Contact Dermatitis - Page 2

lolakimono · ‎03-29-2012

Horror story alert!

I have had this multiple times. In the most recent edition of the contact dermatitis horror files, I have two memorable stories.

1) Yoga teacher used essential oils on us during savasana. I was wearing a tank top and so my shoulders were exposed. She came around with a citrus oil blended with some other oil, and then I ran some errands. What she did not do was DILUTE the oil with a carrier oil, and so I ended up with a photo burn AND an allergic reaction to the oil. Not wanting to go on steroids, I waited it out for a few days...and then I ended up with antibiotics PLUS steroids, PLUS a topical cream. I had octopus like marks from the handprint, and it took all summer to heal the burn marks.

2) I used Wen oils on my arms/legs, as Chaz had advised, and I felt a bit "warm" during the school day. By the end of the day, when I was headed to an evening event at school, my arms were blistered. I again ended up on oral steroids, an antibiotic, and cortisone cream. This reaction was so severe that it took three weeks to clear up.

The moral of the story is that the longer you wait, the more serious this could get and the longer it could take your body to bounce back.

Horror story alert! I have had this multiple times. In the most recent edition of the contact dermatitis horror files, I have two memorable stories. 1) Yoga teacher used essential oils on us during savasana. I was wearing a tank top and so my shoulders were exposed. She came around with a citrus oil blended with some other oil, and then I ran some errands. What she did not do was DILUTE the oil with a carrier oil, and so I ended up with a photo burn AND an allergic reaction to the oil. Not wanting to go on steroids, I waited it out for a few days...and then I ended up with antibiotics PLUS steroids, PLUS a topical cream. I had octopus like marks from the handprint, and it took all summer to heal the burn marks. 2) I used Wen oils on my arms/legs, as Chaz had advised, and I felt a bit "warm" during the school day. By the end of the day, when I was headed to an evening event at school, my arms were blistered. I again ended up on oral steroids, an antibiotic, and cortisone cream. This reaction was so severe that it took three weeks to clear up. The moral of the story is that the longer you wait, the more serious this could get and the longer it could take your body to bounce back.

Moonchilde · ‎05-23-2010

@Noel7 wrote:
@hopi wrote:
@Noel7

Don't know if you should wait it out. Thursday if it is worse call for an appt.
It the same or better just go day by day.

@hopi

Hopi, I'm stuck in the house for now. My right leg was injured pretty bad in a recent accident. I have a walker to use while it heals, but the stairs are a real issue. Super pain going down the steps.

@Noel7, if it was me -

I’d call your doctor’s ofc, explain or remind them of your mobility issues, ask them to advise on breaking it (I would personally break it, myself, but that’s just me) and see if family members could pick up a stronger (Rx) cortisone cream and/or antibiotic (if the blister breaks) at the drugstore for you, or whether Neosporin would be enough.

They might want you to come in, but at least you will have tried - and they may be sympathetic to your mobility issues if they know you well. You could also offer to email them a photo of the blistered area so they can actually see it.

Good luck - and ouch :-(

Life without Mexican food is no life at all

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

Hi @Moonchilde

She called me to come in for something and I told her about the fall and two day hospital stay, mainly that I couldn't get in. She was great about it and mailed me antibiotics, which I knew I needed.

It's always something with lupus, I can't even keep track anymore. She's a new family doctor we all have now and so far she's impressive. I had a video appt with her at one point.

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

Thank you all again!

UPDATE:

Now I'm thinking it's mosquito bites. Just before the blisters started up my daughter got some, then I did. Both of us are prone to allergies, so we both got online to read about allergic mosquito bites, and there it was, the same blisters and area nastiness.

Luckily I'd done the correct treatment, Benadryl oral and cortisone cream.

I could not figure out why the blistering was only on one part of my left hand and not both. It makes sense now, the placement of where I am uncovered at night and where I was uncovered during a hot spell.

I am going to report it to the doctor and keep up the treatment that works for both situations. I'll do a patch test with my hand cream to make sure it isn't that.

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

@febe1 wrote:
@Noel7, I had for the first time ever real blad blistering on my foot and up to my leg calf. First appeared red spotches. Then after big blisters all over the top of my foot. I mean big as a walnut (two of them) and about 20 small blisters.
Wow, I've been going through it for three weeks now. The Derm thought it was auto immune with a long name which means blistering. They did two biopsies, and it was neither auto immune.
The Derm did another blood work to make sure no auto immune anti-bodies, which will take a week.
After CUTTING the two big blisters, they put me on 40 prednesone to dry them out. They gave me pain pills, cortisone cream, and some kind of alum. powder which I bathed my foot in.
Scabs formed over the cut skin and all the little blisters dried up. Healing is going on in my foot after three weeks.
I've gone from 30 prednesone to 20 this week and ten next week.
Pathology says no auto immune. If bloodwork is negative also, they said they will just never know what caused it.
I've seen some of the bills for this and they're over 5,000. And I'm ending up with not knowing anything and inconclusive.

This is not you, I know, but it's strange I should see blisters today. Wow, oh wow!

How are you doing now @febe1 ? It sounds awful for you.

If you haven't taken Prednisone, let me warn you: mood swings and food cravings are common. I gain weight every time I'm on it. Good luck!

febe1 · ‎01-22-2012

@Noel7 wrote:
@febe1 wrote:
@Noel7, I had for the first time ever real blad blistering on my foot and up to my leg calf. First appeared red spotches. Then after big blisters all over the top of my foot. I mean big as a walnut (two of them) and about 20 small blisters.
Wow, I've been going through it for three weeks now. The Derm thought it was auto immune with a long name which means blistering. They did two biopsies, and it was neither auto immune.
The Derm did another blood work to make sure no auto immune anti-bodies, which will take a week.
After CUTTING the two big blisters, they put me on 40 prednesone to dry them out. They gave me pain pills, cortisone cream, and some kind of alum. powder which I bathed my foot in.
Scabs formed over the cut skin and all the little blisters dried up. Healing is going on in my foot after three weeks.
I've gone from 30 prednesone to 20 this week and ten next week.
Pathology says no auto immune. If bloodwork is negative also, they said they will just never know what caused it.
I've seen some of the bills for this and they're over 5,000. And I'm ending up with not knowing anything and inconclusive.

