Wellness

[bosmamaa]

Hi, I am wondering if any of you have experienced a rash that has tiny red itchy bite looking marks. I've had this for a couple of months and have been to dermatologist twice. They did biopsy and said it looked like a reaction to medication but I don't take Any at all. They gave me steroids which helped alot but not totally. Now after 2 weeks it is worse again. It did clear up the welts I had though. It is driving me crazy!  My derm just doesn't know what it is. Anyone ever experience anything like this?? TIA!!

[Lilysmom]

@bosmamaa, have you changed your laundry detergent or anything like that?  I woke up one morning and I was covered head to toes in big red blotches.  I later found out they were hives.

I had bought a  new washing machine.  It was one of the first HE machines. My housekeeper used the HE detergent in the same volume as she used the old detergent.  I was one hot mess.  Had to redo every bit of laundry.  The medication they gave me to get rid of the hives nearly knocked me out.  Way to strong.  I was trying to finish my thesis so it was awful lol.

I hope you find an answer.  It can be miserable I know.  Look to new things that might have been introduced to your world ... detergent, food, etc.  Good luck!  LM

[qualitygal]

If it's like bites, did you travel and stay at any hotels as of late?

[Q4u]

Your doctor didn't do any allergy tests?  I think I'd go to my regular doctor and start all over again.  Maybe it's allergies (soap/detergents?), something you eat.....It may not be a particular reaction at all but rather a sign of something else going on.  When my Sarcoidosis was at its worst, I would get a fine rash on my lower legs.  The rash wasn't due to an allergy or reaction to something I ate but rather one of the signs of the Pulmonary Sarcoidosis I developed.  I needed a regular doctor and a Pulmonary specialist.

But I'd start all over again with my regular doctor first .... a couple of months with a rash that won't go away is something that needs to be taken care of....   

[Moonchilde]

You are allergic to *something* but it might or might not be medication. It could be laundry soap, softener, scent, perfume, even the sizing in a fabric of something you're wearing. You can have a dermatitis from anything that touches your skin, OR an allergy to a medication. A medication allergy rash would be more widespread, a contact rash probably smaller.

Since your doctor did a biopsy, it gave him a fair *idea* of what it might or might not be, but surprisingly often the specific cause of a dermatitis might not ever be known. 

Try eliminating possible causes on your own (a doctor would tell you to do this anyway). Stop using things you'veen using, one by one. It could be an item you've used a long time that has a new ingredient - or a medication the pharmacy got from a new source that has a different inert ingredient/filler it didn't have before. That definitely happens. Ask your pharmacist if they have chsnged sources on any of your meds. They won't always be honest, though. I have had a pharmacist lie to me about it.

[bosmamaa]

Thank you Lilysmom, but no new soap or anything else!

[lolakimono]

@bosmamaa

I don't know if you have a latex allergy or not, but I post this information just in case.

There are many foods that cross react with latex, and instead of giving the anaphylaxis type reaction, they show up on your skin.  I have had this happen.

Here is a good reference:

http://latexallergyresources.org/sites/default/files/attachments/TB10A%20Latex%20food%20cross-reacti...

Also, if you have not undergone patch testing, I would strongly recommend it.  I have had two sets of these done, and now that I know the triggers I have avoided the contact dermatitis ingredients that plagued me.

I have been tested with the scratch test and bloodwork by the allergist, and have had the patch test by two dermatologists.  Everyone found different allergens, so it was good to have a multiperspective approach to finding the allergens.  

http://www.smartpractice.com/dermatologyallergy/category_includes/education/images/patch-test-guide....

[bosmamaa]

Thank you all! It is not bed bugs, there is no sign at all and I've seen those awful things before. It is SO frustrating because it can be so many things. 

[x Hedge]

@bosmamaa, Had any PET/CATscans recently?

I have semi-annual scans that require both drinking and IV injection of contrast material.

I have a delayed allergic reaction to the contrast material, about 10-14 days.

The itchy, tiny, bite looking marks are exactly as you describe, going on for months, and the skin in the rashy areas seems to become extremely fragile and scars with the slightest friction.

[Katcat1]

@bosmamaa,  That could be a reaction to something you are eating.  I would find another Dermatologist too.  If it's not going away I am thinking you are allergic to some food, lotion, etc.  Even if you were not allergic before you can all of a sudden become allergic.  If I eat too many strawberries I break out in hives on my feet of all places or lower legs.    I hope you find out what it is that is giving you problems.