What to do with a red spot/rash on a Book?

[PeterPan]

Ok, I'm not making hay about it yet because it really doesn't seem like anything. However I have a red spot, sort of a rash/bug bite. No elevation, swelling, puss, thickening of the skin, scaling, etc. Just redness and this one little pore where I rubbed on it that seemed to bleed a little. But it has been there like this, on the side of my Book, for several weeks now. Honestly it could have been 4 weeks. During that time I've also had covid. Could covid cause skin weakness that would look like a rash like this? I'm recovering from the covid very slowly and got quite sick (pneumonia, etc.)
 

I'm goggling it and there's just nothing else interesting about it at all. If it weren't for the Shakespearean nature of it and that it's not going away I wouldn't even worry. No color changes, thickening of tissue, swelling, pain, itching, nothing. But there it is, this odd red spot, about the size of a quarter.

What is the most rational, non-idiotic, non-hide your head in the sand and look back and say you were stupid thing to do? I have a family doctor I see and like, but he has never looked at my Books. He listens to my lungs, does my thyroid meds, but doesn't really poke and prod. You could say I'm not particularly open to being poked and prodded, however in this case I don't want to look back and have some wow you were an idiot and let that go regret.

If I made some kind of appointment, what would be the kind of medical person I'm looking for? I read to put tea tree oil on it and see if it goes away, but that seems sort of in the wow that was dumb and you let things go camp. I might rather do tea tree oil AND make an appointment that I cancel if it goes away. Can some vicious variants of covid cause skin issues like this? 

[vonfirmath]

If it is hurting you, put baby powder on it (cornstarch-- there's also one similar that smells good

I get these a lot because it is hot and sweaty and then I rub -- or my books rub together and cause it.

But if you have not been messing with it and don't have book hardware that is rubbing and its there for weeks -- I'd go to a doctor. My regular doctor is who I mention things like lumps too and then she makes a referral to a specialist.

 

Edited June 28, 2023 by vonfirmath

[Jean in Newcastle]

I was going to suggest trying tea tree oil on it. 
 

Who do you go to for your pap smears etc?  I would make an appointment with that doctor. 

[MercyA]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

If it weren't for the Shakespearean nature of it and that it's not going away I wouldn't even worry.

I love this forum. 🙂 

I personally would not want to pay for a dermatologist or an ob/gyn to look at it when a family doctor could probably set your mind at ease quickly. He has seen it all before, trust me. But, if that's out of the question and you have good insurance and don't need referrals for specialists, you could go to either of those.

Covid can absolutely cause weird rashes. IDK. I would not be overly concerned about it. I'd try a combination anti-fungal / anti-bacterial topical and see if that takes care of it. 

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

If I made some kind of appointment, what would be the kind of medical person I'm looking for? I read to put tea tree oil on it and see if it goes away, but that seems sort of in the wow that was dumb and you let things go camp. I might rather do tea tree oil AND make an appointment that I cancel if it goes away. Can some vicious variants of covid cause skin issues like this? 

I think making an appointment and trying something at home in the meantime is an excellent approach. What to put on it depends on what might be causing it, but tea tree oil is unlikely to be problematic--you might opt for a soap vs. straight oil (I always worry about sensitization).

If you are not giddy about showing skin to your doctor, could you take a discreet picture at home that shows as little as possible? I can assure you that medical people see all kinds of stuff, and everyone will be very nonchalant and careful. I am fine with people I don't normally bump into examining personal areas, but not people I know. Others are the opposite. Some are really reticent no matter what--medical people understand and will do what they can to ease the situation. 

Lots of viruses can cause skin issues. Lots of opportunistic things can flare up when you are ill or rundown no matter what kind of illness. This article mentions flat spots, among other issues: https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/coronavirus/covid-toes 

Any chance it's fungal issue? If you've been on antibiotics, that's even more likely. If you have higher blood sugar (even if you are not diabetic or prediabetic), it makes it more likely also. Sometimes an oral antifungal is needed, but other times, just some antifungal cream (will be labeled everything from athlete's foot to jock itch at the store) and laying off the sugary stuff for a while will help (and a probiotic, such as Florastor or an equivalent will help). 

