Rash?

[skarey]

I have forgot to mention, during each "flare"  I get an extremely itchy rash just below my belly button.  It's not a permanent thing.. it comes and goes throughout each episode.  But when I was symptom free there for a couple weeks the rash was gone.  Weird?  What do you think this is?  
  Thanks,
   karey

[JonM]

Never heard of a dermatological symptom related to MS.  Likely related to a change in behaviour or clothing you where during the flare, maybe a medicine?
Jon

[Quixotic1]

Hi, Jon is right.  Nothing in MS is related to dermatology changes and skin rashes.  However, The itchy rash right below the navel is often a reaction to the nickel in the snap or button of jeans.  Honestly!  I saw it all the time.  See if there is a pair of pants you wear when your are most uncomfortable during a flare of your symptoms and see if there is a metal that matches where the rash is.  You can cover the metal with several coats of clear nail polish or place something between it and your skin.  Just a thought.  Not all the things that happen to us end up being neurological.

Hope this helps, quix

[skarey]

Thats funny!!  Well I bet you are right!!  I'm really glad I didn't bring that up with the neuro the other day!  He really would've blown me off!!! haha!!  Yeah I guess it is where my pants usually come.  I'll have to check it out!
  Thanks!
   Karey

[bronwynr]

I have MS-like symptoms, but undiagnosed and have a rash on the same side of my body as the main MS numbness etc.  I'm going to try dropping all unusual foods, but in the meantime I'd like to investigate the link between MS and "stress" and this itch.  I have a feeling there's a closer link between MS and "stress" (or negativity or something of the sort,) than just being emotionally affected by having the condition.  

[minkybelly]

I thought i was reading about myself. I get the same itchy rash just below my belly button when i am having a flare up.
I was going to ask the doc about it as i am now thinking i may have lymes disease or some other illness.

[truelove47]

HELLO,
I WANTED TO ADD MY TWO CENTS.  I HAVE HAD A PHYISCAL ALLERgY CALLED CHORLINERIC URTICARIA THAT STARTED IN 1966, AT THE AGE OF 18.  IT TOOK ME YEARS TO
FIND OUT WHAT IT WAS.  IT IS CAUSED BY EMOTIONS,EXERTION.
OR HEAT.  IT IS ALSO AUTO IMMUNE DISEASE. THE RASH CAN BE TREATED WITH AN ANTI-HISTAMINE.  I PREFER ZERTEC.  I WAS SUPPOSED TO OUTGROW IT BUT NOW AT 61, I STILL GET IT WHEN I AM OVERHEATED OR DO TOO  MUCH.

I WAS DX'ED WITH MS IN 1986.   PLEASE FORGIVE SPELLING.
HOPE THIS HELPS
LINDA

[Zacksmomi]

I can say for sure that when my arm went numb, (first noticable symptoms of MS back in Dec 08) I had the most painful itching burning area on my neck, chest and shoulder area on the numb side.  I would develop white bumps I thought from scratching but my PT (being treated for pinched nerve and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome at the time) said I have a bad rash.  When I explained that I had severe itching that I thought caused the bumps she said...STOP Scratching IT!  Well Duh.  
It didn't matter if I scratched there was no relief.  I could not even get air on the area without crawling up the wall.
I of course have no explination of why this all happened at once.  
I am under a HUGE amount of stress due to a previous work injury being denied and at that time it was almost Christmas so my stress was really high then.
I was dx'd with MS Officially yesterday (known about spinal lesions for a couple weeks now.

I would really like to look more into this whole stress and MS thing for sure.  I am sure I have had MS for a long time before this relapse, but could the stress have caused this flare up to be so much worse than before?
Is the rash stress related, or is the inflamation (inflammation) from our attacks creating it?

I am new to all of this..where is the best place to find out more?

D

[meg321]

I get large, welt-like spots, very itchy, but i do think its a reaction to one of my meds.  

just my 2-cents, meg

[sllowe]

Hi TrueLove47!

Welcome to the MS forum!  

The post you responded to was an old one, but it's ok! At least we know you are here with us.

I'm Shelly, and I was dx'd with MS in 07, so I'm still a rookie, but have learned so very much.

Hope you stick around with us and let us know how you are doing w/your MS.  As you can see some of us are dx'd, some of us should be, and some of us just don't know what we are dealing with - but we all learn and support each other together.

See you around soon!
-Shell

[greenandchic]

I hear all the time that skin and MS have nothing to do with each other but I don’t believe that personally.  I have horrible itching at times which is a documented symptom of MS. Its not widely publicized but I have read some med school articles on the matter.  One of them is called “PRURITIS AS A PRESENTING SYMPTOM OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS EXACERBATION” (sorry about the all caps, I copied and pasted it)

In terms of the rashes, I’m still on the fence.  I think I scratched myself into rashes from the itching.  I wish there was a solution, but since the itching comes from within, there is not much that can be done about it.  

[greenandchic]

By the way, when I asked my Nuro about the itching, he laughed at me (well not literally).  When I found the article by doctors at Missouri.edu, I forwarded him the PDF via email and he immediately called me and thanked me for sending that to him - he had no idea!