dime size blisters

i have  reoccuring dime sized blisters they started on my knee now  they are on the  middle of my back hear my tail bone. i went to the hospital about it twice but can never get an answer other then it looks like a form  of chicken pox. this has been going on for about four years. what can i do to make it stop or go away and does any one actually know what it is????  they come and go about every few months. is there anything i can do????

[GSDgirl]

Do you have Hep C?  

[SusieS2010]

It sounds as if you may have porphryia Cutanea Tarda or PCT for short. This is a skin disease that often goes along with hep C. It is important that you avoid alcohol, stay out of the sun and avoid trauma to your skin. Many of these patients have excess iron. A dermatologist can diagnose this fairly easily.

[GSDgirl]

Susies2010, Most people with PCT have it starting on their hands as the sun brings it out.  Where the blisters are had me a little suspect.  

I had PCT along with a few others on here.  Also, it didn't come and go.  It finally went after phlebotomies.

Not saying that it could not be PCT but the poster didn't say if they have hep c and my derm told me that it ccomes from aids, liver cancer or hep c

[SusieS2010]

One of my friends has it on his upper back and neck. He has never had it on his extremities. He had it diagnosed by biopsy. It came from his elevated iron and hep C. It's worth a shot for him to find out.Some of us do things oddly.

http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets_pdf/PCT_09.pdf

[GSDgirl]

That is why I asked the other poster if they had Hep C

[GSDgirl]

from your link:::Actually I think you should read the page you directed me to.

The symptoms of PCT are mostly confined to the skin.
Skin lesions or blisters are most often seen on the
hands, forearms, back of the neck and face and areas
exposed to the sun. The skin may become red, blister
and peel after exposure to the sun or minor trauma.

[freakingout725]

no i have been tested  for hep c came back clean, but it seems no one knows what it is

[GSDgirl]

One good thing is not having hep c.  Have you been to the dermatologist?  Has your ferritin been checked?

[SusieS2010]

from your link:::Actually I think you should read the page you directed me to.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Why is that? I always read what I direct people to. You said it starts on the hands."  Most people with PCT have it starting on their hands as the sun brings it out.  Where the blisters are had me a little suspect."  

I said my friend never had it on his hands. I was just letting people know that you were mostly correct. But you didn't go far enough. Obviously people can have it on other parts of their bodies.

To Freaking Out...PCT may also be genetic. If you haven't seen a dermatologist, try to do that. They shouldd be able to help you.Good luck on getting some relief.

[thissuks88]

Are you not supposed to lay in the sun with hep c cause I love to lay in the sun.

[SusieS2010]

Actually there are no directives about the sun and HCV unless you are treating. Then it is a big no-no. People have gotten some horrific ribavirin rashes that are worsened by sun exposure. And I'm sure you already know that everyone should be careful about sun exposure and the risk of skin cancer.

[Diane12855]

I had the exact same thing for 14 years. It first started when I was 5 months pregnant and had been restricted to my bed for 3 months because of pre-term labor that would start every time I stood for a few minutes. My doctor thought it was shingles. Actually many doctors thought the same thing over the years. Stress would always precipitate a break out, which they say is common. The last few months before I got my diagnosis of HCV my body seemed to start going down the tubes in many ways. I started having more and more break outs so my hepatologist sent me to a dermatologis before he would allow me to do treatment and she took a biopsy of one of the blisters. It turned out that it was genital herpes... yes, on my lower back... Looking back to those days when it first showed up, my husband (now my ex) left me home alone till late at night most days, and any time he wanted sex... it was always from the back... he didn't like my big stomach. So apparently he was out having a good time and brought the results home to me. There is medicine that clears it up really well, but it is very expensive.  It is called Valtrex. This is a life long infection though, I'm sorry to say.

Diane

[GSDgirl]

There is a picture of Porphyria PCT in my photos, those are my hands.  It is chronic, it does not come and go.  It is there until the problem that caused it is taken care of.

There are 6 types of Porphyria, I don't know if they all cause blisters....I never researched any other type.