Brush with a ray tail...

[H2O 70]

I volunteer at our local Aquarium. We feed a variety of animals as part of our duties.

I was there all day on Tuesday and did my day without incident.

On Wednesday morning I woke it and my forehead itched. I looked in the mirror and sure enough I had a rash around 3 inches long and 1/2 inches wide just above where my mask would be.

When I was feeding a cownose ray came up my front and one of the big roughtails was coming from behind and high. So when the cownose came up my face the roughtail was on top of me and the cownose turned away when it did, the mid section of the tail brushed my forehead.

Could this be the cause of my rash?

I honestly can't think of anything else that could have caused it.

 

[cutlass]

The only clue mentioned is the stingray incident and so there's no basis to guess at any other possibility. If close examination shows signs of abrasion, then the likelihood that it was the ray goes up.

 

[H2O 70]

No signs of abrasion what so ever...I took the dog for a walk on Sunday. It is possible he got into some poison ivy and I touch him then my forehead, but that would have shown up by Monday or Tuesday...I'm rather stumped.

 

[cutlass]

I'd also expect a reaction on your hands. Typically, the back of the hand is used to wipe the brow; the palmar side is more often used with massaging motions or shielding the eyes.

Appearence, location, pattern, and history are just the barest starting points to sleuthing a rash. At this point, your case sounds to be quite localized so that fair odds have it caused by direct contact with something. (It also doesn't sound like it's aligned with any specific nerve branches.) Inflammation from a superficial abrasion should subside within a few days, likely followed by light scabbing or peeling. Poison ivy may take a few weeks to resolve. And SOP is that if at any time it becomes worrying, make an appointment.