Could This Still Be Scabies Even If the Skin Scraping Was Negative?
Back in March, I traveled to my home country and stayed at my mom’s house. A few weeks later, around April 11, I noticed a few small, red, itchy bumps—just one or two at first. But over time, they spread across my arms, shoulders, chest, waist, upper abdomen, knees (especially behind them), legs, and even feet. At first, I thought it was just a bug bite, so I ignored it.
However, a baby in my household had been diagnosed with scabies, and I now suspect I may have caught it from him since we shared the living room where I slept.
After returning to the country where I work, I went to a doctor. During my visit, they scraped some of the bumps and checked them under a microscope. They told me it didn’t look like scabies because it didn’t follow the usual scabies pattern and I didn’t have visible burrow lines. They advised me to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist instead.
I went back a second time because the itching was getting worse, but I’m still waiting for my dermatologist appointment, which is scheduled for June 23. I honestly can’t wait that long because this has already been going on for weeks and it’s becoming unbearable.
In the meantime, the doctor prescribed me benzyl benzoate lotion, which I apply from neck down to my feet, along with cetirizine antihistamine for the itching. Just yesterday, I also tried permethrin cream.
Has anyone experienced something similar where the scraping was negative but it still turned out to be scabies? Or could this be something else?