Help me, I have had a skin rash for 8 months now

[Nikki475]

I have a skin rash that started on my arms and scalp as being just really itchy. Then, it spread over my back as tiny bumps clustered together in patches, the top of my chest, under my bra in the back only and on my side of my thigh. Then I developed a boil on the inside of my leg which after I got into the hot tub one night popped and the one boil turned into 8 and they were bright red and had white pus in the middle of them and hurt like crazy then last but not least I developed a rash slightly on the back of my hands that almost look like little warts with a hard core middle except for my thumb it looks like a burn and it itches like crazy as well.
I am 41 years old and never had any problems in my life medically. This past year alone I have been diagnosed with Thyroid problems and I am now on synthroid after getting radiation preformed on my thyroid , My pap test showed HPV which caused the pap to come back a little off. They treated it with acid?? or something like that. I have also been under the most incredible stress I could have ever been under for the past 6 months. I ended a 7 year relationship, my mother is sick and I have to care for her, my father has had health issues and I am the single mother of a 5 year old little boy. My work is also high stress.
The rash is red patches that itch like crazy on my back. The prednizone the doctor put me on worked after 10 days it completely cleared up and two weeks later it started coming back. This dermatologist thinks it is a contact dermatitist. I have had pneumonia/ bronchitis for a month and was on medicine for ten days for that.
My hair is falling out alot in the back of my head. I am not sure what it is. I definately have not had a fever except the couple of days that I had pneumonia. Other than that it the only problem I have had other than the red raised rash. I have been itching on one side of my face on my cheek and down my neck on that one side only. It burns and itches at times.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

This sounds like eczema.  eczema is genetic but may be aggravated by stress.  Prednisone helps temporarily, but cortisone creams are better for long-term control.  Your hair loss, HPV, and thyroid problems more than likely have nothing to do with this.  You need to work with your dermatologist on this, and overall do your best to get hold of yourself during this difficult period.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[Nikki475]

Thank you for your reply.