Does your underclothing rub in that spot? Do you wear something other than normal clothing that rubs (cross body purse strap, etc.)?

Did you get something odd on your underclothing that might not have worked out yet in the wash? Or on a swimsuit if you frequently wear one?

I'm trying to toss out a variety of things that you might not have noticed since you said in the past that sometimes your body is under-responsive. :-) 

[Grace Hopper]

Don’t want to alarm you but a rash can be an early sign of inflammatory breast cancer. Please make an appointment right away, and ask the doctor for what to do/how to treat in the meantime. 
 

Hopefully it’s nothing but please don’t take chances. 

[Pawz4me]

5 minutes ago, Grace Hopper said:

Don’t want to alarm you but a rash can be an early sign of inflammatory breast cancer. Please make an appointment right away, and ask the doctor for what to do/how to treat in the meantime. 
 

Hopefully it’s nothing but please don’t take chances. 

I agree. Likely it's nothing worrisome, but for my own peace of mind I'd want a doc to lay eyes on it. I'd start with your primary care provider since you don't have a gynecologist.

[purpleowl]

I had something very similar to what you describe a few months ago. 

I went to my primary doctor. She had no clue what it was, didn't think it was likely to be anything problematic but sent me for a mammogram to be cautious. Mammogram was perfectly fine. (It was a little amusing to me that the mammo people seem to only know the word "lump." "You found a lump?" "No, it's a spot on the skin, not a lump." Next person, "So I see here that you found a lump...")

Around the same time, I had a dermatology appt - just a check up for a full-body exam. She was asking if I had noticed any changes so I mentioned that spot (which had faded a bit at that point but was still Definitely There). The derm glanced at it in the course of the exam and was immediately unconcerned - "oh yeah, that's nothing." And I forgot to come back to the topic at the end and ask her what it WAS, lol, but it was very obviously something she recognized and knew as not problematic.

It eventually faded but the skin there is a bit discolored. It never once hurt or bothered me in any way other than the fact that I didn't think it belonged there. 😄

Anyway, if it happened again, I would go to a dermatologist first (or ask primary to refer to derm, if your insurance requires that). 

[Jaybee]

Several months ago, I had something similar that wouldn't go away, and when I went to the NP at urgent care, she said immediately, "Looks like yeast." So that's how she treated it, and it went away. It took a little while, because yeast does, sometimes, but it cleared up. So I agree with others that having someone put eyes on it is good advice.

[Jean in Newcastle]

41 minutes ago, purpleowl said:

I had something very similar to what you describe a few months ago. 

I went to my primary doctor. She had no clue what it was, didn't think it was likely to be anything problematic but sent me for a mammogram to be cautious. Mammogram was perfectly fine. (It was a little amusing to me that the mammo people seem to only know the word "lump." "You found a lump?" "No, it's a spot on the skin, not a lump." Next person, "So I see here that you found a lump...")

Around the same time, I had a dermatology appt - just a check up for a full-body exam. She was asking if I had noticed any changes so I mentioned that spot (which had faded a bit at that point but was still Definitely There). The derm glanced at it in the course of the exam and was immediately unconcerned - "oh yeah, that's nothing." And I forgot to come back to the topic at the end and ask her what it WAS, lol, but it was very obviously something she recognized and knew as not problematic.

It eventually faded but the skin there is a bit discolored. It never once hurt or bothered me in any way other than the fact that I didn't think it belonged there. 😄

Anyway, if it happened again, I would go to a dermatologist first (or ask primary to refer to derm, if your insurance requires that). 

petechiae perhaps?  (You can have just one or you can have many in the form of a rash.)

[NorthernBeth]

I am an idiot and completely read this wondering how a book could get a rash?  😂

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, vonfirmath said:

don't have book hardware that is rubbing 

Alas, I don't think hardware is an explanation. 

1 hour ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

petechiae perhaps?  (You can have just one or you can have many in the form of a rash.)

Yes, that is more the word I would use for it. I'm prone to those kind of little blood spots that pop through the skin anyway, and it looks thin and weak like you're seeing that in a nickel/quarter size area rather than the random dots I usually get. They come and go but I have 4 on one arm right now.  And this skin oddity did begin when I had the covid exposure that I'm still fighting off, sigh. I did find a set of pictures https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/covid-rash-in-adults that show that sort of dark spot and red area. Not exactly the same as the pictures but sort of. 

