Scabies!

[Blanket26]

We've been struggling with scabies for weeks. Several rounds of cream and it keeps coming back on my 1 year old!
I've bought some Derbac M to try. Has anyone had more success with this?
And if so how do I keep it on my 1 year old for 24 hours as he eats with his hands and puts them in his mouth. Can I use derbac m on his body and cream on his hands overnight.

Please help! I'm desperate and this is really getting me down now. Dr's are useless

Hello. Still in limbo of infected or post tbh. Nearly 4 weeks post treatment and my son has no rash but a few spots on hands and feet that come and go so im really really not sure. I keep thinking surely it would be spreading around his body if it was active but then the hands make me doubt it. They aren't as bad as a few weeks ago so that also makes me think maybe the treatment made it worse but I'm really really not sure.
How are you doing?

Same boat. Getting better but not completely gone. Was a little itchy yesterday but fine today. Really odd. Like you said if it’s not spreading on little one then that’s got to be a positive AND the ones on his hands are slowly getting better. You said you were getting spots, are they getting better? Did you try the soap? I think it’s helped me a bit. I am also taking ivermectin now though

Good im glad you're getting better. How is your son doing? Yeah he's still getting new spots on his hands but at a much slower rate and they're more spots than pustules and if it is a pustule it turns into a spot the next day so I don't know if that's good or bad.
No not yet I keep meaning to order it. Ooooh really Did your derm agree to give you more?

My son is still getting the odd couple of spots but like your son not getting covered. Only ever has 2 or 3 at a time. So the dermatologist. Said he would give me a course but wanted to wait 2 weeks as the soap was helping so he wanted to hold off. I’m taking ivermectin once every 4 days for a couple of weeks. I think it’s working but I’m still getting the odd spot but my body is 95% clear now. The thing is if my son still has it I have to be careful not to get it back off him if I’m being cured. You should try the soap (only on you) can’t use on babies!

It sounds that your son’s spots on his hands are getting better- like you said they come up but the pustule is gone by next day and just leaves a spot. Whatever is causing it seems to not so aggressive which has to be a good thing.

I will let you know how I get on with the ivermectin over the coming weeks.

Are your spots calming down too now?

Really hoping for you the ivermectin works and your son doesn't come out in anymore. Have you ever had any side effects from the ivermectin?

We've been back at docs today as one of his hands have gotten more pustular, red and sore. They've referred us to a specialist but dont know how long that'll be

And yes that's my worry too. Even if we see this specialist and clear it from the youngest what if one of us gives it back and it starts again etc

That’s great news that they are referring you to a specialist. Hopefully you won’t have to wait too long. I’m presuming a paediatric dermatologist?

No had no side effects at all from the ivermectin personally.

Yes it’s crazy how this can continue reinfecting if not careful & I suppose it’s why it can seem like it takes a long time to get rid of plus trying to treat at the right point in the cycle. I’m wondering if that’s why my dermatologist said take the ivermectin once every 4 days rather than once a week?

Fingers Crossed you don’t have to wait to long for the referral appointment. It will be interesting to know what they say for little one.

Yes and they were on about contacting someone else too. I'm praying I hear back soon as his hands look so sore today. I cant get over how quickly his hands get so bad.

Yes it makes sense as scabies eggs hatch in 3-4 days, it why I was hoping to be able to treat him more frequently.

I will definitely keep you updated on the progress

Well we were doing well but today I’ve come out in more spots so feel set back and little one was doing so well but now developed a further two. Honestly nothing seems to be working. No one else has symptoms it seems. I really feel set back today. I just don’t know what to do anymore.

So sorry to hear it, completely feel the same. Feels like we'll be treating forever just to keep on top of it rather than eradicate it.

I treated his hands and feet the night before last yet he's still getting more pustules. Going to do a full body treatment tonight as we are yet to hear about an appointment.

I feel less itchy but I don't know if that's psychological as I've now accepted its back and not paying attention to any itch if you get what I mean

What do you think you will do next?

It just doesn’t make sense does it that the cream isn’t clearing his hands. I don’t get it.

I have no idea what to do next. I will have another appointment with the derm in a couple of weeks but I’m not sure they can do anything. We are doing everything we are meant to and it’s eradicating it from everyone not just one person. I’m now wondering if one of the family members has it but is atypical so shows no symptoms? And I don’t have faith in the cream anyway now the amount of times we have applied it. It’s really making me start to feel dirty as I can’t wear all my nice clothes as everything has to be hot washed and I’m wearing the same rubbish (obviously washed daily) so I can keep on top of everything. I’m really feeling it today. I don’t feel itchy at all anymore but the spots are still appearing even though I’ve taken 6 ivermectin tablets now.

im starting to wonder is it a bacterial or fungal infection that’s causing the Folliculitis? I mean surely by now we would have killed everything on the skin? Feeling really deflated 😔

