Has anyone ever had a rash from stress?
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| Thu, 10-28-2004 - 12:45am |
Anyway, I went to a doctor, who went over every possible cause with me - new hair products, perfume, jewelry, lotions, clothing, diet, etc etc. NOTHING had changed. After a long discussion she said it was caused by stress (I had just finished mid-terms and was just having a really stressful week in general). I didn't really believe it, but decided it didn't matter. She gave me a topical steroid cream to put on it, which made it go away in about four days.
So it was totally gone for a couple days, and then yesterday I had a horribly stressful day - my advisor made me realize I need to go to grad school, and the thought of two more years of school made me really apprehensive....Then I got home and talked to my parents about it, and my dad yelled at me for wanting to go to grad school (and told me to pay for it myself), which caused a fight. So sure enough, about an hour after that discussion, the spot on the back of my neck started to itch....and now it's getting worse and is just like before.
Has anyone else had anything close to this happen?? It just seems so weird. I want to know how to "fix" it (without constantly needing medication for it) but I guess I just need to remove the stress.....which is impossible! I wish I could figure out how to have stress in my life but not be so consumed and affected by it.
Ok, I'm definitely in a rambling mood tonight - just wanted to bounce that off you all and see if I'm just having some really strange reaction, or if it's more common than I think.
Thanks,
Jessica

Did the Dr. give you any thing for the rash? You may want to see about taking some benadryl for the itching or put some hydrocortisone cream on it. Check with the pharmacist first to make sure it is ok with your meds.....I'm not a doctor, just my opinion. Amanda
I agree with Amanda that talking with your doctor is a good idea before you try anything, but hopefully this helps a little, to know that you're not the only one with this!
Hugs,
Rose
Edit: Oh, I wanted to mention...as itchy as those rashes can get, the best thing is to try not to scratch them...it only makes them worse, I've found.
Edited 10/28/2004 1:20 pm ET ET by rosa444
I wish I had a "cure" for it. I did use oatmeal soap that seemed to put moisture back in my skin, but for me I just let it ride. It usually for me anyway, goes away w/in a few days. My skin is super sensitive to things, but I guess where I use a lot of lotion I don't seem to itch as you did.
I hope you get relief. Stress and bp together can be horrible.
(((((HUGS)))))
Carla
Jessica,
Marci - I totally hear ya on the costs of school. I guess the fact that they don't want to pay for it doesn't bother me anymore (I actually realized that I can go to grad school and be PAID to do it if I am a TA for 10 hours a week) - it was more the fact that my father didn't commend me for wanting to do it, but rather told me that "no one" he works with has a grad degree and that it was a waste of time. Ohhhh well, that's a whole other story. I'm sorry to hear your daughter is giving you a hard time about grants....Maybe if you encourage her to pay for part of the costs, even if it's just books, she'll look more seriously at grants and scholarships. I have many friends who were responsible for paying for part of their tuition, and they seemed to take it more seriously than my friends who didn't. I am lucky that I'm an only child and received really good academic scholarships, plus I live at home and commute, so I didn't have to pay for any of my tuition - but I knew better than to blow it off, and am the complete opposite of that anyway. I went the other extreme!
Again, thanks for all your advice... ((Hugs)) to you all!
-Jessica
Sorry you have such a horrible reaction to stress. I know how badly benedryl can knock a person out (it does me too). One thing you might want to check out is the liquid benedryl that is for external use only. There is a cream benedryl also I think. My daughter is mildly allergic to mosquito bites (bad thing in MN) so we use a LOT of it in the summers - works like a charm!
Good luck!
Tracey
- Jessica
Christine
CL
Sorry to hear you are going throught such a stressful time. I know all about stress. I too break out from stress. The doctor says they are hives and I take a antihistamine to help the ithching and also steriod cream. I get hives all over. Wherever they feel like popping up. I really hate them when they decide to pop up on my face. Good luck deciding on whether you want to go to grad school or not. You need to do what is best for you and do what you can handle. Will grad school benefit you more on the position you are going for in life? If so then maybe you should go for it but only you can make that decision. Let us all know how you are doing.
Tina~