Sigh. Last Monday I tried out sprint intervals. I really liked it actually. I walked for five minutes to warm up, then I sprinted thirty seconds (turned to jogging as I got more tired lol) and walked ninety seconds. Repeat six times and then walked five minutes to cool out. Unfortunately when I went inside to cool off I had a heat rash on my chest . . . crap! If you haven't had a heat rash, basically it's when your sweat glands get clogged and infected. Everything I read said stay out of the heat and it will go away in three or four days. So I stopped exercising and stayed in the air conditioning.
After four days it was Friday and I couldn't go to the doctor so I decided to wait until Monday (today) to go to the doctor, which means an entire week of no exercise. I can't believe how negatively it has affected my mood already. I miss working out. I miss the energy it gave me.
I've never had a heat rash, but from doing research and looking at pictures I'm sure it's what I had. The weird thing is that it spread to my stomach, back, neck and my entire arms. It's even on my face a little bit. It basically looks like goose bumps (chill bumps) that don't go away. It's only red if I go outside and get hot. So I tried everything I could think of vinegar, desitin, baking soda bath, gold bond powder, benadryl (orally and topically), etc. For the first three or four days it didn't itch at all. Then it started itching on my chest where it first started. The itching spread to my neck, so I figure that means it's healing. When I got up this morning bumps were very much diminished. On my chest it doesn't even feel like there are any bumps, just a a little redness. I think it's healing at the same speed it spread so my arms and face will probably heal last unfortunately. Luckily it's not very noticeable at all. It just looks like goosebumps. So I think I'll skip the doctor since it's healing and I don't have health insurance or money. Save it for an actual emergency. Most rashes don't require medical attention anyway. I don't have a fever, not tired, nothing. Anyone ever experienced a heat rash like that? Or maybe it was hives? I thought hives went away quickly though. I did mow on Monday too and I have horrible grass/tree/plant allergies.
So nothing to report on the exercise. I think I'm going to try to pick back up some of my exercise since the rash doesn't bother me. I spent some time outside today taking picture of the horses and it's not red, hot or inflamed. That's a good sign. :)
That might not be heat rash. Lots of other rashes that have viral causes will intensify when you get hot and sweaty. Sounds like you might have come in contact with a skin irritant? Keep an eye on it, especially if it is spreading or uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteMango Momma
Interesting. I'd read about the viral rashes, but I didn't realize they got worse in the heat, so I guess it still could have been that. The weird thing is that I never got sick. No stuffiness, no cough, no sore throat, nothing. I guess I still could have had something really mild and just never known it. I still think it can't be a coincidence that I mowed and ran sprints the days that it happened, but the way it spread really slowly over the course of a week was weird. It's gone on my chest now, so I think it's healing in the same order it spread. Hopefully by the end of the week it will be a distant memory lol. Thanks for commenting!
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