positive thoughts

I get your point that you are pointing out that it can be a harmless rash and its not a sign of any form of disease that many would panic over on here but I think its worth discussing treatment with the GP here because they are more than capable of treating a rash and can prescribe various forms of skin treatment including steroid based creams at greater strengths. So, my question would be why he/she hasn't?

They have decided to refer it to a dermatologist because it is above their level of skill to treat and whilst this still means it can be just be a skin condition, the GP must view as needing a specialist because its not like he/she is trying to rule out a load of issues like people often have on here e.g cardiovascular, this can be seen and the GP has made a partial diagnosis.

So, whilst some cream may help I think its best to give NHS 24 a call back and ask because they don't seem to have advised this either. Either that or ask the pharmacist or go back to the GP because there are bath treatments as well that can help with skin conditions. My mum has been left with a lot of skin irritation, especially in warmer periods, due to medication complications and her GP has tried various products to zero effect and she has now found what works for her so expert advice is useful to rule out any things that won't work or just aren't strong enough over the counter.

Petesy, don't worry about the referral because anyone with even eczema can be referred on to them and for many easily treatable things. My mum has been to one before about an infection and it was resolved quite easily once the diagnosis had been made (which made the dermatologists day as it was an uncommon parasite from fish tanks which was only seen about once in every 10 years in the UK! It looked nothing like yours though, so no worrying about that!). Did you know there are forms of it and one of them is...dandruff. Maybe that gives you an indication of the class of issues it may be in?

Are the antihistamines the ones nyout GP gave you? My mum takes them and finds that they don't work a lot of the time but applying what works for her to the skin area works better.

I suggest you do a quick bit of Googling on irritants of this e.g. fragranced soap will be a no go, certain fabrics, hot water and heat in general, etc. Also search on what helps because other than that lotion, there are moisturisers that can help too. So, you can cut down on the irritation right now by changing some of this.

[simi]

Hi I had pityriasis quite recently it lasted for about 2 months starting with one patch and spreading,nothing seemed to make a difference but it does go eventually,don't stress as it can make it worse.

[Fishmanpa]

I agree that a dermatologist referral may be in order. That being said, pityriasis is one of the most common benign skin rashes that occur. I've had it quite a few times in my life. It took a month or so to clear up. The itching was bothersome and while sometimes something stronger than OTC creams are needed, in most cases they're not (never was in my case).

Certainly, this is not a serious issue nor one to cause a HA spiral. The GP was spot on based on the visual inspection IMO. The photo looks exactly like it and the fact that it started with a "mother patch" and spread backs up the GP's diagnosis. The referral will most likely result in an identical diagnosis. In the mean time, a little hydrocortisone can help with the itchiness and can't cause any harm.

Positive thoughts and "scratch scratch" :)

[MyNameIsTerry]

I agree that a dermatologist referral may be in order. That being said, pityriasis is one of the most common benign skin rashes that occur. I've had it quite a few times in my life. It took a month or so to clear up. The itching was bothersome and while sometimes something stronger than OTC creams are needed, in most cases they're not (never was in my case).

Certainly, this is not a serious issue nor one to cause a HA spiral. The GP was spot on based on the visual inspection IMO. The photo looks exactly like it and the fact that it started with a "mother patch" and spread backs up the GP's diagnosis. The referral will most likely result in an identical diagnosis. In the mean time, a little hydrocortisone can help with the itchiness and can't cause any harm.

Positive thoughts and "scratch scratch" :)

The GP made the decision to refer and stated they could not treat it any further and given how this is so common, that doesn't make sense. One argument is that the HA patient is pushing for a second opinion but Petesy hasn't mentioned that so we don't know and for now it appears as a GP that has asked for a specialist to perform a diagnosis. Note that Petesy says his GP thinks it is X so thats only a partial diagnosis. So, either he is not completely confident with the diagnosis, wants a second opinion or believes treatment by specialist is required.

A GP can and will give a prescription for stronger versions of HTC cream so I question why he hasn't. Could it be because he doesn't think it will help? They don't help in all cases afterall. Then we have NHS 24 involved who also haven't. Why? We don't have the benefit of patient notes and HTC's do have interactions with other medications and for those reasons, its worth checking. Petesy can just ask the pharmacist but he needs to be open about any other medical conditions or medications so they can determine what is appropriate. Over-the-counter meds are not safe in all cases anyway for instance, ibuprofen & antihistamines are readily available on the shelves of supermarkets but they are not advised unless under medical supervision with certain conditions.

You are very likely right that its just a rash but I can't see why a fully trained GP would need to do a referral and not have the ability to offer medication of some sort to relieve the symptoms until the referral takes place. It could even be a case of an incompetent or can't be arsed GP but thats for Petesy to decide.

And just to add on as what I'm saying could spark thoughts of something else being wrong...thats not the case here, it can just be that a stronger or more specialised treatment is required and GP's are not licenced to perform them. So, there is nothing to worry about.

[Petesy]

Thank you for your reply Terry

Every point you've put here is the nail on head basically, the nurses in the treatment room want him to resign, his staff say the same thing he's had complaints i'm really thinking of changing my practice..

And since the last time I posted this my body is covered in this horrible itchy rash spreading like wild fire, i've been researching and noticed that a lot of ppl have been using head & shoulders shampoo as a body wash and Palmers cocoa butter formula for moisturiser afterwards so i got both and have tryd it last night in the shower lukewarm of course and my chest was burning but a lot of folk have said to persevere so that's what I'm doing plus awaiting blood results should have them on Thursday and God knows when I'll see a dermatologist..

And if anyone asks: then why did i see this g.p?? The answer is it was an emergency appointment and he had room..

Thanks again Terry you're absolutely right.

Petesy.