A big ugly rash.

About a week ago I noticed a strange mark on my knee that I casually assumed was some sort of melanoma. It appeared out of nowhere, had a very strange shape, was black/brown and seemed to exist just on the surface of my skin but with a lump underneath. Though it didn't really look like a scab, I thought maybe that was more likely and covered it in ointment and let it be.

The next day, the lump underneath was a little bit bigger and slightly red and warm to touch. Okay, an infection? I treated it again and later that day the redness went away so I assumed it was getting better.

Here's where it gets fun. The NEXT day there are these two itchy bumps around the original bump, kind of like mosquito bites. The redness is back but it's like an irritated redness NOT an infected redness. Over the next few days the itchiness and redness has spread to about the diameter of a peach and my entire knee is red, itchy and pretty nasty looking with that little scab in the center. It is, in fact, a scab.

Today it is not much different than yesterday, except the itchiness kicks up when I rub against it. My flesh certainly isn't rotting off and I don't have red streaks of blood poisoning or anything.

I must have been bitten by something but I have no clue what it was. I've lasted a week without any other symptoms so I don't think I've contracted any serious diseases, just this local dermatitis that looks and feels really uncomfortable but not painful. Oh boy.
It must have happened on one of my hikes.

The drawbacks of spending time in nature.