bethben Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 My daughter is going on two weeks of a whole body rash. She has been on steroids and an anti-itch medication for 5 days and I am continuing to see new rashes breaking out. Are we looking at food allergies now? What are the most common that would cause this type of rash that I can start eliminating? She’s getting to mental despair again. Which means I’m getting getting to mental despair. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Wow!! What did the doctor say? Did they giver her a steroid injection? Has she been on any medication that might cause a rash (antibiotics?) Anything topical (poison ivy, etc)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeLovePassion Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 My one daughter gets itchy when she eats gluten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 It's not necessarily foods. I would get that from contact allergies also, like from molds, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Have they tried antihistamines like Claritin or Zyrtec or something? I am constantly itchy unless I take a 24-hr antihistamine every single day. I have not been to an allergist to narrow down the cause because, and maybe this sounds stupid, I am afraid I developed an allergy to my dog and she's 12 so I won't be giving her up or doing anything differently really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 We thought grass started this initially. We haven’t let her touch grass since. Today, she has a lot of itch and we were in the car or in dirt mostly. No grass. We live in a dryer climate so we get a lot of dirt and rocks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 My nephew just recovered from something like that. The steroids didn't help. His doctor thought it might be strep but the rapid test came back negative. I'm not sure if they ever figured out what it was but he's better now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 She was on a combo of Benadryl every six hours plus a Claritin daily when this all started. The combo barely touched it and she got worse. She’s on Steroids full blast and it’s gone down but now that we’re weaning her off again, it seems to have started up. Her skin is really dry due to the sloffing off of all that rash skin but there is definitely some new rash there also. She’s getting a lot of lotion (which she never got before this so not the cause). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Is she on oral steroids? That should really knock out most allergic reactions. If she's been on steroids for this long and is still breaking out, I would be wondering if maybe it is viral. If it's topical steroids, then I'd ask for a round of oral steroids or even a shot. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 Hers isn’t a rash or hives. It looked to the doctor like contact dermatitis which means a lot of small bumps all over her stomach, arms, legs, and face. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 One thing that has helped me when I've had hives is an oatmeal bath. You don't want the water hot, just warm. Put a couple cups of oatmeal in a washcloth or hand towel, secure with a rubber band. Wet your oatmeal bomb and gently wash it over the hives. It is very soothing and will temporarily keep your mind off the itch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 Oral steroids. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 One thing that has helped me when I've had hives is an oatmeal bath. You don't want the water hot, just warm. Put a couple cups of oatmeal in a washcloth or hand towel, secure with a rubber band. Wet your oatmeal bomb and gently wash it over the hives. It is very soothing and will temporarily keep your mind off the itch. Nevermind, for some reason I thought she had hives. Carry on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 (edited) Does she have anxiety or depression? I’m only asking because you mentioned dispair. Stress can be caused or made worse by stress https://www.verywell.com/can-stress-cause-hives-83239 I get hives and they can definitely be stress triggered at times. Especially if other stuff is off like nutrition, sleep, exercise, etc. so if there is some mental illness that may be in the mix, I definitely recommend getting that treated alongside following the allergy testing route, etc. ETA my hives vary in look and feel. They don’t always look like big giant traditional looking hives. Edited October 2, 2017 by WoolySocks 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 A red sandpaper-y rash with lots of small bumps sounds like Scarletina? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Could it be molluscum? They will thrive with steroids and if combined with eczema or sensitive skin they can be very itchy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 I'm exhausted, but I'd have her start a low histamine diet - no common food allergies, no wheat, no meat, no cheese, no aged proteins, no vinegar, etc. Have her eat more apples. Focus on rice and low-allergen veggies for a while. Only if that didn't work would I start a full elimination diet. I'll try to come back tomorrow and break that down more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadenceSophia Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Does your first response mean she is off the benadryl and claritin? She should be keeping up H1 and H2 blockers. Usually benedryl+ketotifen or zyrtec and zantac (H2 blocker). Read up on MCAS/MCAD .. Hopefully there is a better solution (it is often just dx'd by exclusion) but following that protocol for a little while would be helpful. You need an amazing allergist. One who does patch testing in addition to other needed and routine tests. Have any allergic friends that you can ask for recs? Good allergist are hard to find.