Scabies - PLEASE PLEASE HELP

[ScabiesARGH]

Shamelessly posting for traffic.

I have fucking SCABIES. I'm mortified, just come away from the GP with a bunch of cream to stick on the whole family.

I'm not a health anxious person, I'm really not, but I am freaking the fuck out about having scabies.

What can I do? Going home to wash all the bed sheets/clothes on a boil wash, but what about my carpets? What about the sofa? The mattresses? What about the fucking dog does he get scabies too?!

Is there ANYTHING else I can do? Other than that can you please all do the MN thing and reassure me with other stories from scabies survivors? Feel like starting a scabies anonymous group...

We’ve had them OP, horrible and really bloody sore!

I boil washed all covers and sprayed soft furnishings with tea tree oil (they don’t like it. Also bagged up any soft toys that couldn’t be washed for a week then sprayed them with lavender spray. (Advice from HV).

The cream is pretty effective, worked almost overnight iirc.

No our dog didn’t get them, DP, me and DS2 (he was cosleeping) did. DSDs came down covered in them and before I knew what they were they’d already spread.

I had this many years ago. Hot baths made me groan with relief, tepid water made it even more painful.

Hot wash every fabric, hoover the sofas and spray with tea tree or zoflora.

It's very contagious, as you have discovered. Use the cream as directed and do not share beds or towels. If the directions of the mediation say ensure you totally cover the body, then you must do that. When I caught them it was a terribly long time ago but from memory the medication I used (Benzyl Benzoate) took effect really quickly. From memory the idea of those bloody horrible mites on you is worse than the reality. I didn't spray any Zoflora or anything else about or boil-wash any bed-linen. I know you probably want to set fire to absolutely everything in sight but it won't be necessary. I just wouldn't have any play-dates or visitors for a few days.

Is scabies common in the UK? I've never known anyone who's had them. Or maybe people are just too embarrassed to admit it.

Ive had this twice OP, sympathise with how gross it makes you feel.

Top tips: use the cream as directed, under nails on hands & feet too. Wash all bedding/towels and clothes you've worn or if you've worn something and put it back in the wardrobe or drawer, everything in there.

What you can't wash (because you're washing everything else) bag up in bin liners and tie tightly.

If you've worn shoes barefoot and they can't be washed you'll have to chuck them. I steamed a few of my clothes if I couldn't wash them.

Wash your dressing gown/slippers or throw them away. Vacuum your sofas and mattress and carpets. Spray with dettol.

And lastly, don't tell anyone because they will think you're disgusting. Sad but true (but not true, it's just a parasite). I got mine from staying at a friend's house. Then the second time from a holiday cottage and their bedding. Bleurgh.

You really must follow the instructions. One tiny patch of bare skin below the neckline and the fuckers are back. You'll have to get your dh to do the bits you can't reach. It really does mean cover all of you!

I had a really bad dose of them in my early 20s. I was abroad and thought I had some kind of awful allergy. Only when I got home and my housemate came up woth same rash did I see doctor.

After 4 months they were all over me literally... the nurses and a student doctor were all dragged in to observe what GP said was "the worst case of scabies Ive seen in 25 years as a doctor"

Lotion prescribed gave me practically over night relief... they never came back and Im afraid I didn't boil wash anything

I’ve had it, picked it up in work. It was no big deal. Treated myself from head to toe and washed bedding. Job done. As they burrow under the skin I think it’s unlikey they will be found in soft furnishings. They don’t live long away from the body. Agree that the thought of it was much worse than actually having it.

I caught them a few times when I worked in creches they are bloody irritatating use the cream get your own towels they will clear up soon apart from washing your bedding in a hot wash there is nothing else you can do, I have the heebie jeebies just thinking about them though

What a shitemare.

Okay, heading to ASDA to buy new bedsheets and some kind of tea-tree oil or I'll get dettol or something like that - we have a grey fabric sofa so will hoovering it and then spraying it with something be alright?

I'll do the same with the mattress tomorrow morning after we get out of bed and I'm going to buy new bed sheets too to put on tomorrow so I can boil wash everything (a boil wash would be 90 degrees right?) will bin bag everything else and do it in bits and pieces.

Is the cream okay to go on my lady bits as well? I will get DH to cover me everywhere and I'll do the same for him.

Where did we get these? I've gone my whole life without them. I'm always so clean and I do all my bedding at least once a fortnight sometimes once a week!

Helpful post there @LeighaJ

Me and a few friends had this as kids from horseriding - the one thing I remember being told is the mites themselves actually only live on the hands, wrists, feet and ankles - the horrible itching feeling all over (I'm so sorry OP I remember it was horrendous!) is a reaction - but do cover your skin as directed.

Concentrate the treatment cream on those areas tho, and treat the rest of the house as you would if you had nits -

Hope you rid them!!!

Cannot thank you all enough - you've brought me down a bit. Just need to get finished work and get it all sorted tonight. My mum was just round cleaning the house today too so it's just the hoovering/spraying/bagging of clothes and washing stuff I need to try and worry about!

I had them as a teenager and didn't tell my parents, so no boil washing or anything. Cream did the trick on it's own.

I was still living at my mums i had cuddley toys on my bed those were washed but I don't think my clothes were washed and my mum was ott on hygene.

My brother came to stay with us when on leave from the military and bought this with him to stay. Sigh. We painted the liquid stuff on from the neck down and I basically washed any soft furnishings we had in the house. It took me a week. Sorry you are going through this.

I've had them too (or from what I was told) a few years ago. The only thing I remember washing was the bed sheets and towels. That was pretty much it, and I had cream for it.

Is it really contagious? As my DP at the time never caught it off me, or anyone else who was in close proximity of me. Unless I was mis-diagnosed, but the cream I was given worked, pretty much over night.

Just to say that your dog could get it too or vice versa, you could have got it from the dog. While Sarcoptes mites have strains which have adapted to be species specific, they can move between human/dog. If the dog has any signs of skin problems, I'd get it checked to be safe. I might even be tempted to get some Stronghold from your vet to be on the safe side.

Was just about to say the same as Sam - scabies can and do transfer between human to dog, dog to human. Seen this quite a few times at work (I'm a veterinary nurse).

Stronghold will treat sarcoptes, there are also washes you can get but stronghold would undoubtedly be easier to apply than washing the dog.

Keep an eye on his/her skin too and seek veterinary advice if you're worried.

Hope you get sorted soon!