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Continuous itching after returning home

Eef123

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
april 2019
Hi all,
I’m having a itchy problem and I’m overwhelmed with not knowing, really longing for clarity. I hope you have some advice for me.
During the Camino I was itchy almost all the time. Once I found bed bugs in my sleeping bag. I went through all the steps washed and dried everything VERY hot, threw out a lot of stuff, sprayed with toxic stuff from the albergue owners. Went through this process multiple times.

Returning home I stripped naked in the toilet at the train station, changed clothes (which my partner brought), put everything in big bags etc etc. Handled everything super carefully again.

Also, a professional came to inspect my house for bed bugs and couldn’t find anything.

I keep on feeling itchy, and now my partner (after 3+ weeks of being home) also gets itchy.

The doctor mentioned scabies, but he said the symptoms were not really pointing to it (chest, back, legs, arms, neck - not necessarily hands). But I keep this in mind and might go through the treatment for this.

My skin shows very tiny red spots (see picture1+2, most are even smaller than this). The worst itch was 5 days after being back home (picture3). It’s not so visible, but the itch is there and I’m feeling socially isolated because I don’t want to spread anything. Just want to know what it is. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thank you!
 

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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I got a really bad itch after being in Spain and Portugal last summer. I also tend to get one when I arrive somewhere with lower temperatures than I am use to.

I think mine could be cold weather itch but it's hard to diagnose as there are no spots.

I find moisturising itches really helps. Oddly there is one creme in particular by Nivea that works way better than any other. It's usually sold in white tubes, not blue. It's available everywhere and might help.
 
I often have cold weather / dryness itch after trips, but it does not look like yours. Good thing you are already seeing a doctor, they will probably have the best path to deal with it.
But it may be worth asking for topical creams to relieve the itchyness, such as Dermaid or equivalents - check with the doctor if they could help.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Rashes can be very hard to identify for the reason. Find a doc that maybe specializes in traveling or tropical medicine. Amsterdam being a port town it should not be so difficult to find.
Antihistaminica oral and cortisone may relief the itch. Are you proned to dry skin? Then the water change may be the culprit.
But the doc can advice you best.
 
In general, itching can have a variety of causes. Vascularitis, a redness and swelling around the ankles/ lower legs, can be alleviated with time and raising the feet during rest breaks. Groin area itching might be prevented with Glide or other athletic lubricants or powders. Dry skin can be helped/prevented with moisturizing lotions. Nonspecific allergic responses might be helped with over-the-counter anti-histamines such as Benedryl or cortisone cream. That leaves us with insect bites, which your photos resemble. The itching comes from a histamine reaction, but that doesn't explain the continued (and spreading to partner) new bites. Something very tiny seems to be the culprit.
 
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Do you have an dogs or cats. Maybe a flee hitched a hike. Human flees are no more that common but pets have them. Those flees don’t like humans but they may try you because the have no other host, but they don’t like human.
Another one many the imbalance with the demotex mites. Again a doc will tailor the treatments for you.
Get well soon.
 
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They don't look like typical bedbug or flea bites, and I can't imagine spiders wandering around biting like that. Could it be either a leftover reaction to the bedbugs? Or contact with some fabric or shirt that you wear? New washing detergent? (The last would explain your partner getting it too.) Must be very frustrating! Good luck.
 
Hi all,
I’m having a itchy problem and I’m overwhelmed with not knowing, really longing for clarity. I hope you have some advice for me.
During the Camino I was itchy almost all the time. Once I found bed bugs in my sleeping bag. I went through all the steps washed and dried everything VERY hot, threw out a lot of stuff, sprayed with toxic stuff from the albergue owners. Went through this process multiple times.

Returning home I stripped naked in the toilet at the train station, changed clothes (which my partner brought), put everything in big bags etc etc. Handled everything super carefully again.

Also, a professional came to inspect my house for bed bugs and couldn’t find anything.

I keep on feeling itchy, and now my partner (after 3+ weeks of being home) also gets itchy.

