In the summer of 2020, I suddenly found a small red pimple on my left ankle, not like the one on my face, not very big, but occasionally itchy.
I didn’t care too much, I thought it was mosquito bites in summer. But until the summer passed, the acne not only did not disappear, but got bigger and bigger.
A very itchy pimple gradually turned into a “flesh pimple”
That’s when I realized something wasn’t right, and I wanted to go to the drugstore and buy an ointment. After explaining the situation to the clerk, I showed the pox dew to him again, and said, “It must have been bitten by some insect in the summer. It’s a little itchy, and the more I scratch it, the more itchy.” The clerk glanced at it and handed me an ointment .
So I rub the medicine on time, three times a day. The first two days, it obviously felt useful, but after the third day, the pimple not only became red and swollen, but also became more and more itchy.
I dared not rub it any more and stopped using the ointment immediately. Next, I scalded it with hot water and salt water every day, trying to “burn it to death”, but it didn’t work at all, and finally it successfully changed from “pox” to “meat bumps” .
The “meat lump” at the ankle丨Photo provided by the author
Even though it turned into a fleshy bump, I didn’t feel anything other than itching, so I didn’t bother with it.
Until next summer, when I put on a skirt and showed my ankles, because the fleshy bump was too eye-catching, a friend asked me one after another: “What’s wrong with your feet? It feels scary.”
At that time, the meat bumps were about 1 cm in diameter and the size of soybeans. The most important thing is that its color becomes like a purple grape, which makes people want to ignore it.
It’s so itchy that I can’t stand it.
A lump of meat turned into a piece
I realized I had to go to the hospital.
I chose a good hospital and got a dermatology account. My sister arrived early with me. After half an hour, the doctor showed up.
“Doctor, please help my sister to find out what’s going on. It’s been there since last summer. It seems to be bitten by a mosquito. It’s very itchy, and the more you scratch it .” Before the doctor put on the white coat, I The sister said anxiously.
I consciously sat on the stool and rolled up my trousers, revealing the pimple. The doctor looked at the flashlight and then tapped on the computer.
The whole process took less than one minute. I was afraid that the doctor didn’t know enough about my situation, so I hurriedly continued: “This lump of flesh is not real, it seems to be one petal after another. I don’t know if it was bitten by a mosquito, but it took a long time. already.”
The doctor told me not to worry after listening to it and said it was not a big problem. Then a spray and two creams were prescribed to me, and I rubbed it three times a day.
The effect of this medicine is very good in the early stage. After rubbing it, it doesn’t itch, and the pimples gradually flatten and the color becomes lighter.
But the good times didn’t last long, and soon it started to itch again. I couldn’t help it. After I scratched it, the fleshy bumps that had become smaller quickly became bigger, and the color returned to the dark color before. What’s even more terrifying is that the number of meat bumps has increased wildly, from the original one to several, covering the entire left calf.
Large pieces of meat lumps丨Photo courtesy of the author
The itch in one place turned into an itch in one piece. The itch came out of the skin. I wanted to scratch the fleshy bump, but the more I scratched, the more itchy, the more itchy, the more I scratched.
What followed was that my left calf was scratched one by one scars. During the day, I can still control myself, but at night, I can’t stand the itching. In my dreams, I will scratch involuntarily. When I woke up in the morning, my nails were full of blood, and there were scabs and patches of blood on my legs.
In just a week, like a virus infection, a similar situation began to appear in the right calf , and the two calves were terrible. And I found large yellow spots on the wringed and dried bath towel.
I’m nervous, it’s not because of my skin that there is a big problem!
From the initial left calf to the bilateral calf丨Photo courtesy of the author
The doctor said that my problem is “easy to diagnose and difficult to treat”
Now, I can no longer say “no problem” to myself, and I quickly hang up the number of a professional dermatology hospital.
Two days before I went to the hospital, I was extremely anxious, and the ulcers in my legs made me wonder if I had some incurable disease. At the same time, I also regret very much. If I had received professional treatment as soon as possible, would it not have developed into such a serious situation?
