I am not confident at all that it is scarlet fever - see notes below. Young children are more typical patients of scarlet fever, and it's been going on for 21 days so far, which is unusual for scarlet fever.
I don't know how rural you are but for tick fever, you would have had to contract this in early march - I don't know exactly where you are but tick season has not fired up yet except in dog ticks and others that rarely bite people and do not carry Lyme disease or RMSTF, so I am not too sure of it being a tick borne disease either...you also have to have been bitten by a tick - even if bitten illness is not guaranteed. Many types of ticks don't carry disease.
RMSF responds VERY well to antibiotics, and the rash STARTS on the legs and feet. So that doesn't sound like a match.
Lyme disease (often) starts with a 'bulls eye' pattern rash around a tick bite, and you didn't describe having that.
There is another tick borne disease called STARI - Southern tick associated rash infection(not linked to or at all similar to Lyme Disease). It does occur in NC hill country, but again, that large area, 'bulls eye' rash - you didn't describe as having.
Mycosis fungoides. I had to look this one up as I am not familiar with it. Mycosis fungoides would be unusual in someone your age. The form that presents with red skin is very rare in those under 60, and additionally, it usually appears in patches. There is now a new medication for it, an 'orphan' drug which suggests the disease is rather rare as well. It is diagnosed by skin biopsy.
The doctors may not consider it as a first or second option (or tenth) because your rash simply doesn't look like it, or because it is so rare - it is .5% of all non hodgkins lymphomas, or because of your age.
All non hodgkins lymphoma's median age at diagnosis is 67. The incidence rate is about 20 per 100,000 people. That makes it rare - 2% of men and women born today will be diagnosed with non hodgkins lymphoma, and MF is .5% of all non hodgkins lymphomas. .64% of women born today will be diagnosed with nhl, multiply that by .005, that's a rare condition.
I also had to refresh my memory on scarlet fever as it is many decades since I heard of anyone with it.
Scarlet fever is caused by strep pyogenes. The rash occurs after the fever, generally 1-2 days after. You don't mention having a fever. The fever with scarlet fever is usually over 101 deg.
You didn't describe the rash in detail or mention where your rash started, in SF it usually starts in the armpits or on the chest, behind the ears, though another source says it starts on neck and face but not around the mouth, and then goes to the chest etc.
You didn't mention if you have the strawberry colored tongue typical of SF, or if the rash is worse in skin folds, that is also typical of scarlet fever. The more intense rash in the skin folds, which looks like red streaks, is also very typical.
You didn't mention if the rash started to improve after 3 days, or if the skin started peeling after the rash improved.
Scarlet fever IS diagnosed (and excluded) by a throat culture.
Scarlet fever rash looks like a very bad sunburn with little bumps. It is treated with antibiotics and the rash generally improves within 24 hours of treatment.
You MUST take all the augmentin AS prescribed. You do sound like you have a skin infection and you need to take the medication EXACTLY as prescribed.
Given that you are still having the rash after 21 days, it seems quite sure that you have a skin infection (scarlet fever would be gone by now, and anyway the rash does not sound typical of it) and you MUST take ALL the medication exactly as prescribed.
Children often get a rash with a viral sore throat - it is a reaction to the protein covering of the virus that is causing the sore throat. I went through a period as a young teen when I got a rash from every cold or sore throat I got.
