A ‘DISGUSTED’ gym lover has issued a warning others after what she thought was a mosquito bite turned out be to be a ‘severe’ ringworm infection she picked up from equipment.
Jamie Samnang thought she’d been bitten by a mosquito when a rash on her arm became so itchy that she drew blood from scratching.
The 41-year-old panicked when pus-filled bumps bubbled up on her arm and bug cream couldn’t stop the “intense” rash from spreading to her legs and ankles.
She was shocked when her dermatologist diagnosed her with the contagious fungal infection ringworm – saying she’d most likely caught it at a gym.
Jamie was given antifungal cream and was ordered to avoid work, the gym or even sleeping in the same bed as her husband until the ring-shaped rash was gone.
The cosmetologist believes she caught a “severe” bout of ringworm when her bare arms touched the pads on an ab crunch machine at a gym.
Jamie assumed staff had cleaned the equipment before she used it so didn’t wipe it down.
Six months on from the incident in September, she now cleans machines both before and after use and wears a long-sleeved sweatshirt to avoid skin contact.
She’s now warning other gym lovers to do the same to avoid facing the “nightmare” she did.
Jamie, from Silver Spring, Maryland, US, said: “My workout outfit was short sleeved and my arms were exposed.
“I was using the ab crunch machine so you sit and you hold onto handlebars and your elbows are placed flat onto pads.
“Later that night I started to feel a slight tingling, a slight itch.
“I thought maybe I’d been bitten by a mosquito, but as the days went on it kept getting worse.
“Bite cream wasn’t working and I started to get these red raised bumps that were filled with pus.
“The itching was so intense and severe, I was itching until the point that I was bleeding.
“It spread to my legs and ankles because I was itching my arms and then touching my legs.
“It turned out when I went to my dermatologist that I had ringworm – I was immediately shocked and disgusted.
“They said gyms are one of the number one areas for ringworm because it’s hot, sweaty, and moist – it’s the perfect breeding ground for fungal growth.
“They prescribed me an anti-fungal steroidal cream and that worked.”
Jamie had to apply the cream up to three times per day for three weeks until the infection cleared up.
She says she contacted the management to complain about what happened and prevent it happening to anyone else.
Jamie said: “I had to wash everything.
“I had to bleach, I had to sterilise, I had to get new bed sheets and I couldn’t sleep near my husband because I was going to get him infected.
“I couldn’t go to work – it was really, really bad. It was so severe.
Ringworm symptoms
Ringworm is a common fungal infection.
Despite the name, it’s not caused by worms but by a type of fungi that are passed on through close contact with an infected person or animal or contaminated objects like bedsheets, combs or towels.
The main symptom of ringworm is a rash. It may look red or darker than the surrounding skin, depending on your skin tone.
The rash may be scaly, dry, swollen or itchy.
Ringworm can appear anywhere on the body, including the scalp and groin.
The rash is usually ring-shaped, but it may look different on your face, neck or scalp.
It can grow and spread to different parts of the body.
If you think you may have rignworm, speak to a pharmacist.
They’ll be able to recommend an anti-fungal medicine, which you may have to use for up to four weeks.
See a GP if:
- Ringworm has not improved after using antifungal medicine recommended by a pharmacist
- You have ringworm on your scalp – you’ll usually need prescription antifungal tablets and shampoo
- You have a weakened immune system – for example, from chemotherapy, steroids or diabetes
Source: NHS
“I usually go to the gym five days a week but I couldn’t go for a month because I had to wait for my doctor to give me the all clear.
“When I found out it was ringworm, I immediately told them because I believe part of the staff’s job is to help wipe down equipment.
“I wasn’t mad at them, I wasn’t angry, it was just unfortunate that it happened to me.
“They thanked me for letting them know so that they could take the measures to help prevent it from happening to anyone else.”
Take precautions
Jamie is now urging gym goers to wipe down their equipment both before and after using it.
She has switched from wearing sports bras to sweatshirts to lower her risk of catching ringworm again.
Jamie said: “Not everybody is always going to remember to wipe down and unfortunately I was one of those.
“I was under the assumption that the equipment was clean so I would wipe it down after, but what I didn’t do was wipe it down before I used it.
“My outlook is completely different now. I used to wear short sleeves or even a sports bra – now everything is long sleeved. I just can’t take that risk because it was so severe.
“I’d never been in contact with ringworm and I just don’t want that to happen to anybody else because it’s a nightmare.
“For three weeks I was itching so severely that I was bleeding.”
