Has anyone had scabies and not been able to get rid of it?

[peskymites]

Hello all. Title says it all really. My son first got scabies in hospital when he was born believe it or not. We all got it, got rid of it late summer last year. In about December it reappeared on my daughter (we know now in retrospect) although didn't get diagnosed until January. In the meantime my Son had it again but this was repeatedly misdiagnosed by GPs. Anyway, we have not treated all of us multiple times and it keeps reappearing. I am at a total loss as to what to do. Aiming to see a consultant dermatologist for ideas, we're doing everything we can, washing all the bedding etc etc each time we apply the stuff. Has anyone else had any experience of this? It's pretty awful. Thanks in advance.

really sorry to hear this. maybe a coat or some other item of clothing was to blame for re-introducing it?

lots of sympathy from me. it took me a good few months before getting rid of it and the whole household and any close family going through the treatment to get rid of it.

hope the dermatologist is able to help. and shocking that you got it in hospital

have to be brief am feeding baby

are you treating EVERYONE at the same time? major cause of reinfection if not.

what are you using?

tbh is v v rare for infection from bedding or clothes

they don't live long off body

plus rash is allergic reaction to mites - often v few mites present (15 or so iirc)

Hello, thanks so much for response. By the way that should have said we have NOW treated all of us not not. If you're still with me. So Queen, that's what I thought. Each time we do the treatment, I wash all the bedding very hot etc. And also yes, treating everyone literally head to toe. Only exception is that my husband and I haven't done head and face as told that that's not necessary in adults. I wonder if we should try it. The only thing I haven't done (STUPIDLY) is the flannels in the bathroom. I have now thrown them away - but they could be the culprit. I'm kind of hoping that they are so at least there's a reason why they keep coming back.

Warthog, did you have to use multiple applications of the cream? How many did you use? I'm seriously concerned that the poor baby (10 months) and toddler (3) are having this toxic stuff put on them so regularly!?

Yes, horrible that he got it in hospital. He had a rash six weeks after he was born. First it was diagnosed as baby acne, then multiple things including chicken pox. It was only when the whole family (though strangely not my daughter at that point) started itching that they diagnosed it. When he was about four months old! Nightmare. Although it does seem remarkably hard to pass on really as we have spent a lot of time with other family members, none of whom have got it.

Hi SugarPasteFrog - thanks for that. So on the third you got rid of it? OK, this weekend I am going to have another go, hoping that it's not on ANYTHING at all. So I assume duvets should not be used for a certain time span. I'll do that. What the hell do you do about mattresses etc? And does anyone have any idea whether I can apply the cream for about the fifth(!!!) time without harming the kids? I feel like a total failure not to have got rid of it yet, it's horrible.

Oh gosh, this sounds awful - my ultimate nightmare, so extreme sympathy.

I'm wondering whether actually leaving the house for a week would do it? Maybe book a caravan or something, and treat yourselves there, and come back and if there's not been anyone in the house, won't they all have died?

I cnanot imagine having to deep clean our house...we have SO much clutter and stuff.

I'm sorry you are going through this.

In fact I think we would probably camp in the garden.

that way your mattresses get a chance to not be used, and you can bin everything in the tent (including tent if cheap!) and sleeping bags etc.

Do you really have to wash all your curtains?

My feeling is it's the flannels, really. I hope so.

Hi SugarPaste and Ingrid, thanks so much for advice and sympathy! Yes, it is a bit of a nightmare, it really is. I have done my absolute best to try and sort this out with washing, cleaning and I seem to be getting nowhere which is distressing. I agree, leaving the house for a period might help but just not doable right now. I feel like I'm fighting an invisible enemy which also seems to keep multiplying. The annoying thing is, when we first treated all of us (with the first bout back in July now) we were actually away for a week and treated ourselves on the morning of the very last day of the holiday. So we returned home smothered in cream and theoretically there can't have been anything left in the house. So I have absolutely no idea where it appeared from several months later. Anyway, I am going to go out tomorrow and get a whole load more cream and then spend this weekend trying to sort it out. Including smothering my own head in it, buying new bedding etc. It's so strange though as we have spent a lot of time with our family over the last few months including cousins who have held hands etc etc with my two when (in retrospect) I realise they had scabies. But nobody else in our group of friends/relations etc has ever caught it. So in some respects it seems harder to pass on than you would think, given how hard it is to get rid of the blighters. Anyway, please let's hope this weekend is the last time we have to treat it! By the way SugarPaste - did you use pemethrin (think that's how you spell it, think brand name is Lyclear) or Malathion (Derbac-M I believe)?

Camping in the garden! When we get really really desperate we might try it. If nothing else it would freeze those scabies off perhaps, given current weather conditions. Although I would worry that we would then be in danger of getting mange from the skanky urban fox who lurks in our garden. Currently I am scared that we are never going to be free of this dreaded itch and hope that we won't become outcasts. Apologies for my very long posts, I think I have needed to vent!

Great, thanks so much sugarpaste. Sorry, another quick question though, or two. Did you have babies in your family? One of our problems is that the baby sucks his hands to get himself to sleep. So I worry a) even when we put mittens on, they get so wet that he inevitably ingests the cream which can't be good for him and b) that even when I keep re-applying, that it gets sucked off. Not sure what to do about that.

All sounds like great advice. Thanks so much - it's nice to know that I'm not the only one!

one of the best treatments for scabies is benzoyl benzoate solution which you can buy from a chemist. you must treat the whole family. it can normally only be passed from person to person and is more prevalent on upper surface of hands,forearms and chest

my poor old mum caught it whilst in hospital in a geriatric ward.!!!!!!!!!!!