 

1 hour ago, Jaybee said:

Several months ago, I had something similar that wouldn't go away, and when I went to the NP at urgent care, she said immediately, "Looks like yeast." So that's how she treated it, and it went away. It took a little while, because yeast does, sometimes, but it cleared up. So I agree with others that having someone put eyes on it is good advice.

It's not shiny and not on a damp crease of the book but on the side. Doesn't smell or have anything extreme to scream yeast. It's more like oh look a spider bit me in the middle of the night! It's that weird and out of place.

2 hours ago, Grace Hopper said:

Don’t want to alarm you but a rash can be an early sign of inflammatory breast cancer. Please make an appointment right away, and ask the doctor for what to do/how to treat in the meantime. 
 

Hopefully it’s nothing but please don’t take chances. 

Well that's why I'm asking. I can't really be seen till I'm over this current illness and there is the possibility the rash is from the illness. I more thought I'd make an appointment for a couple weeks out and just cancel if it goes away.

2 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

I agree. Likely it's nothing worrisome, but for my own peace of mind I'd want a doc to lay eyes on it. I'd start with your primary care provider since you don't have a gynecologist.

I think Kbutton is onto something with the you know them so it seems uncomfortable. Not like I'm buds with my doctor, but we've tried to talk and have a collaborative relationship. I'm definitely not going to let it go.

1 hour ago, purpleowl said:

Anyway, if it happened again, I would go to a dermatologist first (or ask primary to refer to derm, if your insurance requires that). 

How common is it to see a dermatologist for this full exam? Is it routine or only when warranted by certain symptoms? I am at that age where I'm starting to have funny skin things, so you're right it could be a two-fer. 

There was someone in our town who got the "oh it's just a rash" line and turned out to be terrible cancer. Whenever anything is serious I feel more confident getting the blow-off from someone a little more specialized or from the big city, sigh.  

Fwiw, it also hasn't particularly changed in the last month. I read that you can try cortisone cream for an antihistamine effect, so I may try that next if the tea tree doesn't do anything interesting.

So does a gyn look at books? Or they just remind you to do a mammogram and refer off? 

 

[ddcrook]

4 hours ago, PeterPan said:

 

If I made some kind of appointment, what would be the kind of medical person I'm looking for? I read to put tea tree oil on it and see if it goes away, but that seems sort of in the wow that was dumb and you let things go camp. I might rather do tea tree oil AND make an appointment that I cancel if it goes away. 

I think using tea oil and seeing a doctor is a great plan. A dermatologist would be the best doctor for this because they are the ones that specialize in skin. 

Rashes are quite common on book covers. Usually the rash will clear up with antibiotic or antifungal cream. If that doesn't clear it up, a dermatologist can do a skin punch biopsy and get a clear picture of what is causing it. 

[almondbutterandjelly]

Another home remedy for weird skin things at our house is a combo of triple antibiotic ointment and zinc oxide ointment (or maximum strength Desitin if you can’t get straight zinc oxide ). Works like charm!

[Pawz4me]

16 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

So does a gyn look at books? Or they just remind you to do a mammogram and refer off? 

 

A gynecologist is who I've always gone to for book issues (lumps or pain). So if I were mostly concerned about inflammatory breast cancer that's who I'd see. If you think it's a general skin thing a dermatologist would be the person to see.

Have you thought about mixing up a little cortisone cream and a little antifungal cream (half and half) and giving that a try? We've had good luck with that for some random skin things.

[purpleowl]

Re: dermatology checkup - I believe the recommendation is to have a full-body check annually. 

[kbutton]

47 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Fwiw, it also hasn't particularly changed in the last month. I read that you can try cortisone cream for an antihistamine effect, so I may try that next if the tea tree doesn't do anything interesting.

For troubleshooting purposes, steroid cream is likely to make yeast worse, so if it's yeast, that might make it more obvious. Just remember that you can't use cortisone cream for longer than recommended on the tube because it thins the skin where it's used. My PSA for the day, lol!

