Sorry embarrassing - please can anyone medical talk to me about this?

[VillaEphrussi]

Sorry this is such an embarrassing and weird one - I've just got back from holiday and it's been worrying me the whole time we were away (a short week). On the first morning away I stepped in some dog poo and didn't realise it, but some transferred to the back of my trousers (it wasn't visible, but I later realised it had been wet), and I had walked around with it in contact with my skin all day.

Apart from the obvious horror and panic that we would all be getting sick (which thankfully we haven't been so far - and I do make sure we all wash hands frequently), I am really worried about what might happen and how ill I could get from the prolonged skin contact. Can anyone advise me? Should I see a doctor or pharmacist? I think there's a small rash there.

Sorry this is long and rambly - it's been a long day of travelling home. Many thanks for any possible answers/advice.

well there was a story some time ago in paper about dog poo and child
so sometimes thibgs like that can go wrong

I supouse if your skin wasnt cut in place where the poo come in contact shoud be fine
you culd allways use somerhing to disinfecte and just keep an eye on it

Yes I think I remember one too, broken. My skin did turn into quite a bumpy raised rash but I've been using Germolene on it and I hope there's nothing lurking underneath the surface. I was surprised by how few people would be bothered by it!

If you're not ill you're fine. In the nicest possible way (seriously) ... Get a grip!

Thanks!

am sure it's fine -your skin wasn't broken or cut,and it's a pretty resilient barrier to infection if intact. It does sound like a bit of health anxiety and I can sympathise. When ds was tiny I trod in dog poo and was in a complete whirl about what to do (I was suffering from bad ocd at the time with extreme anxieties about germs) I was convinced that I wopuld contaminate ds- so I did go straight to my doctor who was lovely about it and reassured me. It sounds mad but I was completely panic stricken.

It could be an allergic reaction you had to the dog poo, irritating your skin. Much more likely than an infection imo.
My ankle and shins are very susceptable to allergic reactions in which I get terrible itching and rashes from scratching.
GP said not to scratch and it will go on its own which it always does < although I change the scratching to rubbing the itch>. Mostly causes are unknown.

Oh I definitely think that people would be bothered by it but also think that posters could see past the dog poo issue to the real issue - which is your health anxiety which comes over in spades .

It's a real condition and can be very debilitating.

You need to get some help with your health anxiety, this amount of worry over a bit of dog shit on your leg is not normal.

Thanks MaryAnn, yes that's sounds terrible. Particularly when your baby is young and you don't want them to be vulnerable. And yes, digerd, I recognise that kind of reaction - it's the bit where the hair follicle is which gets raised and irritated.

Also thanks for those concerned for my anxiety (that sounds sarcastic but I don't mean it to). I don't really feel that I can get help for a few reasons - partly because it's a bit of a phobia, and like being a afraid of spiders, you don't really want to get cured. Also because when you have some element of health anxiety on your record I think you'd get taken less seriously when you do have health problems. I actually don't go to the doctor much because I don't want to be seen as a hypochondriac. I recently found that an injury I'd left for 8 years has compounded into multiple problems, which would have been prevented if it had been sorted out at the start. The root of my anxiety probably comes from a bit of post-traumatic stress from meningitis. My world fell apart for various reasons straight after I'd had it and I've had hearing impairment ever since, and that was where my health trouble began. However, I do function really fine in daily life, it's just the odd thing which 'outs' me I suppose.

Sorry for the mammoth explanation. I just want to reassure you that I understand the problem and can deal with it. (I'm sticking to my belief that most people would have a problem with dog poo on their skin all day though...)

Very unlikely but not impossible and I speak from experience. I got cutaneous larva migrans (worms burying under your skin) in my foot after a holiday in Jamaica many years ago. If you do have it though you would know about it as the itching is horrendous. Easily treated though with medication. I never walk on beaches etc barefoot now.