Are blue rashes on the arms and legs symptoms of influenza A H3N2?
Patient: OK....I became infected with most likely the A strain flu....my incubation symtoms included a right arm soreness that comes & goes for a few days, a slight tightness in my back upper right and just yesterday a slight scrachy throat that subsided somewhat (am awaiting the actual hard raw sore throat which should arrive any time now). AND just yesterday a few (WAVES) of nausea (no vomiting) could not eat...That ended and today can eat but slight queaziness. When this started I had thick yellow mucus...now long gone & (what most will never realize) but on my body B/4 every virus one or two tiny bluish marks on my skin...either on legs or hand & arm...this time BOTH. Virus always breaks out when these spots disappear and that is about where I am at now. Is this the A N3H2 monster?? Doctor: Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.  A blue skin rash  is not characteristic for any strain of influenza.  It may be your  own  idiosyncrasy in response  to a viral infection  as people's bodies all vary but it is not something one would expect.  People can get a non-descript "viral  exanthem" (i.e. rash) from a  large number of different viruses.  One of the hallmarks of influenza is that when the symptoms  come on,  they often come on FAST.  It is not unusual for  patients to remember the exact time when it started.   While I can't say specifically without examining you,  my you may have or had  an upper respiratory or  enteric (gut) viral  infection.  Luckily,  if you live  in the US, N3H2 has largely subsided, so much lower risk that that is what is going on.  Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.