[wintermom]

Do you have any additional symptoms, such as a fever? "Call the Midwife" season 12 had an episode with a rare type of breat cancer with inflamation rather than a lump. Not to worry you, but just because I recently watched the show. 

Hope everything settles down quickly and painlessly!

Edited June 28, 2023 by wintermom

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

A gynecologist is who I've always gone to for book issues (lumps or pain). So if I were mostly concerned about inflammatory breast cancer that's who I'd see. If you think it's a general skin thing a dermatologist would be the person to see.

Have you thought about mixing up a little cortisone cream and a little antifungal cream (half and half) and giving that a try? We've had good luck with that for some random skin things.

That makes a lot of sense. Y'all have given me some potion options (antifungal + cortisone, antibacterial, etc.). I'm doing the tea tree oil today because that's what I had lying around. I'll see if a day or two of it seems to make a difference. Then I can step it up. No doctor is going to want me in office in person till my contagious cough is gone, so I can try these options and see if anything makes it budge. The one odd thing is I've been on prednisone for a week plus now (40mg tapering down, I was really dog sick) and it hasn't altered the appearance of this. I'm also on an antibiotic and that has not altered the appearance. I know that's not directly on the skin, but still it's a little curious to me. I would have thought 40mg prednisone orally would have been enough to make a rash go away if it was something that would respond to cortisone. 

I was even reading about shingles today on the off chance it could be that. However I don't think it is as there's nothing more to it. 

1 hour ago, kbutton said:

For troubleshooting purposes, steroid cream is likely to make yeast worse, so if it's yeast, that might make it more obvious. Just remember that you can't use cortisone cream for longer than recommended on the tube because it thins the skin where it's used. My PSA for the day, lol!

So I'm just thinking out loud here. If it *is* some type of yeast, then would oral prednisone make it worse? And the 30 days of antibiotic I'm on (yes, for real, not a typo) would also make yeast worst. I've been taking florastor trying to keep my internals from going crazy. I'm googling covid rash treatment and it says antihistamine + steroid cream. It seems odd that would be in this one small place if it were a histamine issue. You're right though that I forgot that last time I had covid all my histamine (type 1, type 2, type zoo) went crazy. But it was also obvious because I was having high histamine symptoms, which I'm not particularly. The smoke isn't helping and makes my eyes itch a little, but nothing otherwise to make me think to take an antihistamine. There are advantages to this newfangled european covid I got into, haha. Pinkeye, vomiting, chills, etc. yes, histamine elevation, not so much. 

Ok, I'm back. I *think* it is slightly improved after two administrations of the tea tree oil. I'm going to continue to do it into tomorrow and see what happens. 

[PeterPan]

12 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Do you have any additional symptoms, such as a fever? "Call the Midwife" season 12 had an episode with a rare type of breat cancer with inflamation rather than a lump. Not to worry you, but just because I recently watched the show. 

Hope everything settles down quickly and painlessly!

Nope, nothing extreme or concerning (puss, fevers, swelling, thickening of the skin, changing colors, etc.) at all. It has been pretty much static the entire time since it appeared. I *think* maybe it is improving slightly with the tea tree oil, so I'm going to continue that and see what happens. I had some unusual adventures last month and it's possible at some point (in a spa, on a massage table, whatever) I got into something. It was during that trip I got covid and during that trip the odd spot appeared. If the tea tree oil clears it up, that's good enough. You're definitely not outing cancer with topical tree oil, lol. And the area is so small. If I can't get rid of it, I can go to a dermatologist and get it checked and figured out for certain. I like the dermatologist answer and it's something I'm comfortable doing if it doesn't resolve.

Thanks ladies!!! 🙂

Edited June 28, 2023 by PeterPan

[Jean in Newcastle]

Tea tree oil does have anti fungal properties. 

[kbutton]

2 hours ago, PeterPan said:

So I'm just thinking out loud here. If it *is* some type of yeast, then would oral prednisone make it worse? And the 30 days of antibiotic I'm on (yes, for real, not a typo) would also make yeast worst.

Theoretically! It could be slow and steady though!

[Acadie]

Wash your bras, pjs, shirts or whatever else touches that spot on hot with detergent and a healthy splash of ammonia. If it’s responding to tea tree oil it could be bacterial or fungal, and you can prevent reinfecting yourself by disinfecting your clothing. I wish I didn’t know this from experience with a bacterial boil and sports bra yeast rashes in my family! Washing clothes with ammonia helped in both cases. 

