Friday 31 May 2013

Pityriasis Rosea (Skin Infection) I

Pityriasis Rosea is what my googlings and research termed the skin infection that caused these annoying papules on my skin. I love taking care of my skin and enjoy the fact that it responds well to the attention I pay it by being evenly toned, soft and supple. You can’t imagine how annoyed I am at this ‘herald christmas tree’ formation the papules formed mostly on my trunk region, Thankfully there weren’t too many discolored ones and the ones on my arms and upper section of my thigh were hardly visible except to my microscopic eyes of course! I racked my brain for what could have caused it, from my water supply, allergic reaction to clothes and bedsheets. There weren’t many culprits I could blame though, I was not the only one using the water and no one else had complained of any infections, also I wasn’t the only one who had slept on the bed, the only thing I alone use is my clothes. I can’t remember how I trailed my findings to finally figure out what it was but it was a long trip from a search on ‘spider bite’ ‘craw craw’ to ‘fungal infection’ which had a super long list until I used the signs and symptoms and many other articles I read to land on ‘Pityriasis Rosea’. I decided to do this post for the benefit of whoever might have it and decide to follow my route to discover what exactly it is. I would have been quite distraught if I hadn’t found the articles I did on it, with pictures and diagrams which really helped and also the knowledge that I was not alone and neither was mine the worst of the case.
It’s the 3rd week and some days now since I noticed it (although it probably started 1-2weeks before with the herald patch which I eventually found on my back), some of the papules have dried and are clearing up but the ones on my arms are spreading and becoming more visible though thankfully they are the same color with my skin. I am currently eating Moringa seeds and fruits (very nutritious-to help my immune system),  bathing morning and night with cold water and without using a sponge; I bathe with a soap that contains goat milk in the morning and use shea butter all over my body thereafter, at night I bathe with Dettol medicated soap and use some antiseptic in my bathing water and use pure coconut oil on my body before I go to bed. I made sure my office and home is cool as I noticed my body tends to itch less when it is, I also noticed the itching is less when I am in the sun i.e until I start sweating then it goes into a wild frenzy, I noticed that when I went partying and started sweating from dancing, it was like a million bites itching all over. I avoid wearing clothes that are too tight,I am not wearing any perfumes, body sprays or deodorant and I am not taking any drugs, although I was given Loratadine, as drugs tend to make it worse from all the articles I have read and I have no plans on helping the rash spread to my neck and face. I have read that it takes a minimum of 6weeks for it to clear up on its own so I’m patiently waiting, hopefully it’ll clear up before then. My mum said she had had it when she was much younger and she had used palm oil and calamine lotion on it to soothe the scratching and ‘chase’ the rash (those are not options for me though, as I have to go to work and can’t afford to stain my clothes and sheets). My fiancĂ© has been very supportive all through and I’m grateful to him for that, he knows how finicky I can be over my skin. He says I should do my best to take my mind off it and try not to scratch when it itches, which is really hard to do ‘cos this stuff itches like crazy. I am trying to follow his advice though and I try to pat it through my clothes instead of scratching it although sometimes it’s so bad I just give in to scratching but carefully so I don’t open up any of them and end up scarring myself. I am sorry I can’t put up any pics up with this post, the pics I took didn’t show the problem and my fiancĂ© refused to help take any as he felt it would just make over-analyze and obsess over it. Here are links to the articles and blogs that have helped so far and some contain pictures and diagrams, I hope they help whoever has this condition. Here's an update on my condition. 
  • http://pityriasisroseapictures.net/
  • http://drottematic.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/pityriasis-rosea-be-gone-itch-itch/
  • http://www.aafp.org/afp/2004/0101/p87.html
Toodles!XooX