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 (edited) Her rash looks pretty much the color of her skin to start and then gets slightly pink. She has a light/medium brown skin so it doesn't show up pink as much. The sandpaper skin started when the rash went away with the initial dose of steroids. I guess I would compare what she has to fire ant bites. Really itchy and small bumps. Not pimply though. Her mental distress is because she's been really itchy for two weeks without a whole day of relief. I would go a bit nutty also. The itching does get worse if she feels like she's going to be in full "itch mode" like before. She went to her room to calm down and draw a bit so that helped a ton. Before, nothing she did would help. She is off the over the counter stuff and is on prednisone and hydroxyzine. I am starting an elimination diet starting with eggs. For some reason that's been in my head as the place to start. I hate to start with everything so that she couldn't eat much. This summer, she had a palate reconstruction surgery and was on liquids for 3 weeks and mushy foods for 6. I think a full elimination diet may send her over the edge because of all the things she couldn't eat. Edited October 2, 2017 by bethben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 (edited) She was on a combo of Benadryl every six hours plus a Claritin daily when this all started. The combo barely touched it and she got worse. She’s on Steroids full blast and it’s gone down but now that we’re weaning her off again, it seems to have started up. Her skin is really dry due to the sloffing off of all that rash skin but there is definitely some new rash there also. She’s getting a lot of lotion (which she never got before this so not the cause). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Is she allergic to sulfa drugs? Benadryl can sometimes make rashes worse if there's a sulfa allergy. Two friends have discovered an allergy when an entire body rash erupted. Edited October 2, 2017 by ErinE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Google celiac rash. It's pretty distinctive looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 (edited) Google celiac rash. It's pretty distinctive looking. Oh no!! We may have a winner. On the flip side, I am gluten free mostly so it's an easy one to fix. She has the rash all over her body not just the elbows and knees. She also has no other symptoms (stomach aches - nothing really). Edited October 2, 2017 by bethben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Have you changed laundry detergent since this started? I had a contact dermatitis all over my torso when I was pregnant. I switched soap, shampoo, and detergent and it went away. I never had it happen again even when I went back to the same stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Poor kiddo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 Have you changed laundry detergent since this started? I had a contact dermatitis all over my torso when I was pregnant. I switched soap, shampoo, and detergent and it went away. I never had it happen again even when I went back to the same stuff. I thought about this, but she doesn't have it at all on her back. I would think that would be a big one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 I thought about this, but she doesn't have it at all on her back. I would think that would be a big one.That is weird but it would probably be worth washing just her clothes, towels, sheets, etc. in something like All Free and Clear. I understand about the elimination diet. My dd is on a super restrictive diet right now trying to clear up her acne. It's been 4 weeks now and it's getting easier but it's a lot of work for both of us. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Where did the rash show up first? Is it itchier at a particular time of day, generally? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Gluten is the first thing that comes to my mind. My dd's good friend suddenly developed an itchy rash toward gluten even though she never had it before. But, other allergens had kicked in (seasonal and plant-related), so I suppose her allergy "threshold" was reached and her body just didn't have anything left to tolerate her gluten sensitive anymore, which up until then hadn't really been a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemsondana Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 I'd see if she's used any new products (laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, etc). Has she been swimming in a pool or been in a hot tub? One time we went to a friend's pool, and I sat on the side with my legs in the water. The next day I had an awful rash up to my knees, and it took 2 weeks to go away. I still don't know what, specifically, was in that pool since I've been in others since then without problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Have they done any allergy testing? You could start with that. Not sure I buy into the low histamine diet though. I'm already essentially on a low histamine diet, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. Drugs are the only thing that is making any kind of difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 I hadn't changed anything before she got this rash. She had rolled around in grass and came down with it that night (or the next day - I can't remember). It's just kept going. It's hard to tell if it's a "gluten rash" because the pictures all show white people and she's not. It doesn't look as angry or mean looking for a rash, but it's similar for sure. If it keeps going, gluten is an easy one for me to eliminate with her. She's slightly distressed about the thought though. She LOVES pasta and everything carbs. The gluten free pasta options just aren't the same. She'll be off the prednisone next week so we'll see if she's still itchy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 I get the gluten rash - dermatitis herpetiformis - but not all over, just on my elbows, hips, underarms mostly. The itch is insane - it's the itch that rashes, rather than the other way around. The good news is that it cleared up right away when I went off gluten and only recurs if I get cross-contaminated. I hope it's that for her, honestly, because it's by far the easiest to "treat." I feel her pain: I had the itch for 4 years before figuring out what it was. My other thought was eurythemia minor due to a sulfa/antibiotic allergy - she wasn't on abx or any sulfa drugs when the rash started, though? If not it can't be that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Unlikely, but any chance it is scabies? I have seen it get pretty bad if it goes a while before getting treated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 I thought my daughter was allergic to a whole series of things (including gluten, grass, detergents, etc.) until she finally said to me one morning, hey mom, by the way, cousin N____ said she had something called scabies last month when we were spending the weekend. Bah. Scabies doesn't like the face, though, I've heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caraway Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 I get the celiac rash, but only on my belly and in my ears. So it's possible to have it in nontraditional locations. