Monica_in_Switzerland Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) I just saw my dr today for an unrelated thing, but I mentioned some symptoms to him that had just sprung up and he is thinking psoriasis. Basically, about 24 hours ago or so, my skin started to hurt in various places- on my shins, on my outer elbows, and on my hands. This morning, the pain/itching in my hands was pretty severe, but it has died back down a bit. My skin is a bit flushed, but not violently red, and there is a bit of swelling. The painful/itchy feeling is mostly on my knuckles and backs of my fingers, but earlier today I was also having it in my palms. I'm just not sure about psoriasis because it doesn't look bright red, patchy, and peel/rashy. Any ideas? He gave me a cortisone cream to try, and on Monday, he's going to do a general blood test to see how everything seems to be going. Edited February 6, 2016 by Monica_in_Switzerland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikslo Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Has this ever happened to you before? Do you have any food allergies or have you tried any new foods prior to the symptoms? I would skip the cream and take some Benadryl, personally, since creams always dry out my skin. And I have a kid with food allergies which tends to influence my thoughts. :closedeyes: Good luck figuring out. It sounds painful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 This sounds more like an allergic reaction of some kind. Dh was recently diagnosed with psoriasis on his legs. It was patches of red scaly skin that had developed over a few weeks, not suddenly. There was no swelling, no hurting, and only a little itching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 Has this ever happened to you before? Do you have any food allergies or have you tried any new foods prior to the symptoms? I would skip the cream and take some Benadryl, personally, since creams always dry out my skin. And I have a kid with food allergies which tends to influence my thoughts. :closedeyes: Good luck figuring out. It sounds painful. This has never happened to me before. I don't have any known food allergies, but my ds has celiac's, so I'm always sort of wondering if I should be off gluten as well. lol. No new foods. This sounds more like an allergic reaction of some kind. Dh was recently diagnosed with psoriasis on his legs. It was patches of red scaly skin that had developed over a few weeks, not suddenly. There was no swelling, no hurting, and only a little itching. My first thought was allergy as well, but I also have spots on my shins and elbow that are itching and painful, and I haven't changed any skincare products or laundry products, so it's not a topical allergy at any rate. I do have a couple of other auto-immune issues- thyroid antibodies that cause hypothyroidism during pregnancy, and seasonal allergies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Have you bought and worn any new clothes that haven't been washed yet? That has been a typical cause of skin reactions in our house. The chemicals used in manufacturing are the culprit. Other causes have been insect bites, and the finish on some kinds of glossy paper. The strep throat virus caused wierd painful skin symptoms in me once. I would try some Benadryl to see if it helps but still follow up with the doc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 Have you bought and worn any new clothes that haven't been washed yet? That has been a typical cause of skin reactions in our house. The chemicals used in manufacturing are the culprit. Other causes have been insect bites, and the finish on some kinds of glossy paper. The strep throat virus caused wierd painful skin symptoms in me once. I would try some Benadryl to see if it helps but still follow up with the doc. Nope, no new clothes. I have had a pretty bad cold, but am definitely moving towards recovery on that front. The only other thing is that I have a fever blister/cold sore on my lip for the first time ever. My dh gets them, so I'm sure the virus has been dormant in me for a long time and has finally expressed itself. The doc thinks both the fever blister and this skin thing may be related in the sense that my system is stressed and so a number of things are popping up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) Nope, no new clothes. I have had a pretty bad cold, but am definitely moving towards recovery on that front. The only other thing is that I have a fever blister/cold sore on my lip for the first time ever. My dh gets them, so I'm sure the virus has been dormant in me for a long time and has finally expressed itself. The doc thinks both the fever blister and this skin thing may be related in the sense that my system is stressed and so a number of things are popping up. Ask for a strep test. Not all strep presents with the normal symptoms everyone associates with strep. Edited February 5, 2016 by itsheresomewhere 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 The doc thinks both the fever blister and this skin thing may be related in the sense that my system is stressed and so a number of things are popping up. Stress was my thought. I only ever get psoriasis as a stress reaction. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I have psoriasis on my hands. I have never experienced it anywhere else. It presents itself like an itchy rash - very similar to poison ivy. A steroid cream helps when it is out of control, but constant maintenance with a natural lotion (I use Burt's Bees) does wonders. I have to be very consistent with lotion throughout the day though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 I have psoriasis on my hands. I have never experienced it anywhere else. It presents itself like an itchy rash - very similar to poison ivy. A steroid cream helps when it is out of control, but constant maintenance with a natural lotion (I use Burt's Bees) does wonders. I have to be very consistent with lotion throughout the day though. Does the redness increase over the course of several days? Right now, I would say my irritated skin just looks a little flushed, but definitely not in the angry red category. