Rash on Back, Chest, Upper Arms

[Soulilambr]

Hello. I am a 37 year old female and I have been dealing with this rash for 3 months now. I am being seen by a dermatologist, however, she has not found a diagnosis as of yet. My rash started out on my back. I had patches of dry little bumps and then other areas of raised red bumps all which are very itchy. The rash then manuevered its way to my shoulders, stomach and chest. Focusing around my bra area out to my underarm.  Sometimes it has an appearance of hives but then others it appears to look like the chicken pox. I have a few spots under my arms that have turned into dry circle like areas about the size of a dime. It almost looks like in these spots the bump flattened and dried up but has been hanging on for over a month in these areas. At times the rash will get feverish and very angry red like on my chest.

A biopsy was done back in March. All the biopsy showed was that it was NOT contact dermatitis or a fungus. My dermatologist thought my rash could be from my high blood pressure medicine that I had taken for over 7 years so we took me off that (did not put me on anything new). The rash persisted. The dermatologist put me on an antibiotic for 7 days. It seemed to calm down the redness but the rash is still there. At times the rash feels like pin pricks all across the rashy area, sometimes it feels like a sunburn. The rash has gone up my neck but never on my face, lower arms, legs.

I go back to the dermatologist on tuesday, however, it is getting pretty frustrating. It is frustrating when both my PCP and dermatologist tell me that it may never be diagnosed. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[BhumikaMD]

hi,

i am glad that i was able to comfort you. please take care and if you wish to learn more about ANA, you may visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-nuclear_antibody "Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) are unusual antibodies, detectable in the blood, that have the capability of binding to certain structures within the nucleus of the cells."

take care and keep posting.

best regards

[Soulilambr]

Update: I received my test results over the weekend and I guess I have a positive ANA. I have a call into my PCP now and see the Derm tomorrow.

In regards to your questions up above, I have fought allergies all my life to things such as grasses, molds, trees, etc. No foods, medicines. I have been taking Claritin for the last month or so and have seen no change to my rash. In fact it broke out worse over the weekend.

Thank you for your response. I will let you know what I hear from my PCP and derm.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

It would be best to take a second opinion or reconsult with your dermatologist about your symptoms.

You should avoid sun exposure and use a medicated sunscreen whenever you go out. Wear lose clothes and maintain good personal hygiene.

You could take some oral antihistamine or antiallergic medications like loratadine or cetrizine and see if it helps with your symptoms. Apply calamine lotion at the site of the lesions to help soothe the itching.

Have you had allergic reactions in the past? Are you allergic to any specific substances?

You would still need to consult your doctor about the associated symptoms you are having and to rule out a bacterial or fungal infection and whether you need a course of antibiotics or other medications.

Let us know about how you are doing and post us about what your doctor advises.

Regards.

[itchyone9657]

I too am experiencing a rash that is similar to yours. It has gotten so bad, that at times I cannot wear a bra.I have been on numerous creams, cortisones, pills, steroids, and everything else under the sun, to no avail. The rash starts out like little nodules. The itching from this, causes it to spread. It is very red and inflamed; warm to the touch. Mine appears on the inside of my arms, the backs of my knees, down my rib cage sides, lower back,and now on my ankles.The itching is so severe at times that it bleeds. And it still itches! Through numerous visits to my dermatologist and PCP, no answers were found either. BUT, I found a website to help me that I know you will be VERY interested in! It has worked miracles for me! Click on Freederm .com and go from there. I promise you that you won't be sorry! Let me know what you think in an email.