Aa
3 months of inflamitory skin condition hell.
Background : 35 year old male. I have sever seasonal alergies that can make me feel like I have the flu for months. Alergie meds dampen but never relive the symptoms. I also have ocasionl flares of a mild case of iritable bowel. I have chronic dandruff since middle school, never been able to get rid of it just controll it a bit, and Some occasional seborrheic dermatitis that i get behind the ears since i was a kid.
I have had std tests including HIV and HEP all negative, blood count came back normal, tests for autoimmune disorders negative.
About 3 months ago one day I was feeling generaly intch all over nothing sever just alittle more than usual. then that evening my upper lip swelled up like i had goten punched in the face. I took a benadryl , didnt seem to phase it. I wen to the doctor the next day. He put me on daily zyrtech with benadryl added as needed and told me to give it a dy or 2 to go down. he also warned me even if we got rid of it it may come back. The face got better but over the nights i started getting angioedemic hives on random spots all over my body even on both meds. So i went back to the doctor a week later and got a round of methylpredisolone 6 day stepped down dose. This banished the body hives but a week or 2 later the angioedema of the lip came back but less sever and i could push it back with a benadryl added to my daily zyrtech. During my treat ment of my hives and aingioedema of my face i also developed an non specific irritation rash in my groin bilateraly. It was bad enough to cause craking of the skin and make the area raw ish. We threw prescription anti fungal and steriod creams at this but it stayed irritated for about 3 weeks. the only relife came from baby powder applyied 2 times a day untill the area healed. This healed about the same time the angioedema came back again.
After about 2 weeks with out to much trouble still on my daily zyrtech my outer elbows became red and sore like they were dry and irritated. I applied lotion and this helped, but I developed a few itchy bumps on the right elbow and in the course of 4 days it had progressed into a extreamly itchy rash of pea sized bumps with a bright red color, heat or sweat made the itch worse. At first i tought they were hives but they would not go away. Then they started to show up on the other elbow and my knees. My doctor looked at it and said it looked like contact dermatitis. Told me to use the steroid cream and put me on a 6 day stepped down course of prednisone. Indeed the rashs quicky felt better but it took nearly 2 weeks for the redness and the bumps to fade. Around this time i had had enough and decided to see a dermatoligist 1 to get a skin check up and 2 to let him have a poke at my problems. When i saw him the rash was on the mend. He comented that my rash looked more like it was caused by an unidentified virus, but given the skin alergy problems i was having could be contact dermatits of unknown caues or origin. Great i though no real answer here....
So here I am 2 weeks out from the derma tologist still on my daily zyrtech and now i am getting a patch of whitish silvery plaque about half an inch in diameter on my right elbow that looks like psoriasis but the skin under it once it is scrapped off is not very red or irritated at all. So far it has not gotten any bigger in the days since i noticed it. I also have developed a case of seborrheic dermatitis on my face around my eyes nose and forhead. So far it is mild consisting of itching, oily skin and sometimes oily flakes that wash off easily. My scalp has really picked up on its itching too......
I am kinda getting to the end of my rope... none of my health care providers seem to have a clue as to what is going on..
any ideas folks?
I have had std tests including HIV and HEP all negative, blood count came back normal, tests for autoimmune disorders negative.
About 3 months ago one day I was feeling generaly intch all over nothing sever just alittle more than usual. then that evening my upper lip swelled up like i had goten punched in the face. I took a benadryl , didnt seem to phase it. I wen to the doctor the next day. He put me on daily zyrtech with benadryl added as needed and told me to give it a dy or 2 to go down. he also warned me even if we got rid of it it may come back. The face got better but over the nights i started getting angioedemic hives on random spots all over my body even on both meds. So i went back to the doctor a week later and got a round of methylpredisolone 6 day stepped down dose. This banished the body hives but a week or 2 later the angioedema of the lip came back but less sever and i could push it back with a benadryl added to my daily zyrtech. During my treat ment of my hives and aingioedema of my face i also developed an non specific irritation rash in my groin bilateraly. It was bad enough to cause craking of the skin and make the area raw ish. We threw prescription anti fungal and steriod creams at this but it stayed irritated for about 3 weeks. the only relife came from baby powder applyied 2 times a day untill the area healed. This healed about the same time the angioedema came back again.
