Help! Several Small Blisters on Legs

[Diverblam]

Hello,

Please help me! I've gone to the doctors, searched all over the internet and have found nothing.

I went diving in Fiji and on the day that I came home, I had a small, red skin abnormality the size of a pencil eraser. It was not painful. The next morning, it turned into a quarter-sized blister with pus. I went to the doc, who drained it, and prescribed me both oral and topical antibiotics. The next evening, I found several pin-sized clear blisters all over my legs. These dissappeared the next morning. Exactly one week later, the same small, clear blisters appeared on my legs (different areas though). Except they are bigger than pin sized! I have another doc appointment tomorrow (presuming they don't disappear again by morning).

Does anyone have any ideas what this could be? I dove in Fiji with no wetsuit on, but stayed completely clear of the reef and coral. I did not touch, bump or scrape myself on anything. There were small jellies in the water and I did get some stings but those are red... I cannot figure out what caused the blisters on my legs! I do not have these anywhere else on my body.

Someone please help! This is driving me insane... especially since I tried searching all over the web. All diving incidents included red, itchy, painful rashes... which I do not have. I need to get this situation resolved as I'm going to Honduras for more diving in a week... this cannot mess up my diving plans!! And yes, of course... I am quite concerned about my health...

Thank you!
B

 

[MoonWrasse]

Welcome to Scubaboard!

You might want to post a picture to assist being helped.

 

[Charlie99]

Have you ever had a case of poison ivy? Is it something similar?

Touching or brushing up against things like fire coral and hydroids can cause symptoms along the line of what you describe. Some hydroids are very lacy, soft sea fans that you wouldn't necessarily notice, and even broken off bits and pieces can get you.

www.diversalertnetwork.org is a good source for diving medicine info.

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.asp?faqid=96 is about jellyfish as well as fire coral and hydroids.

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.asp?faqid=27 is an article about allergic reactions, including hydroids and sea lice.

If it is indeed this sort of stuff, the treatment is similar to poison ivy -- hydrocortisone and time.

 

[Diverblam]

Nope... never had poison ivy... and it's not firecoral, sea lice, or jellies... I stayed a good 3-5 feet away from the reef, fans, corals, etc... I thought it would be sea lice but they don't itch and aren't red... and guess what? The blisters dissappeared again this morning.

I went through Dan's site the first time the blisters appeared and even called their hotline (since I couldn't find anything on their site). They were bafffled and had no clue what it could be either.

I went to the docs and they had no clue. I finally found something online... I think I got too much sun! Why the blisters would appear 2 days after I returned and again 10 days after I returned is a mystery. But in the middle of my trip, I got lazy and didn't put sun screen on my legs. They never got burned but they did get pretty dry and now the blisters... so I guess I will keep lathering the sun screen! I shared this with the doc after she said she had no idea what it could be and then she agreed that it could be over sun exposure.

Anyways... let's hope its just that... I'm going to Honduras in a week for more diving! Weeee! =)

Thank you again for replying so quickly.

Bev