When I entered the doctor’s office, I just showed my legs when I heard the doctor say, “Ouch, why do your legs look like this?” The doctor’s words startled me.
“How long have you been like this?” the doctor asked after putting on his glasses and taking a closer look. I’m embarrassed to say “more than a year”, but I still tell the truth.
“You are prurigo nodularis, and you need to treat it for a period of time. It’s impossible to get better right away.” Maybe because I was worried, the doctor showed me another picture of prurigo nodularis. I look at my legs, and then look at the pictures, it’s really similar!
The doctor went on to say that in response to this situation, you can choose to inject drugs, liquid nitrogen cryotherapy, or “rub outside and eat inside”. But no matter what kind of treatment, it is a long-term process, which is simply “easy to diagnose and difficult to treat”.
“Tell me that you kids now like to procrastinate when they have any physical problems. It would be better if you find out early and treat them early. You have to get your legs full of scars before you come.” Facing the doctor’s kind scolding, my heart was full again. regret.
In the end, because of work reasons, I chose to “rub outside and eat inside “. It has now been more than half a year since the diagnosis. I have been undergoing treatment, and I have re-examined several times in the middle. The situation has improved a lot, but the itching still occurs occasionally.
In the face of this scratching itch, my experience is: don’t scratch when it’s itchy.
After such an encounter, I have to sigh: anything can be delayed, only health problems can’t be delayed.
Doctor Reviews
Wang Fang | Attending Physician of Dermatology Department of Ninth Affiliated Hospital of Shanxi Medical University (Taiyuan Central Hospital)
Itching is a common symptom of many skin diseases. Prurigo nodosa is a very itchy skin disease.
Prurigo nodularis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by severe itching and nodular lesions. The disease is more common in the extremities, especially in the front of the calf, but also in the waist, back, buttocks, etc., and mostly occurs in 20 to 60 years old, and it is more common in women.
The cause of the disease is not yet fully understood. Most scholars believe that its incidence is related to hypersensitivity; some patients have a family history, so it may be related to genetics; some patients have papular urticaria (ie insect bite dermatitis), which may be related to insect bites; Some scholars believe that the disease is caused by allergy to external sensitizers, such as sunlight, food and drugs; in addition, immune dysfunction, digestive system dysfunction, and neuropsychiatric factors also affect the occurrence of the disease.
Prurigo nodularis is a light red papule at the beginning of the onset, and gradually evolves into a hemispherical nodule, the size of soybean to broad bean, with obvious keratinization and rough top ; It feels solid to the touch. Patients often feel persistent severe itching, which is exacerbated by heat, exercise, sweating, and mood swings. Like the author, many patients have unbearable itching, and often can’t help scratching so hard that skin ulcers, bleeding and even infection occur. Depending on the severity of the disease, prurigo nodularis can have a more or less impact on the patient’s appearance.
During the fight against the disease, the itching of the body and the destruction of the spirit will bring huge psychological pressure. The patient is prone to insomnia, insomnia, dreaminess or restlessness, resulting in apathy, irritability, anxiety and other negative emotions, and even affect life. quality.
In order to avoid a serious situation like the author in the article, if you find skin abnormalities, you should go to the dermatology department of a regular hospital in time. In terms of treatment, external application of glucocorticoid ointment or local injection of glucocorticoid for sealing, or ultraviolet radiation, liquid nitrogen freezing, etc.
References:
[1] https://ift.tt/1pG4frx
[2] Zhang Xuejun, Zheng Jie. Dermatology. Ninth Edition [M]. Beijing: People’s Health Publishing House, 2018.
[3] Elmariah S, Kim B, Berger T, Chisolm S, Kwatra SG, Mollanazar N, Yosipovitch G. Practical approaches for diagnosis and management of prurigo nodularis: United States expert panel consensus. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021 Mar;84( 3): 747-760
Personal experience sharing does not constitute diagnosis and treatment advice, and cannot replace a doctor’s individual judgment on a specific patient. If you need to seek medical treatment, please go to a regular hospital.
Author: half an acre
Editor: Xiao Ai, Li Xiaoqiu
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