The doctor mentioned scabies, but he said the symptoms were not really pointing to it (chest, back, legs, arms, neck - not necessarily hands). But I keep this in mind and might go through the treatment for this.

My skin shows very tiny red spots (see picture1+2, most are even smaller than this). The worst itch was 5 days after being back home (picture3). It’s not so visible, but the itch is there and I’m feeling socially isolated because I don’t want to spread anything. Just want to know what it is. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thank you!
I hate to say it, but it sounds like scabies, also known as mange. My dog caught it and we all caught it from him, but easily passed between humans. It is a tiny mite and needs prescription meds from your doctor plus thorough cleaning of living areas and clothing. Vacuum daily until itching stops. Best of luck as this is no fun if this is what you caught. My doctor said mine was not typical either. Do the treatment!
It is often found around kids/schools and places where bed bugs, etc. are found.
 
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I picked up scabies in Georgia once and it’s not fun! Generally they go to hairless areas...wrists, back of knees, etc. There is usually a relief from itching, then it returns when the eggs hatch (under the skin!) and the little buggers eat their way to the surface! Generally need to do the treatment (hot bath, insecticide) twice to break the cycle. Good luck!
 
I picked up scabies in Georgia once and it’s not fun! Generally they go to hairless areas...wrists, back of knees, etc. There is usually a relief from itching, then it returns when the eggs hatch (under the skin!) and the little buggers eat their way to the surface! Generally need to do the treatment (hot bath, insecticide) twice to break the cycle. Good luck!
I grew up in Georgia, and we called those miserable little critters "chiggers". Assuming it's the same bug, this might be helpful:
 
Every fall when I return to the dry weather of Washington ---I start itching. The itch is miserable. It starts at the back of my neck and goes down my left arm. I develope a few bumps like you describe after I scratch the area. Sometimes it also affects my right arm. Benadryl helps.
After eliminating wine with sulfates, the rash did not improve. (So glad it wasn't the wine)
This year I used a moisturizer over the areas and it got better and after a couple of months the itching completely stopped.
So my theory is:. My skin got too dried out from the sun. I am ashamed to admit I didn't use enough sunscreen on those areas even though I only got sun burned once the first few days.
I learned in nursing school that itching is a mild form of pain. So try lots of moisturizer and stay away from very hot showers and drying soaps and see if the itching stops after a week or so.
 
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I don't believe it's bedbugs from your photos (see mine attached). I know them well because once I counted over 200 bites. But that could've been delayed body response as could be yours.

Anyway it seems more like rabies. EDIT: scabies!!!

I don't want to speculate but if your husband also got the itch either it's scabies or it's his psychological response to your itching and scratching.

I remember my grandmother recipe for reducing itching from scabies: mix honey (don't remember which one) and apple vinegar and then apply small drops on each "bite".

View attachment 571690865-bedbug bites (Puente Domingo Florez, 19.07.14).jpg
 
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In dogs you can do 30 negative skin scrapes for scabies and find it on the 31st one because scabies mites burrow under the skin. Who wants to go as far as a skin biopsy to find it when treatment is easy and cheap? If it's there it's gone, if not, no harm done.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
That does not look like scabies at all. With scabies, it would affect the palms of your hands, between your fingers, the crook of your elbow, back of your knee and be more of a weeping, fluid-filled blister. At night it would be worse.
Do go to a dermatologist to see what it is.
 
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Thank you all so much for thinking with me, it feels like support. Today one more time a professional came to look in the house for bedbugs (just to be sure). They didn't find them. I will go to see the docter once more, and maybe a dermatologist. Hope to get rid of the itch soon!
 
Hi all,
I’m having a itchy problem and I’m overwhelmed with not knowing, really longing for clarity. I hope you have some advice for me.
During the Camino I was itchy almost all the time. Once I found bed bugs in my sleeping bag. I went through all the steps washed and dried everything VERY hot, threw out a lot of stuff, sprayed with toxic stuff from the albergue owners. Went through this process multiple times.