I don't get it either. I wish I could show you his hands but don't want to post on here.
Yes I completely understand you. I have lost all faith too, But then also think over 400 million people a year get this and the vast majority clear it with no issues so it's really hard. You aren't dirty at all! It's an expensive, time consuming and exhausting thing to go through both mentally and physically.
That's great you aren't itchy! Just remember before scabies you could have gotten spots on your body any time and just not noticed as now you're inspecting for them. Try to have a bit of positivity as hard as it is, I had a rash for 2/3 weeks after treatment and that's now gone. Still nothing on my hands and feet. All my sons body bumps disappeared at week 3. I genuinely believe most of our spots were just post scabies and a reaction to treatment. So im really hoping that is the same for you and its just a flare up! I've found my son has gotten so much worse after getting too hot during a nap. I really do think the treatments make your skin reactive and much more sensitive so please don't feel too deflated yet. I know our treatment has failed but try to ride it out as long as you can. If it wasn't for his hands I'd be confident we'd all be in the clear even after all the red spots and bumps after treatment

Hi ladies.

Another stressed out mum trying to eradicate scabies here 👋🏼.
It’s been a few months of misdiagnosis but after the whole household contracting the awful itchy rash it’s been confirmed as scabies.
I just wondered how you are all doing?? Is anybody in the clear yet?? 🙏

Hi really sorry to hear you're suffering this aswell!

We are still waiting for the paediatric appointment to come through but I've started another round of treatment on my son only. How's yours going?

Still no progress. After using the soap I’m still getting spots. Ivermectin not eradicated it either. I’m not having an outbreak but spots still persisting. Go through phases of not being itchy one day and then another day I’m mildly. Son still coming out in the odd ones. I’m not finding any burrows whatsoever and don’t have any rash on hands or feet. I’m starting to think it’s connected to my immune system and why it’s hanging around.

How is baby doing? How is his hands? How are you doing? How are your symptoms?

The aromatherapy stuff arrived. I used the lotion one night and I felt it made me itchy so haven’t used it since. I also came out it two big spots after it so did little one. It put me off.

Im so wary of what I put on my skin. I think I may continue with the aloe Vera and see how that goes as that’s naturally calming for the skin.

Sorry to hear. You’re not alone. It’s so common to be miss diagnosed unfortunately. Myself and little one have had it since Aug. It’s really paid a toll on my mental health as I’ve been doing everything right & im a clean freak too and can’t seem to get rid of the rash completely. I’m 90% clear but it’s the last bit that’s lingering. I’m spot treating but as soon as I get rid of a few the next few pop up. I’m thankful we haven’t got a full blown case anymore but not being able to wear any clothes you like because everything has to go on a hot wash and cleaning your bedding daily etc after a while is just too much. I think some people cope with these things better than others but I’m just sick of it now.

Let us know how you get on. “Blanket” & I have kept in touch on here. Although we are still fighting this issue it’s good to know that you’re not alone. It’s also good to stay in touch to share any info on progress as it shows this does eventually disappear.

As for stress just know you’re not alone and it will go at some point. It’s just not a very nice waiting game. X

It’s definitely nice knowing I’m not alone. Although I feel like the doctors need to get more familiar with scabies as they left us undiagnosed for weeks meaning we were probably spreading it leading to an outbreak. It’s a very isolating condition and also incredibly draining. I have a 3 year old and an 11 month old baby and it seems impossible to keep everything sanitised. I’m so paranoid about making sure everything is clean and it just feels never ending. Trying not to read too much into the horror stories and believe we will get to the end of this.
I have done 2 perm treatments and also heard that tea tree oil is a good treatment for scabies so I have been using that on all 3 of us every other night just to feel like I’m doing something in between treatment as I hate to think of them hatching and starting the cycle again. Just wish there was a medication to make all of this go away!!! Horrible to see my baby’s suffering ☹️

Sorry the soap isn't working as well as you'd liked. I too experience non itchy days then mildly itchy days.
No burrows or rash on hands and feet is great though and promising. Is your son bothered by the spots?
Do you have another appointment with your derm soon? I'm with you on being wary of what to use after using so much treatments.

After treatment my sons hands have calmed down but he does keep getting new ones. I'm taking daily pictures to show the paediatrician (when we eventually get an appointment) so that I can show he still gets new blisters straight after treatments

Definitely agree there needs to be more familiarity, even the infectious disease doctors weren't too helpful.
It's very isolating but please don't weigh yourself down with guilt! If it helps none of our families have caught it in the 5 months we've had it. Granted I'm very cautious now and I avoided people for a while but I found it made it worse for me to cope with.
It's very overwhelming, I try to remind myself of some logical points now to stop me spiralling. But I promise you will get there and one day this will be a distant memory!

I'm so sorry for you and your babies. When I notice my sons hands start looking reinfected and he's struggling at night I use piriton until his flare up calms down and it really does keep his itch away and allow him to sleep. Occasionally he has woken up after a nap intensely itchy on his hands and I've had the go ahead to use eurax cream and it helps him when he needs it. So you could always consider these but may need gp permission for youngest to use.

