If you have had Scabies, how did you catch it?

[Noddytime]

DH has it. We were on holiday a couple of weeks ago but I am sure the sheets were clean, and I haven't caught it though we slept in the same bed.

I can't understand how he has caught it, he says his GP says even a handrail on the train would be enough but NHS website says it's rare to catch it unless via close prolonged body contact with someone/through sexual intercourse.

Are you absolutely sure it's scabies?

I only ask because I was treated twice ( 2 years in a row ) for scabies and it turned out I had suddenly become allergic to the sun.

The rash looked exactly the same and because both times we'd been on a caravan holiday, the Dr thought that's where I'd caught it.

Took a while for the penny to drop and realise that being on holiday, meant I was spending more time in the sun.

DH was treated for scabies. It turned out to be chicken pox.

At uni the lads in the apartment below us got scabies from a sofa they'd found in the street and taken into their house, as far as I'm aware none of them had sex with the sofa, lol

About 10 lads got them overall from visiting that apartment. I had sat the sofa too but luckily didn't get scabies.

His GP talks nonsense. It is a parasite that burrows under the skin, hence it is caught through body contact and possibly sofas / bedding.
If you did not get it sleeping in the same bed, or sleeping near your husband in the meantime, unlikely to be scabies. Also scabies rarely appears above the neck, so does he have the sores on his face/head?
Your husband either needs a second opinion, or something odd is going on in regards to where he has been exposed. HTH.

We only have one doctors diagnosis to go on and DH said doctor didn't seem on the ball.

It's just a very itchy red rash on his torso that seems to be getting worse. Thought it was insect bites/heat rash at first.

We did have a fabric sofa on holiday which we both spent time sat on. We also used the towels there.

The sores are only on his torso. The first red spot appeared while we were there.

I got them at boarding school, along with everyone else. Not many of us were having sex with each other.

Scabies is really contagious given the right conditions. Using a slightly damp towel after someone with scabies has used it will do it.

Growing up ,our whole family got scabies from next doors children. There had been several sleepovers and sharing of towels etc between some of the children from both families. They didnt tell us of course-it was our old fashioned and totally non PC GP who told us they had it.

There was little bodily contact between kids in those days -not as much hugging and kissing as today -so that only real way for it to have spread would have been through towels and sheets.

I got them through work, in retail. I hadn't been sleeping with anyone a the time so definitely not that!

I caught it as a teenager when a friend who had it shared my bed. She caught it from a boyfriend. You can't catch it from a handrail! Everyone would have it, all the time.

Are you sure it's scabies?

Scabies has a distinctive pattern, the blisters have red trails leading off them from the mites burrowing. Usually starts between the fingers and is incredibly itchy. It doesn't go onto the face or head. You would have it if your DH has it, esp if you share a bed and towels.

Several women (including me) caught scabies when we were in hospital with pre birth complications. One nurse had them and spread the scabies from patient to patient through skin contact, making the beds etc.

Figgypuddings, that's wretched! Poor you.

How did they diagnose Scabies? A patient of mine had suspected scabies and they could only give a definitive diagnosis after taking a skin scrape and sending it off for analysis. They can't be sure just by looking.

I thought scabies started in between your fingers. At least that's what I've been told.

The rash is usually linear though, like bed bugs.

I had it as a child. Caught it off next doors pigeons. Then my brother caught it off me.

Is it in a band? Or widespread?

I caught it from extremely brief contact with a nurse friend who'd got it from a homeless man she was nursing. All I did was hand her a drink! She rang me a day later to warn me she'd picked it up and sure enough I'd got it too.

I had it at university. It spread through my social group like wildfire after one chap caught it from sleeping in a v scabby squat after a party. We were a huggy crowd but not sleeping together.

Scabies, on his torso? How about shingles?

My flatmates had scabies, not me. It was most visible on their hands, but they were itching everywhere. You could literally see the "burrows" in the fleshy part between their fingers. They had shared a bed, like 20 something girls often do when backpacking. They had been roughing it through Europe, doing "Interail" on the trains.

Sounds more like shingles if on torso.

I've not had scabies but I've had ringworm several times! Caught at work.

I caught it when I was 13. I have no idea how, the doctor suggested from the school bus. My mum got it as well, from me.

It's definitely not linear, and not between fingers either. It is on top of his hand a little way up one wrist though.

I could have it but still be in the incubation period I suppose. I'm not convinced it's Scabies as the place we stayed on holiday is very clean and somewhere we have stayed before.

Doctor did not swab his skin.

He has had chickenpox in childhood though, I thought that ruled out shingles. The placement of the spots looks similar to chickenpox/shingles type rash. Also some have a tiny white head on them.

Is it incredibly itchy?

Scabies makes you want to scratch yourself bloody. I had a pillowcase with lace on and used the lace to scratch myself as it was more effective than my short fingernails.

I battled with what I believed was scabies for several years. I felt dirty, grubby, contagious... it really plummeted my self esteem.
Turns out it was pompholix eczema which was triggered by warmth and humidity.
It was exasperated by all the harsh chemical treatments I used thinking it was scabies...
I still get it once a year around the hottest time and it lasts about 2 weeks then disappears.