Returning home I stripped naked in the toilet at the train station, changed clothes (which my partner brought), put everything in big bags etc etc. Handled everything super carefully again.

Also, a professional came to inspect my house for bed bugs and couldn’t find anything.

I keep on feeling itchy, and now my partner (after 3+ weeks of being home) also gets itchy.

The doctor mentioned scabies, but he said the symptoms were not really pointing to it (chest, back, legs, arms, neck - not necessarily hands). But I keep this in mind and might go through the treatment for this.

My skin shows very tiny red spots (see picture1+2, most are even smaller than this). The worst itch was 5 days after being back home (picture3). It’s not so visible, but the itch is there and I’m feeling socially isolated because I don’t want to spread anything. Just want to know what it is. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thank you!
I once got a staph infection on my skin from using a hot tub in which the chemical balance was off. It created an itchy rash particularly on my torso and it flared up when my skin was hot or sweaty. Took me months to figure out and was misdiagnosed by my primary doctor. Had to see a dermatologist for proper diagnosis and treatment. Just a thought?
 
Thank you all so much for thinking with me, it feels like support. Today one more time a professional came to look in the house for bedbugs (just to be sure). They didn't find them. I will go to see the docter once more, and maybe a dermatologist. Hope to get rid of the itch soon!
Poor thing
Itching is awful. If the itch had blisters it could be Tinea. I got it on one camino and passed it to my poor partner. Mainly on feet but can be elsewhere. Good luck with a solution. Skin specialist might be your best port of call
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Hi all,
I’m having a itchy problem and I’m overwhelmed with not knowing, really longing for clarity. I hope you have some advice for me.
During the Camino I was itchy almost all the time. Once I found bed bugs in my sleeping bag. I went through all the steps washed and dried everything VERY hot, threw out a lot of stuff, sprayed with toxic stuff from the albergue owners. Went through this process multiple times.

Returning home I stripped naked in the toilet at the train station, changed clothes (which my partner brought), put everything in big bags etc etc. Handled everything super carefully again.

Also, a professional came to inspect my house for bed bugs and couldn’t find anything.

I keep on feeling itchy, and now my partner (after 3+ weeks of being home) also gets itchy.

The doctor mentioned scabies, but he said the symptoms were not really pointing to it (chest, back, legs, arms, neck - not necessarily hands). But I keep this in mind and might go through the treatment for this.

My skin shows very tiny red spots (see picture1+2, most are even smaller than this). The worst itch was 5 days after being back home (picture3). It’s not so visible, but the itch is there and I’m feeling socially isolated because I don’t want to spread anything. Just want to know what it is. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thank you!
After my 2016 camino I ended up with itchiness that spread over my whole body and red patches. While I was in Spain, I really worried I had picked up bedbugs or some other live companions. I went to the after hours clinic as soon as I got home and the doctor there said it was ringworm (a fungal skin infection) and prescribed prednisone, which worked while I was on it. A number of doctors later, it was decided that I did not have ringworm but chronic idiopathic urticaria (translated into English: hives that don't go away and no one knows why). They may possibly have started as a side effect of the ibuprofen I was consuming on the Camino, but lasted long after I had stopped taking the ibuprofen. IThe symptoms are gone now, with regular medication.
 
After my 2016 camino I ended up with itchiness that spread over my whole body and red patches. While I was in Spain, I really worried I had picked up bedbugs or some other live companions. I went to the after hours clinic as soon as I got home and the doctor there said it was ringworm (a fungal skin infection) and prescribed prednisone, which worked while I was on it. A number of doctors later, it was decided that I did not have ringworm but chronic idiopathic urticaria (translated into English: hives that don't go away and no one knows why). They may possibly have started as a side effect of the ibuprofen I was consuming on the Camino, but lasted long after I had stopped taking the ibuprofen. IThe symptoms are gone now, with regular medication.
Idiopathic= Doctor speak for "I don't know what it is but you'll probably survive"
 
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St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
I looked at this thread thinking (hoping) it would be about itching to go back! Anyone else “itching” to go back?
 
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