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Dd15 has diagnosed celiac disease. For her it starts as localized hives which turn into little blisters which can break open and bleed. My Dd is not white (she's mixed race) and those spots where she has had the rash have lost pigment. I don't know if this is typical or not but we showed the celiac specialist and he thought it was consistent with a celiac rash. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeriJ Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 I had this once as a delayed reaction to antibiotics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 I had this once as a delayed reaction to antibiotics. How delayed? She had a decent dose of antibiotics, but that was 3 months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieC Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 I had crazy skin rash just like hers. I got a steroid injection plus ten days of prednisone. That did the trick until about a week after the last dose of prednisone when it came back. Now I have a spray steroid (desoximetasone), a cream (triamcinolone) and Hylatopic plus lotion. The dermatologist I saw seems to think mine was caused by exercising in the warm weather with dry skin. So far (it's been almost a month since I got the second set of prescriptions) this concoction of meds is working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel-in-CA Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 My husband has dermatagraphia. This means he starts to itch, when he itches he scratches, when he scratches, his skin shows red welts....and he can sometimes scratch himself raw. It's not a rash, per se, but after he's been scratching awhile it sure *looks* like a rash. His is a malfunction of the histamines, so he treats it with allegra and other antihistamines. And occasionally a full body brush to set them all off at once will give him a bit of relief. No idea if this fits what's happening with your dd, but with him it's chronic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Oh no!! We may have a winner. On the flip side, I am gluten free mostly so it's an easy one to fix. She has the rash all over her body not just the elbows and knees. She also has no other symptoms (stomach aches - nothing really). I hope not, but yeah, it's pretty distinctive. A friend showed me pictures of her rash and I "diagnosed her". She didn't have insurance so put off going to the doctor for a long time, but just recently told me yup, she has celiac. So although I hope your daughter doesn't have it, it would make me 2/2 on diagnosing celiac via the internet, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Unlikely, but any chance it is scabies? I have seen it get pretty bad if it goes a while before getting treated. This is what I thought of. It’s unusual to have just one person in a family with it, but I’ve seen it happen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 This is the rash...it’s hard to see but basically a bunch of small bumps clustered together. She’s been on steroids for a week but this is breaking through. She usually is a light brown color skin. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 That is why I asked about where it started and whether it is worse at night. (scabies) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 That is why I asked about where it started and whether it is worse at night. (scabies) It is worse at night. It started on her arms and legs then migrated to her stomach and face. Initial thoughts from the doctor said it looked like contact dermatitis. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 the rash looks like scabies, and it is worse at night it is a crazymaking itch anti-allergy meds will reduce it temporarily but then it comes back as soon as they wear off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Oh, and I should say that with scabies, the itch may disappear or at least be reduced with allergy meds, but many of the bumps are still there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 But could scabies turn quickly into a full body rash almost immediately? Including her face? It’s not on her feet or palms of her hands. Nor her back. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 Well, called the doctor back who did initially suspect scabies also but since it’s so rare to have in our area dismissed it. Headed to the pharmacy for new medication. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Well, called the doctor back who did initially suspect scabies also but since it’s so rare to have in our area dismissed it. Headed to the pharmacy for new medication. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk You know I really get annoyed with doctors who have no answers, but dismiss testing because "it's so rare..." My dd has celiac. No one wanted to test her. "It's rare", "her symptoms are known, but rare for the condition", "it's genetic, you can't have it unless someone in your family has it".... I finally got dd tested. She had a positive blood test and a biopsy over 16 years ago. I really want to know how would anyone be diagnosed if you had to have a relative diagnosed and no one would do that first test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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