After about 2 weeks with out to much trouble still on my daily zyrtech my outer elbows became red and sore like they were dry and irritated. I applied lotion and this helped, but I developed a few itchy bumps on the right elbow and in the course of 4 days it had progressed into a extreamly itchy rash of pea sized bumps with a bright red color, heat or sweat made the itch worse. At first i tought they were hives but they would not go away. Then they started to show up on the other elbow and my knees. My doctor looked at it and said it looked like contact dermatitis. Told me to use the steroid cream and put me on a 6 day stepped down course of prednisone. Indeed the rashs quicky felt better but it took nearly 2 weeks for the redness and the bumps to fade. Around this time i had had enough and decided to see a dermatoligist 1 to get a skin check up and 2 to let him have a poke at my problems. When i saw him the rash was on the mend. He comented that my rash looked more like it was caused by an unidentified virus, but given the skin alergy problems i was having could be contact dermatits of unknown caues or origin. Great i though no real answer here....
So here I am 2 weeks out from the derma tologist still on my daily zyrtech and now i am getting a patch of whitish silvery plaque about half an inch in diameter on my right elbow that looks like psoriasis but the skin under it once it is scrapped off is not very red or irritated at all. So far it has not gotten any bigger in the days since i noticed it. I also have developed a case of seborrheic dermatitis on my face around my eyes nose and forhead. So far it is mild consisting of itching, oily skin and sometimes oily flakes that wash off easily. My scalp has really picked up on its itching too......
I am kinda getting to the end of my rope... none of my health care providers seem to have a clue as to what is going on..
any ideas folks?
The angioedema to lips is concerning. Do take ACE-inhibitor such as lisinopril or accupril? Do you have a dry cough with this? Could be a reaction to ACE-inhibitors.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello,
From the symptoms that you have mentioned in your post, two possibilities that came to my mind were fungal infection( because it was involving the elbows, knees etc andgets worsened by sweat or humidity) and eczema. It is a form of chronic dermatitis (rash).Allergic reaction is one of the important causes of eczema. Allergic reaction can occur to strong soaps, Solvents, chemicals, certain foods, food additives, plants, metals, cosmetics, even urine and faeces of some animals (dust mites).
I suggest you to get a KOH examination of the skin scrapings done to rule out any fungal infection and a biopsy skin done. Once diagnosis is confirmed, we can plan the treatment accordingly.
I hope it helps. Take care and regards.
From the symptoms that you have mentioned in your post, two possibilities that came to my mind were fungal infection( because it was involving the elbows, knees etc andgets worsened by sweat or humidity) and eczema. It is a form of chronic dermatitis (rash).Allergic reaction is one of the important causes of eczema. Allergic reaction can occur to strong soaps, Solvents, chemicals, certain foods, food additives, plants, metals, cosmetics, even urine and faeces of some animals (dust mites).
I suggest you to get a KOH examination of the skin scrapings done to rule out any fungal infection and a biopsy skin done. Once diagnosis is confirmed, we can plan the treatment accordingly.
I hope it helps. Take care and regards.
Still getting angioedema of the upper and some time lower lip time to time. I am getting angioedemic hives in random spots on my body.. As far as the hives go some days are better than others. I seem to be more prone to getting pimples lately as well. Now my labret has become infcted. I have had it for over 10 years. I do not recall traumatizing it in any way but it is painfull and if take it out and squirt some water through it a little bit of yellow goo will come out. It has been many years since i have had any issues with it at all. Suddenly this.... I am caring for it by rinsing it 2 times a day with water and some listerine to help kill the what ever is causing the problem.
I must also say that since the skin problems started the inside of my mouth has also been very sensative. It gets scrached easier when eating crunchy foods. And Some times I get sore spots on the edges of my tongue they appear sligtly red, last for a day or 3 then vanish. no ulcerations or anything lke that thus far.
So far my research on what may be happening to me seems to fall into an inflamitory condition. Alot of what i am seeng seems to suggest either a T cell count to high or conversly to low. Gong to go back to the doctor and get a mast cell and t cell count.
If these come back normal or within tolerace I dont know what to do. Start tearing my house apart till i find what is causing the reactions?
totaly frustrated.
I must also say that since the skin problems started the inside of my mouth has also been very sensative. It gets scrached easier when eating crunchy foods. And Some times I get sore spots on the edges of my tongue they appear sligtly red, last for a day or 3 then vanish. no ulcerations or anything lke that thus far.
So far my research on what may be happening to me seems to fall into an inflamitory condition. Alot of what i am seeng seems to suggest either a T cell count to high or conversly to low. Gong to go back to the doctor and get a mast cell and t cell count.
If these come back normal or within tolerace I dont know what to do. Start tearing my house apart till i find what is causing the reactions?
totaly frustrated.
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