Has anyone here ever had experience with scabies?

[Lyric]

ThinkBlue1966 just got yesterday's mail on her way to the laundry room, and there was a letter in it from the school nurse that was sent to all the kids in my son's class. One of the kids in his class was diagnosed with scabies, and apparently it's even more contagious than the typical grade school head lice (which we have thankfully avoided thus far). What has me shaking in my boots is that OktoberKid *has* been itchy recently, and has some small red spots on his rear upper legs and abdomen that we thought were just a skin reaction to the new laundry detergent we got last week. Needless to say, we're going to the pediatrician tomorrow to have it checked out, but I was curious as to whether or not anyone here has ever dealt with it. I'm really hoping that it's going to be a false alarm, but it never hurts to be informed.

[kath]

1. If it's scabies, it'll itch like hell.

If kiddo just has small flat red spots that aren't itchy and aren't raised, I'd save yourself the trip to the doc.
Also not that contagious unless people are in pretty darn close contact. NO need to panic. General itchiness wouldn't fit the picture - the red, raised bumps, blisters or pimple-type lesions are *intensely* itchy, especially at night, often preventing sleep. Back of the legs is not a typical location - it usually occurs in skin folds - webs between the fingers, on the wrist near the palm or under a watchband, folds near armpits (or breasts in a woman) or genitals, elbows or knees, sometimes under a tight-fitting waistband.

[Lyric]

2. This is very itchy. We've been giving him Benadryl to help him sleep.

It seems to help with the itch at least a little. So far he has the red areas right under his buttocks, in a circle around his navel, and he's starting to get them under his arms.

The bumps are odd, too--some of them are shaped kind of like a fingernail clipping, sort of thin and curved, but not very large.

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. Caught scabies from first graders back in the late '70s

and just after getting cleared up, AND having to take a week off from work because of them, got'em again. And had followed through on all the hot wash of towels, linens, running iron over mattress and couches, superheating pillows in dryer, coats to cleaners, and more! Had to disinfect self and home all over again... x(

Scabies like to "make a home" in moist tender areas of the body, such as inside of elbow, back of knee, groin area....and then, as they grow in numbers, they burrow and move just under the skin, and you see dotted lines traveling out from the initial read spot.

here's a site that will tell you all you need to know, and then some, including what to do:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/scabies/article_em.htm

Hope he doesn't have scabies, but if he does, hope all of you follow the treatment...otherwise those little buggers will continue to reign. :hug:

[Madrone]

4. I brought them home from a business trip a few years ago.

Hotel, airplane ... I've no idea where they came from.

All in all, they weren't that bad. I went to the doctor relatively quickly after the first spots appeared. I was given some cream I had to apply from head to toe and leave on for 8 hours before washing off. Thankfully the boyfriend at the time did not get them, nor did anyone else I was relatively close to.

I'd say get to the doctor asap - I think my foray into the scabies world was relatively mild and cut relatively short by getting on top of it quickly.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. We've had almost 8 years of experience with scabies...

Unfortunately, there is no pyrethrin effective enough to impeach them.


I hope OktoberKid is feeling better soon! :hi:

[Midlodemocrat]

6. Pediatrician will probably prescribe Elomite cream.

It'll suffocate the little buggers in no time.

Hope he's feeling better soon.