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As referenced in this thread, I've been having some health... issues... for more than a month now. The latest and greatest was a case of scabies that we figure came from one of my boyfriend's patients at the hospital where he works. Either that, or one of us happened to sit in the wrong chair or some such.
Anyway, when I went running to the doctor to get my suspicions confirmed, I was given a tube of permethrin cream to put on. My boyfriend attempted to get one of his own but nobody would write him a prescription, and we ended up using the one tube for us both. We also sprinkled Borax on the carpet throughout our apartment, on our couch, and on our mattress, in addition to washing all our clothes, pillows, blankets, and sheets in hot water.
It did no good. Within three days, the scabies welts were spreading all over me again.
I had been given one refill of the permethrin lotion, and while we waited the ten days before I could go and get that prescription filled, we armed for battle with tea tree soap, sulfur soap, permethrin flea spray that was supposed to work on lice as well (and by association, hopefully, scabies) and more Borax. I was to go pick up the prescription on Monday morning after I got off work, and on Sunday night my boyfriend Boraxed the carpet and vacuumed again.
There was some difficulty in getting the prescription due to someone driving up on the sidewalk and taking out a telephone pole in front of my doctor's office, as well as with the fact that the pitbull behind the pharmacy counter told me that it would be 48 hours before they could fill the prescription. No exceptions, and this in spite of the fact that it took them about 45 minutes to fill it the first time. I had to call in a favor from a friend of mine who works at that pharmacy, in order to get it at all. Good thing I did too, because my boyfriend and I both have to be treated again if one of us shows symptoms again, and the next time we'd both have a day off to be treated would be in another week and a half.
Anyway, I did manage to get the cream so I came home, we slathered up, and let it stay there for about 15 hours. Meanwhile, we slept, got up, and started washing. While I washed, my boyfriend sprayed down all our curtains and the shower curtain with the permethrin flea spray. We Boraxed the mattress and vacuumed it, then Boraxed the couch and vacuumed that. Then, late last night we lathered up with sulfur soap.
So far, it seems to be working, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The scabies welts seem to be fading except for one, and I'm a little itchy -- although itching is, ironically, one of the side effects of permethrin. And tonight we sprayed the interior of my car with the flea spray because it has cloth seats. We're hoping that the leather seats in my boyfriend's car won't need it. If they did need it, it's a little too late... although it was pretty cold last night and hopefully that might have done the little shits in. To be on the safe side indoors though, we did also spray down our leather chairs with the flea spray, as well as the couch and carpet when my boyfriend sat on them before washing off the lotion.
So here we are, living in hope that they're gone. What an ordeal.
And you know what? I just realized that I'd forgotten to mention yet another health problem in that first thread. While walking from our apartment to a nearby restaurant a couple of weeks back, I stepped in a hole and did a header into some bushes. Didn't realize until we got to the restaurant that I'd gashed my leg in the process. Deeply. I didn't realize how deeply until it healed to the point that the scab comes off in the shower and you look down into it. Ye gods... But it's healing and at least it doesn't throb anymore.
What a hell of a way to spend one's November.
Anyway, when I went running to the doctor to get my suspicions confirmed, I was given a tube of permethrin cream to put on. My boyfriend attempted to get one of his own but nobody would write him a prescription, and we ended up using the one tube for us both. We also sprinkled Borax on the carpet throughout our apartment, on our couch, and on our mattress, in addition to washing all our clothes, pillows, blankets, and sheets in hot water.
It did no good. Within three days, the scabies welts were spreading all over me again.
I had been given one refill of the permethrin lotion, and while we waited the ten days before I could go and get that prescription filled, we armed for battle with tea tree soap, sulfur soap, permethrin flea spray that was supposed to work on lice as well (and by association, hopefully, scabies) and more Borax. I was to go pick up the prescription on Monday morning after I got off work, and on Sunday night my boyfriend Boraxed the carpet and vacuumed again.
There was some difficulty in getting the prescription due to someone driving up on the sidewalk and taking out a telephone pole in front of my doctor's office, as well as with the fact that the pitbull behind the pharmacy counter told me that it would be 48 hours before they could fill the prescription. No exceptions, and this in spite of the fact that it took them about 45 minutes to fill it the first time. I had to call in a favor from a friend of mine who works at that pharmacy, in order to get it at all. Good thing I did too, because my boyfriend and I both have to be treated again if one of us shows symptoms again, and the next time we'd both have a day off to be treated would be in another week and a half.
Anyway, I did manage to get the cream so I came home, we slathered up, and let it stay there for about 15 hours. Meanwhile, we slept, got up, and started washing. While I washed, my boyfriend sprayed down all our curtains and the shower curtain with the permethrin flea spray. We Boraxed the mattress and vacuumed it, then Boraxed the couch and vacuumed that. Then, late last night we lathered up with sulfur soap.
So far, it seems to be working, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The scabies welts seem to be fading except for one, and I'm a little itchy -- although itching is, ironically, one of the side effects of permethrin. And tonight we sprayed the interior of my car with the flea spray because it has cloth seats. We're hoping that the leather seats in my boyfriend's car won't need it. If they did need it, it's a little too late... although it was pretty cold last night and hopefully that might have done the little shits in. To be on the safe side indoors though, we did also spray down our leather chairs with the flea spray, as well as the couch and carpet when my boyfriend sat on them before washing off the lotion.
So here we are, living in hope that they're gone. What an ordeal.
And you know what? I just realized that I'd forgotten to mention yet another health problem in that first thread. While walking from our apartment to a nearby restaurant a couple of weeks back, I stepped in a hole and did a header into some bushes. Didn't realize until we got to the restaurant that I'd gashed my leg in the process. Deeply. I didn't realize how deeply until it healed to the point that the scab comes off in the shower and you look down into it. Ye gods... But it's healing and at least it doesn't throb anymore.
What a hell of a way to spend one's November.