suspicious lump - what is it

Factual Questions
1

so my roommate get home last night after wearing a jacket all evening, and finds that her elbow is really really itchy, feels it - there’s a lump, a small lump. there is also one on her hand underneath her index finger. they are disgustingly itchy and today she woke up and the one on her elbow is bigger than her elbow (not really, but kind of). they have whitishness in the middle and redness surrounding that. it is not a zit. it is not the chicken pox. WHAT IS IT

2

She should see a medical professional to answer that question.

QtM, MD

3

Ditto to what Qtm said.

As an uniformed, ignorant party probably 1000+ miles from you w/o any medical background whatsoever, I’d guess that thy’ree spider bites. She’ll probably get sick soon.

QtM’s advice is best.

4

Ditto to what Qtm said.

As an uniformed, ignorant party probably 1000+ miles from you w/o any medical background whatsoever, I’d guess that they’re spider bites. She’ll probably get sick soon.

First time the jacket’s been worn this season?

QtM’s advice is better than mine. Take it.

5

ummm, uninformed, not ‘uniformed’.

6

It’s true that the best chance she has of getting a correct diagnosis is from someone (1) who actually examines her, (2) questions her, and (3) has some appropriate training and experience (a physician, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, etc.) However, in my experience, there are a lot of itchy red lumps with white centers that physicians can’t diagnose on first examination. Some they never diagnose except in general terms (e.g., “some kind of bite, I guess.”)

That said, SimonX’s spider bite theory is appealing. In general, itchy bumps go along with insect bites (the itchiness is from an allergic reaction to the insect) and redness with white centers suggests tissue destruction (white pus) with surrounding inflammation (redness and swelling) which goes along with infection (e.g., infected insect or spider bites) or envenomation (e.g., spider bites).

However, there are other possibilities and this is why it is prudent to consult a trained health care provider. For example, was the jacket made of wool or goat hair, imported from a less developed country, and never worn before? (Can harbor anthrax spores.)

7

Let us know how things turn out, Duhcow.