Hello, I've been itching for months now. I think I got scabies sometime last June while I
was out backpacking and traveling around the West Coast. I haven't been diagnosed, but I
match all the symptoms and I've seen pictures of it online. See, for two years I was
convinced I had herpes because I had had sex with this girl in Missouri. Well, I eventually
got a sore on the hed of my penis and thought, finally, confirmation I've got herpes. I got
tested for it at the free clinic in Missoula, Montana. It came back herpes negative. I told
the nurse how I was itching and she said maybe it was scabies. I looked scabies up on the
web and saw pictures of scabies on penises and it looked exactly like mine. The sore healed
up soon afterwards and hasn't come back. On 9-22-09 at the free clinic there they gave me a
tube of permethrin 5% and told me to apply it all over from the neck down. The nurse told me
it would cure it. The bottle even said one application was curative. Lies. Halfway through
my trip I decided to head back home to heal my scabies. So I came home to my mom's house Oct
14. On 10-21 I was able to get another tube of permethrin 5%, a month later and I am still
itching. I told my mother how I was very concerned of spreading scabies to her and my nephew
who live here. She wasn't too concerned saying God will protect her. I haven't even told my
13 year old nephew. My mom doesn't want me to, but I think it would be fair. Since I've been
back I've been glued to the all the forums and washing my clothes in hot water daily. I
never wear the same thing twice. Recently I ordered some sulfur soap and I do a whole body
treatment in the shower. Been doing that for about a week. When I wake up and when I go to
bed. At first I would massage the soap into my skin completely until I was dry and just got
dressed. Now I rinse it off after about thirty minutes. I get so paranoid. I feel guilty
hanging out with friends and not telling them I've got scabies. I would flip out if I gave
one of my friends scabies. I feel like a leper. I change the bedcover every night and I've
got a couple sleeping bags and I wash those in hot water all the time too. My mom's house
has a tile floor so no carpet. I just did a borax soak yesterday for the first time. I only
had enough supplies for one. Am I supposed to do this twice a day? 3 cups of borax, 2 cups
of epsom salt and 2 cups of hydrogen peroxide in hot water. It was a bit difficult in the
tub because I am six foot six. I'm still itching though. So, I don't share clothes or beds
with anyone else in the house. I share keyboards. What should I wipe a keyboard with? Can
they get scabies from sharing a computer chair? Am I less infectious after a sulfur soap
shower? So, I've been back for about two months. Can I assume that my mother and nephew have
scabies already, or will get scabies eventually as long as I am living here too? Giving my
mom and nephew scabies is one of my worst nightmares. I wish I could leave and take off
backpacking again, but it would be impossible for me to get rid of scabies on the road since
I wouldn't be able to wash my clothes in hot water everyday. From what I've read on these
forums going to the doctor won't help much if they're just going to prescribe me permethrin.
I don't have any medical insurance anyway. I DETEST SCABIES. I swear I feel so cursed. I
used to tell everybody I was happiest man in the world when they asked how I was doing,
UNTIL I GOT SCABIES.
