tingly rash on hand

[Scuba Barbie]

I understand it is impossible to diagnose a rash without a visual, so I am attaching a jpg.... just kidding.

During a dive in St Thomas at the russian barge wreck, I scrapped my hand on coral. The scratches healed quickly in a few days. This was June 23rd. July 8th a rash that looks like tiny splinters and tingles is spreading from that area of my hand.

Could this be dive related or has too much time gone by?

Thanks.

 

[WreckWriter]

or a bristleworm or similar beastie.

Tom

 

[DivingGal]

fire coral sounds like the most like culprit (exactly how I felt with my minor encounter)

Though fireworm/ bristleworm are possibility, but I'm sure you would have seen the critter move off.

 

[Laurence Stein DDS]

Hi, Scuba Barbie,

The rash you describe doesn't exactly sound like fire coral. I get mixed up in it a lot when lobstering.

Generally, when I'm stung, there is a red weal (sp) that may turn more brownish over time. It commonly feels wet--the red area is actually wet to the touch for up to a week. Sometimes they itch. For me, this lasts a little over a week and goes away without problems. Your timeline is rather long and you seem to be saying that this is a progression of symptoms.

A bristle worm is really gonna hurt, immediately. Their spines are so small that they are hard to see. I suppose it is possible that you are seeing a foreign body reaction for one of these critters.

You describe "scratching yourself" and healing. Now, you have a rash so I take it that the rash was not immediate and that sounds more unusual.

On wrecks there is often stinging sponges. They can also cause microscopic spines to be inserted into the skin. These suckers
will itch and tingle for a while. I get them when I kneal on the deck without an exposure suit.

You don't want to rule out a bacterial infection, secondary to the scratch. Even an allergic reaction to something under the skin may be possible.

Anyway, my concern is the length of time from the scratch and the rash--it seems odd.

But---I'm not a dermatologist--just my 2 cents.

Regards,

Larry Stein

 

[Scuba Barbie]

Thanks, ToothDoc. Yes, I thought the time lapse between dive and rash was long. Yes, I thought I was completely healed after a day or so. So they are probably unrelated.

Being the hypocondriac I am, I just wanted to ask opinions.

Thanks all for your time and consideration.

-DD

 

[Laurence Stein DDS]

Scuba Barbie,

Well, you came to the right guy. I'm a hypocondriDoc.

Hope you're feeling better.

Larry Stein

 

[John Reinertson]

Most often, rashes will occur shortly after the scrape/ cut.

We have had other people post in past threads about rashes lasting for some time after the original contact, and their dermatologists/docs had concluded that it was connected to the original injury.

As you've guessed, we can't tell without seeing it.

It's conceivable that coral material could have gotten trapped in the wounds as they healed and the body is now reacting to it.

I had a tiny bit of urchin spine pop up on the bottom of my big toe 6 weeks after my last dive trip.. Had gotten healed in and then later popped to the surface and I dug it out.

Get it checked and let us know.

Dive safe and scratchless,
john

 

[Scuba Barbie]

Will do, thanks for your time.

 

[Laurence Stein DDS]

John,

You "dug it out". Whew, and everyone thought us dentists were brutal! I especially liked the medical lingo, DUG IT OUT--it's so much more descriptive than excised, enucleated, debrided, incised, etc. You say what you mean--GOOD!

I hope you poured whiskey over your pocket knife before you dug it out!

Regards,

Larry Stein