Keep going and look after yourself too!

I think the most difficult thing we have is the doctors or so called specialists. Unless you have full blown breakout like the extreme pics you see on the internet then they fob it off or don’t take it seriously. Your just put on some waiting list. My dermatologist was better but he was the one I saw the first time that I had it almost a decade ago. I saw a top paediatric dermatologist in London - meant to be top of his game and I saw him private and he sent us away with e45 cream. He said he didn’t think it was scabies but he wouldn’t rule out a different parasite like bird mite. It was totally ridiculous. It was 100% scabies. This time around I’ve not got it anywhere near as bad and it’s prob because I treated it early on. For me I just can’t get rid of the rash completely. It’s not bad. It’s very mild now but new spots arriving just after I got rid of a few. My little one gets a few at a time, I treat the area- they go and new ones pop up somewhere else. Same as me.

Regarding tea tree- how are you using it? With a carrier like coconut oil? Are you finding any results?

I find it so sad that it is so misdiagnosed and getting the help is as hard as having the damn thing. It’s like your having to prove that there is something wrong with you with a few spots and that is mentally draining.

Im not having any success with ivermectin either. I’ve now had 4 tablets spaced over 4 days and not seen any improvement.

As I said the soap isn’t doing anything now. At first it seemed to have some effect as in the spots were going down and I had a couple of days with no new spots but that was short lived. I will continue to use it as no harm but I’m going to try the tea tree. I have bought a tea tree cream but don’t know if it’s strong enough for this type of thing and whether it needs to be more potent? Hence asking if you made it with a barrier cream?

I think I did say that the aromatherapy stuff made me itch and come out with spots. Not sure if that’s good thing or bad as if scabies was it just irritating them? It’s so odd as I don’t have sensitive skin.

Please let us know how you all get on.

Much love. X

I've read just adding tea tree drops to a moisturiser is good too, or into a bath. I added it with water to a spray bottle to spray onto mattresses and soft furnishings I cant wash. No idea how effective it is.

There is such a misunderstanding about it all.
Just applied the second round of the treatment and it breaks me. He was crying the whole time and his blisters have started increasing again since treatment last week.

It may have been the soap itself irritating you rather than the scabies but ill keep fingers crossed for you it's done something How are your sons spots?

Hi has anyone tried sulphur cream (10% I think) ? I have seen online it has ment to be double as effective as perithium cream in studies?

I ordered a scabies tea tree oil from Etsy which had good reviews so that’s what I’ve been using but can’t really say it’s doing much. My girls are still itching like crazy and sleep is just a myth for my 11 month old ☹️
I haven’t used the sulphur cream as of yet but definitely considering something different because I can’t see any real improvements as of yet.
Something else I’ve been trying to do everyday recently is steam clean the sofa and mattresses to try and kill off any mites that may have transferred but not sure how effective that is.. it’s just a minefield!

Another mama struggling over here. 17 month old has had scabies for 2.5 months. No one knows how he picked it up as up until recently no one else was symptomatic. We did perm on day 1 and 7 and days 3,4,5 o hands and feet as were particularly bad. Nothing worked. Tried tea tree oil, a bit of neem oil, sulfur soap - nothing. Malathion lotion seemed to calm the skin more but again rash comes back and we are doing round 2 of it now. Like many of your little ones, our son now has blisters on hands and feet from over treatment. I really worry about how much of this poison they are exposed to. Do we think it’s post scabies? Anyone had success in waiting it out?

I treated my son with 2 rounds of malathion but used perm on his hands because I cant keep malathion on hands for so long as he puts them in his mouth etc. I was determined to wait it out as I too was worried about how much I'd put on his skin in total. Over those few weeks he was still getting the odd blister but they werent red or itchy and would disappear quite quick and appear slowly. However about 3 and a half weeks/4 weeks after treatment his hands erupted in loads of blisters so quickly and they were really bothering him. So we've restarted perm treatments. Old ones are disappearing slowly but new ones are coming quickly again. I was trying to convince myself to continue waiting it out as his seemed to start after he'd gotten too hot during a nap and woke up with intensely itchy and red blistery hands, so I really wanted to believe it was just dyshydrotic eczema from the treatment that was triggered by heat. They kept spreading for 2 days and they were bothering him (only after nap time if he had too many layers on) so I took him the doctors who said to retreat and that they would refer us as they don't know what else to do after 4 rounds of treatment already.
We are 3 days after the last treatment and his hands are still bad, although absolutely no spots or itch across his body for a few weeks. Couple of spots on feet but not blisters and they have been there for a while. Im still praying it may actually just be from the treatments and him getting really hot caused the outbreak, but im not hopeful. Still waiting for a specialist appointment so I will let you know what the paediatric dermatologists say when we see them