This is not you, I know, but it's strange I should see blisters today. Wow, oh wow!

How are you doing now @febe1 ? It sounds awful for you.

If you haven't taken Prednisone, let me warn you: mood swings and food cravings are common. I gain weight every time I'm on it. Good luck!

Thanks, @Noel7. Yes, I've noticed the food cravings and a feeling just wanting to cry. Never taken it before. I'm down to 20 now and no more blisters.

The blisters all formed scabs and fell off. The bad thing is nothing was found after all those tests.

Thanks again for your best wishes.

Moonchilde · ‎05-23-2010

@Noel7 wrote:
Thank you all again!

UPDATE:

Now I'm thinking it's mosquito bites. Just before the blisters started up my daughter got some, then I did. Both of us are prone to allergies, so we both got online to read about allergic mosquito bites, and there it was, the same blisters and area nastiness.

Luckily I'd done the correct treatment, Benadryl oral and cortisone cream.

I could not figure out why the blistering was only on one part of my left hand and not both. It makes sense now, the placement of where I am uncovered at night and where I was uncovered during a hot spell.

I am going to report it to the doctor and keep up the treatment that works for both situations. I'll do a patch test with my hand cream to make sure it isn't that.

Yes, could be. I used to get very severe reactions to flea bites - each one would get the size of a quarter and swell visibly (plus itch insanely). I would scratch them til they bled and they would stop itching and scab over.

This was back in the day when the anti-flea products we all take for granted now didn’t exist. The doctor gave me a cortisone skin tape - the cortisone was impregnated in the tape. You cut a rounded piece and stuck it on the bite. After 2-3 days all the allergen was gone and you would take it off. You couldn’t see it, it was clear when on.

I hate mosquito bites but thankfully, almost never get any. I do get bites on my ankles when I sit outside in the evening sometimes, but I’m convinced they’re chigger bites - act just like it. Try to remember to use Off! At those times.

Life without Mexican food is no life at all

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

@febe1 wrote:
@Noel7 wrote:
@febe1 wrote:
@Noel7, I had for the first time ever real blad blistering on my foot and up to my leg calf. First appeared red spotches. Then after big blisters all over the top of my foot. I mean big as a walnut (two of them) and about 20 small blisters.
Wow, I've been going through it for three weeks now. The Derm thought it was auto immune with a long name which means blistering. They did two biopsies, and it was neither auto immune.
The Derm did another blood work to make sure no auto immune anti-bodies, which will take a week.
After CUTTING the two big blisters, they put me on 40 prednesone to dry them out. They gave me pain pills, cortisone cream, and some kind of alum. powder which I bathed my foot in.
Scabs formed over the cut skin and all the little blisters dried up. Healing is going on in my foot after three weeks.
I've gone from 30 prednesone to 20 this week and ten next week.
Pathology says no auto immune. If bloodwork is negative also, they said they will just never know what caused it.
I've seen some of the bills for this and they're over 5,000. And I'm ending up with not knowing anything and inconclusive.

This is not you, I know, but it's strange I should see blisters today. Wow, oh wow!

How are you doing now @febe1 ? It sounds awful for you.

If you haven't taken Prednisone, let me warn you: mood swings and food cravings are common. I gain weight every time I'm on it. Good luck!
Thanks, @Noel7. Yes, I've noticed the food cravings and a feeling just wanting to cry. Never taken it before. I'm down to 20 now and no more blisters.
The blisters all formed scabs and fell off. The bad thing is nothing was found after all those tests.
Thanks again for your best wishes.

@febe1

At least the blisters are healing, that’s good. I hope you never have to go through anything like that again.

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

@Moonchilde wrote:
@Noel7 wrote:
Thank you all again!

UPDATE:

Now I'm thinking it's mosquito bites. Just before the blisters started up my daughter got some, then I did. Both of us are prone to allergies, so we both got online to read about allergic mosquito bites, and there it was, the same blisters and area nastiness.

Luckily I'd done the correct treatment, Benadryl oral and cortisone cream.

I could not figure out why the blistering was only on one part of my left hand and not both. It makes sense now, the placement of where I am uncovered at night and where I was uncovered during a hot spell.

I am going to report it to the doctor and keep up the treatment that works for both situations. I'll do a patch test with my hand cream to make sure it isn't that.

Yes, could be. I used to get very severe reactions to flea bites - each one would get the size of a quarter and swell visibly (plus itch insanely). I would scratch them til they bled and they would stop itching and scab over.

This was back in the day when the anti-flea products we all take for granted now didn’t exist. The doctor gave me a cortisone skin tape - the cortisone was impregnated in the tape. You cut a rounded piece and stuck it on the bite. After 2-3 days all the allergen was gone and you would take it off. You couldn’t see it, it was clear when on.

I hate mosquito bites but thankfully, almost never get any. I do get bites on my ankles when I sit outside in the evening sometimes, but I’m convinced they’re chigger bites - act just like it. Try to remember to use Off! At those times.

@Moonchilde

I haven’t had flea bites since I was a kid, I had the same kind of reaction you did. My friends and I got them all the time and I didn’t have any pets. I heard SF was famous for fleas and they were in movie theaters.