[kristin0713]

It doesn't sound like this since you said it is not raised, but it did make me think of pityriasis rosea. I had this several years ago and it started as a small rash/patch in the middle of my chest. Over a couple of weeks, several more spots popped up and started itching really bad. It's essentially caused by an immune response to a virus.  

[PeterPan]

32 minutes ago, Acadie said:

Wash your bras, pjs, shirts or whatever else touches that spot on hot with detergent and a healthy splash of ammonia. 

This sounds like a really good plan! 

[popmom]

My husband and I go yearly for a skin check at our dermatologist, so yes that is a thing. And insurance covers it in addition to our yearly physicals with primary care--just adding this in case it is helpful to anyone following along. 🙂

[PeterPan]

4 hours ago, popmom said:

My husband and I go yearly for a skin check at our dermatologist, so yes that is a thing. And insurance covers it in addition to our yearly physicals with primary care--just adding this in case it is helpful to anyone following along. 🙂

Yeah I had no clue, very interesting. 

Well everyone will be happy to know the rash is definitely *lightening*. I'm now very comfortable the tea tree oil has it going the right direction. It's dramatically lighter and looks more like the "diffuse rash" from covid in the link I had posted above. It has this one odd dark pore, which is characteristic of the covid rash and the red area around is lightening dramatically and disappearing. You no longer look at the book and ask why there's a red area, only why there's a red dot. So that's definitely going in the right direction!! 

Sure has been the weirdest, weirdest thing, and it's odd to me that it would be so consistent for a month and then clear up so tidily with repeated tea tree oil. I would have thought my body would kick it off. I swear my next needs to be to figure out how to have a better immune system. I joke my dh's secret is raw onion. The man eats more raw onion than anyone I've ever met!! I have no clue and don't have that superpower, whew.

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

I swear my next needs to be to figure out how to have a better immune system.

I think you are largely born with it, and then the trick is not screwing it up with illness or idiosyncratic responses to drugs, injury, food poisoning, etc.

Some of the sickest people I know are the ones that do all the immune boosting stuff, but sometimes people doing that really do get mileage out of it.

Some people are more susceptible to long-term damage from pathogens (infections of all kinds, especially viruses), and it's like compounding interest--your immune system takes a hit because you got sick, and then you get sick more often. People who are less susceptible are not having as much compounding risk going on. Then there are variations like people who get colds all the time but rarely get particularly ill and people who almost never get sick, but when they do, they are down for the count for a long time.

A lot of people I know who get sick a lot often have a pattern of an illness that points to a turning point into having more chronic stuff (bad case of the flu, etc. set it all in motion) if they weren't the kind of person to get sick all the time from birth.

 

[PeterPan]

4 minutes ago, kbutton said:

I think you are largely born with it, and then the trick is not screwing it up with illness or idiosyncratic responses to drugs, injury, food poisoning, etc.

Some of the sickest people I know are the ones that do all the immune boosting stuff, but sometimes people doing that really do get mileage out of it.

Some people are more susceptible to long-term damage from pathogens (infections of all kinds, especially viruses), and it's like compounding interest--your immune system takes a hit because you got sick, and then you get sick more often. People who are less susceptible are not having as much compounding risk going on. Then there are variations like people who get colds all the time but rarely get particularly ill and people who almost never get sick, but when they do, they are down for the count for a long time.

A lot of people I know who get sick a lot often have a pattern of an illness that points to a turning point into having more chronic stuff (bad case of the flu, etc. set it all in motion) if they weren't the kind of person to get sick all the time from birth.

 

You're right, I was probably thinking of it very b&w. And yes, stress seems to be very hard on my body and it has now had enough knocks that it just makes for a mess with the repurcussions. I finally have some medical care that is being really aggressive on the lung part, so that is good. 

[kbutton]

1 minute ago, PeterPan said:

I finally have some medical care that is being really aggressive on the lung part, so that is good. 

I'm glad to hear it!

A lot of people subscribe to the idea that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but that's not really how pathogenic disease works! There is no such thing as a beneficial pathogen.