Pity....what????

Has anyone ever heard of pityriasis rosea?  Yah, me neither but I have got to know it verrrryyyy well over the past three weeks or so. 

It all started with a little itchy spot on my left shoulder and a few days later the spots started appearing all over my torso.  I thought I was having an allergic reaction to laundry detergent so I spent several days madly washing and re-washing clothes only to have the spots spread more and get redder and itchier.  After a week, I went to the after hours clinic and the doctor confirmed my allergic reaction diagnosis and gave me a prescription for antihistamines and something to help me get through the night while itching.  Five days later things weren't any better (in fact worse) and I was starting to lose my grip on sanity...which is always tenuous at best!!  A trip to my family doctor this time and he diagnosed me with pityriasis rosea.   They don't know much about it...where it comes from...what causes it...and there is no treatment.  You just have to wait out the SEVERAL weeks until it clears up!!!

I have spent the past two weeks in complete misery and pain.  There wasn't one white patch of skin that could be seen on my upper front torso and the burning/itching was beyond dealing with.  Finally, in desperation, I was trolling the internet for something that might help relieve my torture and I came across a few people who had found that washing with Head & Shoulders helped things.  Since I had been sending poor Dave to the drugstore every day or two trying out new drugs, lotions, creams, etc, I called and asked him to buy me some Head & Shoulders.  I figured that it couldn't make things worse....and I was so thankful that it did start to help things clear up.  Even after three weeks, it is still spreading onto my arms and legs but the skin is obviously less sensitive in those areas so things aren't as unbearable as they were.

Bottom line, if you ever have a small itchy patch (herald patch) on your torso somewhere and it then starts spreading into a rash over your entire torso, mention this disease to your doctor.  It is very often misdiagnosed and I pity (no pun intended) anyone who has to cope with it and not know what they're dealing with.