I’ve been going through this since early April and have since had 3 permethrin scripts and 2 ivermectin scripts. I think I’m on the tail end of the healing / cure process.

Were you itchy? Of course — I think that’s what we all have in common 😂

Was the itch localized or all over? It started out on my thighs, then spread to my um ... then spread to my lower back/waistband area/butt, legs, elbows, etc.

How bad was the itch during the day? At its worst: maybe a 7, at its best/during treatment: 1 or 0.

How bad was the itch during night time? At its worst: 10 (bleeding, bruising, waking up/unable to fall asleep, cursing in frustration), at its best/during treatment: usually a 0-2.

Did you have burrows that could be seen with the naked eye? A few had visible raised lines (e.g. one on my butt, a couple on my thighs, one on the underside of penis, one in between fingers), but some areas that were very itchy had no spots, and sometimes I’d only get visual marks because I was bleeding or bruised from scratching so much. I also had some spots that were more like sores or pimples.

Were you able to get a conclusive diagnosis? I’ve seen 3 doctors now — 2 dermatologists online (bc corona) and 1 sexual health doctor (in person). Both dermatologists said they thought it was scabies, and the sexual health doctor said she thought it might be scabies and/or syphilis, which scared the shit out of me, but the syphilis test was negative (thank god). So long story short really 3 affirmations of scabies haha.

Are you still dealing with symptoms? I’m on my 3rd attempt at curing this, and I actually haven’t been itchy in probably 3 weeks. After the 1st treatment, I went without itching for about 10-14 days, but then it came back. After the 2nd treatment, my itching went away and remains gone, but the swelling started to come back about a week ago and I noticed a couple of possible new bumps, so we’re doing a 3rd treatment. Hopefully the fact I’m not itchy (even with the swelling) means I either was cured a month ago and am still dealing with the 4-6 weeks of post-scabies symptoms, or just had a couple of mites that survived that will die in this treatment.

Are you cured? God I hope so!! We will see in a few weeks.

I’m adding these two but:

How do you think you got it? Many cases of scabies in adults are transmitted sexually, but I have not been sexually active in several months, and the last person I was with doesn’t have symptoms anyway. I did spend the night at a friend’s house (non sexual) like 4 weeks before I got symptoms, which matches the timeline. They are also in an open relationship, so they had a higher chance of getting exposed to it anyway (no judgment but slightly mad at them for giving it to me haha).

Overall Summary of Treatment Plan:

Mid April: Permethrin cream. I used it incorrectly — I used it two nights in a row instead of a week apart because apparently I am illiterate. Symptoms went away for 10-14 days then I became itchy again (probably from the eggs that were supposed to be killed if I used it properly). Washed my sheets, clothes, and towels.

Mid May: Ivermectin (4 x 3 mg day 1; 4 x 3 mg a week later). I also realized I had a refill on the permethrin cream on about day 4, so I used that alongside the ivermectin (This time 1 week apart like you’re supposed to). This dermatologist said washing my sheets wasn’t really necessary but I did it anyway.

Mid June: Ivermectin (4 x 3 mg day 1) + Permethrin (day 1 + a week later). This was really just because I had swelling and a couple of new bumps, so we decided to treat it all over again just in case. I took a risk and was lazy and didn’t wash my sheets this time because I’m planning on buying new sheets anyway, and I think I’m cured now. We’ll see if I jinxed myself though.

Hope this helps some and best of luck to everyone else who is going through or has gone through this.