cold and skin thing

[abka]

After three days of lying on the couch feeling miserable and useless, I think I am mostly over this headcold. I feel like such a wimp, it was just a headcold, and yet I couldn't really function. D. confirmed I seemed to be feeling better because I was "getting up and moving around". Went to the gym today, weights were okay, cardio not-so-great, but that's not too surprising.

Anyway, I have a skin question. Last week I noticed I had a red, scaly patch on my neck. I ignored it and just recently it started to itch. Yesterday, I look down and I have all these red bumps on my chest and stomach. They do not appear to be a rash (too far apart), acne, insect bites, or from one particular piece of clothing (extend past my bra for example). Little round, slightly raised, red bumps. They don't hurt (and no oozing), but they're freaking me out a little bit.

Should I go to the doctor? Or wait and see if they start to get better? I hate making an appointment and then showing up after they're gone. But again, weird bumps that I'm not sure why they're there.

What do you think? Is skin stuff wait-and-see or better-to-get-it-looked-at-sooner?

eta: After looking at pictures of skin diseases on the internet, I think my spots look closest to Pityriasis Rosea. Upper respiratory infection: check. Initial spot: (on my neck) check. Several days later smaller spots on my chest: check. Dry skin itchiness: check.

I know self-diagnosis isn't always the greatest, but for now I'm going to hold off on the doctor's visit. Unless things change or get worse (or one of you has additional thoughts?). I guess its goat's milk soap and topless sunbathing?

Comments

[fox]

I think a little hydrocortisone and/or neosporin, and if that doesn't take care of it after a couple of days, then I'd maybe take it to a doctor. I don't know if I'd make a special appointment, but if you don't already have something coming up where you can mention it by the way, it couldn't hurt to call specifically for that reason.

[cinco]

The bumps sound like hives. I had a patch of them for no reason I could discern a few weeks back; I took Zyrtec (benadryl, any otc allergy med would be fine) for a couple of days and put hydrocortizone on it and it went away. If you get hives everywhere, that's when it's time to go to the doctor, or if a few days of meds + cream don't clear it up.