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Avatar universal

Never Had Eczema Before

I am 62 years old and have never had serious skin problems and there is absolutely no history in my extended family of skin problems. Last summer my wife and I moved to Michigan to be closer to family and a new grandson. I am on social security and my wife will start receiving social security in May. We have no health insurance.

Within a few weeks I picked up a bad case of poison ivy while doing yard work. That took 8 weeks to get rid of. A few weeks later I got a rash on my ankles from something in the yard, which promptly cleared up with HC 1% cream.

Starting around mid-November when the furnace began running regularly, I began to notice some dry, red spots forming on my skin. I tried to treat them myself but they kept growing in number and size. In mid-January I went to a local family physician who apparently diagnosed what I had as both scabies and some form of dermatitis. He gave me a prescription for both of them.

A week later I returned and he then referred me to a dermatologist. I met with her on Jan. 31. She immediately diagnosed it as eczema but didn't say what type. I think it's nummular dermatitis from the pictures I've attached. She gave me a shot, an antibiotic prescription (Cephalexin) for my swollen legs and feet and an ointment prescription (Clobetasol). Plus she told me to take warm baths 3x weekly with 2 TBS bleach in the water. Plus put on Aveeno Eczema cream over top the Clobetasol 2x daily. I also purchased a whole house humidifier to keep the humidity at 40-45%.

The condition began to improve immediately and I thought I was on my way to a cure. I did get a reaction to the meds (antibiotics?) which produced another milder rash. I went back to her for a follow up exam 2 weeks later and was told that people sometimes get this reaction. I was told to continue using the ointment and take that bleach bath now just once weekly.

Once I finished the very expensive $42 ointment prescription (I don't have ins.), the reaction rash started multiplying and many of the original spots started returning. It is now covering my whole body from head to toe and is as bad if not worse than it was before. I am itchy and scratchy and am having a hard time sleeping now.

I am frustrated and quite depressed about this because I never had any serious skin problems in my life other than dry skin during the winter, which is normal. It could have been a combination of the very low humidity in our apartment, a complication following the poison ivy outbreak last summer, an allergen in our apartment or a combination of all three of these. I have no idea. The water here is hard and I originally thought it was from heavy metals in the water, so we switched to spring water for cooking and eating. In addition, I don't have any food allergies which would cause this.  

What should I do? Should I refill the Clobetasol prescription? Only one refill is allowed. The dermatologist I went to is a young woman with only 7 yrs. of experience in the field. Should I try to find another older and more experienced dermatologist? Does anyone in this field use anything but steroids and antibiotics to ward off skin problems? I would rather go the natural route if there was a cure that would work for me or at least greatly improve the condition so that I can function normally and have a normal life. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thank you.
4 Responses
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563773 tn?1374246539
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello,
Poison ivy is a form of contact dermatitis caused by exposure to the poison ivy plant. It is less likely for poison ivy contact dermatitis to persist for long and cause triggering of eczema. The greatest risk of long-term damage comes from the resulting blistering in which the blisters may scar if broken, and these potentially-open blisters leave open the possibility of secondary infections.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I would appreciate if you could answer the question I asked on Jan. 26.

Have you ever heard of long-term dermatitis developing from poison ivy, oak or summac? I would appreciate your comments on this question.

Thanks.

Rick Beltz
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hello,

I am sorry I have taken so very long to reply to your original post. Thank you for taking the time to reply to  mine.

I was finally able to meet with a seasoned dermatologist of 40 yrs. experience in April 2011. He diagnosed my condition as nummular dermatitis. As opposed to his associate who prescribed steroids, this practitioner wrote up a prescription for a compound ointment which was mixed by an apothecary pharmacy who specializes in dermatology and prescriptions for people who have long-term or terminal illnesses. The price has been much more reasonable than the Clobetasol. It is priced at $29.20 for a 240 cc jar compared to $42.00 for 45 cc of Clobetasol.

The prescription is a mixture of four different components, including menthol, triamcinolone, phenol (carbolic acid) and cetaphil cream. This helped my condition tremendously last winter. I also continued the bleach baths as long as they were needed and the infection in my legs went away, as well as using moisturizers, unscented body wash or ivory soap in the shower.

During the warm season the condition all but cleared up, even though, wherever it previously appeared on my body, scars or darker skin remained and still remain now. I tried to get plenty of sun during the summer and I really think it helped. Tanning from the sun helped to hide the spots.

Being back to winter now with little sunlight in this northern climate, the condition has flared up again but rather mildly compared to the initial outbreak last winter. I have been keeping it in check with the prescription ointment as well as a mixture of generic Cetaphil body lotion, mixed in a proportion of one teaspoon to 3-5 drops of pure oregano oil. This mixture has proven to be almost as good as the prescription ointment. I know a 28-year old woman here who has had eczema all her life and has found much relief using oregano oil.

After all my research, I'm really thinking that the bad case of poison ivy in mid-2010 was the catalyst for this eczema, since I NEVER had any type of skin condition like this in my life. Some say the oil of this plant remains in your body for several years. I tend to believe it.

Have you ever heard of long-term dermatitis developing from poison ivy, oak or summac? I would appreciate your comments on this question.

My wife and I may be planning to start spending winters down South starting next fall, where I will be able to be close to salt water from the ocean and plenty of sunshine compared to the Midwest Great Lakes region. I've read that sun and salt water are excellent treatments for eczema. We previously lived in North Carolina for 8 years.

If you have any additional suggestions or comments about my condition, please feel free to reply. Thanks again for your concern.

Sincerely,
Rick Beltz  
Helpful - 0
563773 tn?1374246539
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello,
From the symptoms the possibility of eczema is high in your case. You should not use such potent steroids like Cobetasol without getting it evaluated from your dermatologist. Topical steroids when used for a long period of time is notorious for causing unwanted side effects like thinning of skin , steroid induced rosacea, skin atrophy, telangiectasias etc.

In most cases of eczema no one treatment will be effective. Medical research shows that the most effective treatment plan for eczema involves using a combination of therapies to treat the skin and making lifestyle changes(prevention of triggers and application of lots of moisturizers) to control flare-ups. So apply plenty of emmolients and take antihismainics like Benadryl to combat itching.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

Helpful - 0
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