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 The steroid cream never cured it, either. I've had some under my hair for months. Wild oregano oil seems to reduce it by about half, but won't budge it any further. If I remember to get camomile tea from the supermarket today, I'm going to try using it as a hair rinse and see what happens. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) Does the redness increase over the course of several days? Right now, I would say my irritated skin just looks a little flushed, but definitely not in the angry red category. It does get much worse if it's not treated. It will get dry, cracked, and blistery too. ETA: It started out as just one itchy spot on one finger. Edited February 5, 2016 by JessReplanted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 PSA- If I "like" someone's post, it just means thanks for contributing, not that I'm happy you have psoriasis... :-D It does get much worse if it's not treated. It will get dry, cracked, and blistery too. ETA: It started out as just one itchy spot on one finger. Ok, so within one outbreak, over the course of days, the condition will continue to degenerate basically? AKA, I'm not going to wake up feeling better tomorrow? lol Has anyone tried an autoimmune protocol diet? I've dabbled in and out of paleo and always feel wonderful when on it, but AIP looks pretty crazy... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted February 6, 2016 Author Share Posted February 6, 2016 UPDATE: I'm now pretty much covered with whatever rash this is. Elbows, backs of knees, shins, shoulder blades, tops and soles of feet, backs and palms of hands, forearms a bit... Only my hands are swollen and painful, the rest is just itchy. I don't have a fever, but I have a sort of flu-like body fatigue/heaviness. Hard to say if it's just from poor sleep or if it's related, but it has me a bit worried. I'm going to try to get in to an urgent care dermatologist this weekend, but unfortunately I have to wait a bit as my DH is having an asthma attack to his urgent care visit had to take priority. We are a mess! LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TianXiaXueXiao Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 Prayers for you and dh! I hope toy find out what is going on with your skin soon and recover quickly! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 I hope you get some answers soon. When it rains, it pours. Sorry to hear about your dh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 Hand, foot, and mouth maybe? At first it sounded immune, but with tha flu like symptoms I'm leaning towards viral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted February 6, 2016 Author Share Posted February 6, 2016 Hand, foot, and mouth maybe? At first it sounded immune, but with tha flu like symptoms I'm leaning towards viral. I thought of that too, but it doesn't look like the HFM my kids got a couple years ago. There are no pimple type bumps, and nothing oral. But it may still be what it is. I'll be happy once I've seen a dermatologist. Of all the things to google, I think rashes are the worst, because the images are always so yucky! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 Shingles? Hope you both feel better soon! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 I am praying for you and your husband. Hope it all works out well for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 Scarlet fever? One type of bacteria that causes walking pneumonia can have an accompanying rash that looks almost hive-like sometimes. Mycoplasma I think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted February 6, 2016 Author Share Posted February 6, 2016 Shingles? Hope you both feel better soon! I don't *think* it's shingles because both sides of the body are affected, but I am not ruling it out either. Adding it to the list for the doctor... Scarlet fever? One type of bacteria that causes walking pneumonia can have an accompanying rash that looks almost hive-like sometimes. Mycoplasma I think. My mom mentioned scarlet fever as well. I am off to google that a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 UPDATE: I'm now pretty much covered with whatever rash this is. Elbows, backs of knees, shins, shoulder blades, tops and soles of feet, backs and palms of hands, forearms a bit... Only my hands are swollen and painful, the rest is just itchy. I don't have a fever, but I have a sort of flu-like body fatigue/heaviness. Hard to say if it's just from poor sleep or if it's related, but it has me a bit worried. I'm going to try to get in to an urgent care dermatologist this weekend, but unfortunately I have to wait a bit as my DH is having an asthma attack to his urgent care visit had to take priority. We are a mess! LOL. I don't know what it is but I had an allergic reaction to poison ivy when I was pregnant. It spread over my body much like yours and was completely different than the rash I typically get with poison ivy. I guess my pregnancy hormones made the reaction go crazy. It looked a lot like PUPPS, but wasn't. The dermatologist gave me steroids and a topical ointment that got it back under control. Good luck figuring out what it is, I hope you are feeling better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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