Aubrey Posted May 30, 2010 Share Posted May 30, 2010 Dh came home from a quick trip to Houston feeling not quite right. This morning, he finally threw up, but only once. He's still feeling pretty...slow, queasy, not good. He thinks he ate some bad chicken maybe, but...food poisoning is quicker than that, he says. So no big deal, until he tells me he thinks it's just allergies because he's really broken out--he's got a *rash* not a breakout--all over his chest, up his throat. It looks sort-of like the *shingles* he had last summer. (He thought that was a breakout, too.) So I'm *sending* him to the dr now, but...any help convincing him to go? I googled his symptoms, & I think it looks like meningitis. He says I'm crazy, because throwing up once doesn't count as a symptom. :glare: I'm not a go-to-the-dr kind of person--I've SENT him maybe twice in the last 10 yrs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted May 30, 2010 Share Posted May 30, 2010 Aubrey, The most "important" symptoms of meningitis tend to be headache, neck pain/stiffness, fever . . . I know that he has food allergies. Do any of them manifest as rashes or vomiting? He may have gotten a bit of an allergen if he's been away from home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 30, 2010 Author Share Posted May 30, 2010 Aubrey, The most "important" symptoms of meningitis tend to be headache, neck pain/stiffness, fever . . . I know that he has food allergies. Do any of them manifest as rashes or vomiting? He may have gotten a bit of an allergen if he's been away from home. I don't know if all meningitis is the same--this site said "acute meningitis." He does have a headache, but thinks that's separate. His neck's always stiff, but he's been having particularly bad shoulder/neck/back pain for a week. He thinks it's the weather. It absolutely could be. But a rash freaks me out. So there you have it. My weird-o-meter says Get Thee To a Doctor. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted May 30, 2010 Share Posted May 30, 2010 Dh came home from a quick trip to Houston feeling not quite right. This morning, he finally threw up, but only once. He's still feeling pretty...slow, queasy, not good. He thinks he ate some bad chicken maybe, but...food poisoning is quicker than that, he says. So no big deal, until he tells me he thinks it's just allergies because he's really broken out--he's got a *rash* not a breakout--all over his chest, up his throat. It looks sort-of like the *shingles* he had last summer. (He thought that was a breakout, too.) So I'm *sending* him to the dr now, but...any help convincing him to go? I googled his symptoms, & I think it looks like meningitis. He says I'm crazy, because throwing up once doesn't count as a symptom. :glare: I'm not a go-to-the-dr kind of person--I've SENT him maybe twice in the last 10 yrs. Onset of symptoms from foodborne illness varies depending on the organism. Most vomiting starts within 24 hours after eating the bad food. Here's a table. People with meningitis usually have severe illness with bad headaches and neck stiffness. Shingles erupts in a pattern over a dermatome- an area of skin supplied by a single nerve- and doesn't cross the midline of the body, so if he has it all over his chest, it isn't shingles. Dermatomes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ToGMom Posted May 30, 2010 Share Posted May 30, 2010 Shingles erupts in a pattern over a dermatome- an area of skin supplied by a single nerve- and doesn't cross the midline of the body, so if he has it all over his chest, it isn't shingles. Dermatomes There are rare cases where shingles can effect more than one side of the body...it's not common, but it does happen. (I had shingles under both arms down to my waist line and across...NOT my idea of fun.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 30, 2010 Author Share Posted May 30, 2010 Onset of symptoms from foodborne illness varies depending on the organism. Most vomiting starts within 24 hours after eating the bad food. Here's a table. People with meningitis usually have severe illness with bad headaches and neck stiffness. Shingles erupts in a pattern over a dermatome- an area of skin supplied by a single nerve- and doesn't cross the midline of the body, so if he has it all over his chest, it isn't shingles. Oh! I didn't necessarily mean that I thought it was shingles again this yr, just that...like w/ the shingles, this didn't just seem like a breakout. He ate the chicken more like 36 hrs before he threw up. So I guess it's not that...his dad works in restaurants & pretty much says if you're not throwing up immediately, it's not food poisoning. So I knew that wasn't *really* likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted May 30, 2010 Share Posted May 30, 2010 There are rare cases where shingles can effect more than one side of the body...it's not common, but it does happen. (I had shingles under both arms down to my waist line and across...NOT my idea of fun.) That's true - about 4% of patients with shingles will have it bilaterally. Very uncommon, and far more likely to be something else in this case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted May 30, 2010 Share Posted May 30, 2010 Oh! I didn't necessarily mean that I thought it was shingles again this yr, just that...like w/ the shingles, this didn't just seem like a breakout. He ate the chicken more like 36 hrs before he threw up. So I guess it's not that...his dad works in restaurants & pretty much says if you're not throwing up immediately, it's not food poisoning. So I knew that wasn't *really* likely. Oh- I misunderstood about the rash. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 30, 2010 Author Share Posted May 30, 2010 He's back--folliculitis. Antibiotics for a skin infection. Don't know how he got it, but I was *totally* right to send him. :001_tt2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted May 30, 2010 Share Posted May 30, 2010 He's back--folliculitis. Antibiotics for a skin infection. Don't know how he got it, but I was *totally* right to send him. :001_tt2: Oh, folliculitis--yuck! Ds and I both have had this. Ours itched unbearably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted May 30, 2010 Share Posted May 30, 2010 He's back--folliculitis. Antibiotics for a skin infection. Don't know how he got it, but I was *totally* right to send him. :001_tt2: Did he use a hot tub? Hot tub folliculitis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 31, 2010 Author Share Posted May 31, 2010 Did he use a hot tub? Hot tub folliculitis Nope. He thinks it might be recurring--he says he's just never mentioned it before. :confused: I have a hard time believing I wouldn't have noticed, but...whatever. A guy w/ an MD told my dh that his wife is smart. I'm picking a frame for that now. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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