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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Help! What is this rash? *pictures attached*

53 replies

twentyfour2498 · 27/04/2023 14:57

Hi! Really hoping someone can help as I’m a bit unsure and don’t know whether to be worried or not.

I noticed a small rash today and I don’t know where it’s from. It’s like lots of little red pin pricks but they’re not raised or spotty, it’s underneath the skin but very small and like pins. It’s not purple it’s just like red dots. I’ll post a photo below but it’s not coming up very clearly in it, apologies.

it started out as a tiny cluster or 3/4 of the pin pricks on my lower arm and has spread slightly onto my hand and up my arm but only slightly and it doesn’t seem to be spreading anymore. It’s not getting better or going away either. It’s not on my other arm/chest/anywhere else.

I haven’t used any products specifically on my arm and I only used the same face wash in the shower that I always use and that was earlier this morning. I don’t have any chemical skin allergies either (I recently had a skin patch test done for allergies at the hospital a few months ago and had no reactions at all) but I do have eczema although not usually on my arms and it doesn’t usually look like this. The skin isn’t dry or sore at all it’s just the red pin pricks.

I had a blood test around 8 weeks ago as I was really tired all the time and having bad headaches and everything was normal with that too. I feel ok today

does anyone know what this could be and how I could get rid of it?

im 24 so not menopausal and I’m definitely not pregnant either

TIA 🙂

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
lovemelongtime · 27/04/2023 14:58

Why not pop into the pharmacy, pretty sure they'll need able to help.

Original poster
twentyfour2498 · 27/04/2023 15:03

Apologies the photos are crap, can’t get my phone camera to focus properly on it

Help! What is this rash? *pictures attached*
Help! What is this rash? *pictures attached*
Help! What is this rash? *pictures attached*
OP posts:
PinkLemonadee · 27/04/2023 15:04

Does it fade if you press a glass on it?

Original poster
twentyfour2498 · 27/04/2023 15:05

PinkLemonadee · 27/04/2023 15:04

Does it fade if you press a glass on it?

Sorry this is really stupid of me but do you mean if I physically press the glass over the rash like press down on top of it?

OP posts:
Original poster
twentyfour2498 · 27/04/2023 15:12

PinkLemonadee · 27/04/2023 15:08

Thank you so much for finding that!

no- it’s not going away. I’ll post a photo below

OP posts:
VeronicaTimeTurner · 27/04/2023 15:13

If the rash doesn't disappear when you press on it you need to be seen.

Callimanco · 27/04/2023 15:14

It won't fade, it's petechial.

OP have you carried a heavy shopping bag on your left arm? This often gives me this kind of rash, caused by breaking tiny blood vessels. If not, you should really get an urgent blood test to check your platelet levels. Do you know what they were last time you had a blood test? It could be that they have dropped a bit. There's a few conditions that can cause this, one is immune thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP - though that most usually appears on legs and feet because of gravity.

Original poster
twentyfour2498 · 27/04/2023 15:15

sorry, really shit photo but i had to balance my phone on my knee so I could press the glass down on my arm haha

Help! What is this rash? *pictures attached*
OP posts:
chocolatemademefat · 27/04/2023 15:16

Why are you posting on AIBU? Do what everyone else does and go to the chemist.

Original poster
twentyfour2498 · 27/04/2023 15:17

Callimanco · 27/04/2023 15:14

It won't fade, it's petechial.

OP have you carried a heavy shopping bag on your left arm? This often gives me this kind of rash, caused by breaking tiny blood vessels. If not, you should really get an urgent blood test to check your platelet levels. Do you know what they were last time you had a blood test? It could be that they have dropped a bit. There's a few conditions that can cause this, one is immune thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP - though that most usually appears on legs and feet because of gravity.

No I haven’t carried anything heavy but I know exactly what you mean because sometimes that happens if I get itchy and scratch too hard and then I notice the cluster of red dots but it goes away when I stop itching, today I haven’t been itching at all and I haven’t carried anything I’ve just been WFH today so got up late (slept in lol) showered had breakfast did some work and noticed it x

OP posts:
Original poster
twentyfour2498 · 27/04/2023 15:18

chocolatemademefat · 27/04/2023 15:16

Why are you posting on AIBU? Do what everyone else does and go to the chemist.

Because I’ve seen other people post here for advice and I’m glad I did because I got advice I didn’t know about. If you don’t have anything nice to say then just don’t comment? I also did go to the pharmacy but they were completely mobbed and I had to go to go back home and work. Obviously I’ll go again later but I just posted here in the meantime

OP posts:
Callimanco · 27/04/2023 15:20

Pharmacy no good anyway. You need a hospital or GP to do a blood test.
Any blood spots in your mouth or bleeding gums?

Fladdermus · 27/04/2023 15:20

You need to see some one asap. My DD had this on her legs and as a PP suggested it was ITP and she spent 2 months in hospital because of it. Felt fine in herself but there's a high risk of bleeding out so she wasn't allowed to leave until her platelet levels increased.

Callimanco · 27/04/2023 15:22

@Fladdermus didn't she get immunoglobulin, or did that not raise her platelets? My son had it too, his platelets were zero, but he responded well to IVIG and was only in hospital 5 days, though it took a year for his platelets to fully stabilize.

Original poster
twentyfour2498 · 27/04/2023 15:24

No, no other bleeding at all today.

this sounds daft probably but is it less likely to be serious because it’s only on one arm and nowhere else? And it’s stopped spreading now and is staying the same size of area affected?

OP posts:
Callimanco · 27/04/2023 15:27

If you feel otherwise well it won't be one of the other horrible scary things like meningitis that cause a non blanching rash. ITP doesn't make you feel ill - just tired - so that's possible. It's also very likely that it's just a weird rash that doesn't mean anything, but it should be checked because ITP can become serious if you don't know about it, and smack your head or something. It is treatable IF it's that.

Fladdermus · 27/04/2023 15:28

Callimanco · 27/04/2023 15:22

@Fladdermus didn't she get immunoglobulin, or did that not raise her platelets? My son had it too, his platelets were zero, but he responded well to IVIG and was only in hospital 5 days, though it took a year for his platelets to fully stabilize.

Hers were zero too. I forget now what medicine she was given to try and get them up but they just couldn't get it to go up and stay up. She eventually had her spleen removed and then things started to settle down.

Callimanco · 27/04/2023 15:32

Ah, poor thing. Glad she's good now.

Original poster
twentyfour2498 · 27/04/2023 15:34

hope your son @Callimanco and daughter @Fladdermus are both ok now! ❤️

OP posts:
Original poster
twentyfour2498 · 27/04/2023 15:35

Would I be better just to go to the pharmacy and ask their advice? Or would I be better to try and get a hold of the GP?

OP posts:
Callimanco · 27/04/2023 15:36

Try to get hold of GP. Tell them you have a petechial rash...?

Do you have a walk in centre nearby?

Callimanco · 27/04/2023 15:37

DS is fine by the way. Last time his platelets were taken they were 260 :)

(Should be between 150 and 450).

Original poster
twentyfour2498 · 27/04/2023 15:38

Annoyingly no, I live rurally and services are pretty rubbish. getting through to the GP is hard as they’re so busy so I might just leave work and drive down actually to speak to them in person

OP posts:
Original poster
twentyfour2498 · 27/04/2023 15:38

Callimanco · 27/04/2023 15:37

DS is fine by the way. Last time his platelets were taken they were 260 :)

(Should be between 150 and 450).

Aw that’s brilliant! Long may it stay that way :)

OP posts: