Hive Everyone....Lengthy

[Guest guest]

Hive Everyone,

Hoping that everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

I would appreciate any input, and information, if anyone has experienced

anything similar to this condition I presently have.

I went to the hospital and was held 'hostage' for a couple days over the

Christmas season because of an outbreak of hive-like welts. The first few

appeared three weeks ago; one on my forehead at the hairline, another on my

right elbow, and several on the same upper arm and forearm.

The singular welt on my right elbow started with intense itching the day before

it

presented itself, as did the others. Although small at first, the red, smooth,

raised

welts gradually became more inflamed, raised, and much larger. The incessant

burning pain and itching became almost intolerable. The surrounding tissue on

my elbow became extremely inflamed, the skin tight and swollen. The skin in the

centre of the welt then shed off, and sadly the hive began to weep.

I saw my doctor 11 days ago and after showing him my elbow, and the other nasty

welts, which were all behaving badly, he concluded from a visual diagnosis that

I was most probably suffering from a Staphylococcal infection and he prescribed

to it as such with the anti-biotic drug Ceftin.

He drew a circular pen-line around the swollen area on my elbow, and told me

that if the swelling should surpass the line I must go to the Emergency without

delay as I may require IV antibiotics.

That night I started taking the Ceftin while all the while, the welts worsened,

without withdrawing, widening and wielding their watery waste as I lay awake and

wallowed in worry, wondering what these welts really were, and when and if I

would get some welief.

I waited several days before going to the hospital; the right elbow had swollen

well past the pen-line, and I was breaking out in more hive-like welts on the

other arm, elbow, shoulder and lower leg.

They were short-staffed at the hospital, and after being admitted and waiting a

good long while an ER nurse eventually saw me. She put me in a separate room

and took vast amounts of blood to send to the lab.

They advised me to stay at the hospital until they could find some answers to

these painful burning, itching, and swollen welts. They started me on IV

antibiotics and expressed that they would not want to release me until Dr. 'A',

their Infectious Disease Specialist, examined me, as well as Dr. 'B', their

Internist.

As the hours passed late into the night, the hospital staff kept me reassured

that the two specialists would be in to examine me as soon as someone could

locate them in the hospital.

They kept calling for Dr. 'A', and Dr. 'B' over the intercom system; however,

after

several hours they could deceive me no longer. It became apparent to me that I

was there for the long haul, with greater odds of 'Pope ' showing up in

my room long before Dr. 'A' (a.k.a 'the Shadow'), and Dr. 'B' (a.k.a. 'the

Invisible Man') made an appearance.

A blood workup showed that my 'C' Reactive Protein count was off the chart, and

my white count was only ever so slightly elevated; hence, no real infection

present. No real surprise about the 'C' RP count being elevated with a

condition like EDS.

Mid-morning the next day the 'Loafer Twins' finally made an appearance and

examined me. They said that my condition had them totally baffled. Not wanting

to leave anything to chance they decided to treat me as though I have a

bacterial infection and a skin infection.

They prescribed an ointment called Mupirocin to apply up my nose twice a day (to

stop the spread of Staph, or Strep infection), antiseptic antibacterial body

soap, and an antibiotic called Clindamycin (print-out states to be prescribed

for only the severest bacterial infections as the antibiotic can be fatal).

Last night and today I have had another outbreak of some 20 welts on my lower

leg and also where I seat myself. I don't think that the 'Loafer Twins' know

what they are doing, other than aiding me in wiping out my immune system with

strong antibiotics.

So, I got on the computer and started searching the medical sites for

information.

I think I may have found the disorder that fits the bill, however, I am a bit

apprehensive about showing up at the hospital with diagnosis in hand, and then

proceed to play 'Dr. ' with the 'Loafer Twins'.

My own GP is away on holidays until Thursday of this week, and the burning pain

is so intense that I have said to my lovely wife Helen at least twice today that

I have a mind to just hurl myself over the balcony. She only laughs, and says,

" Don't be foolish, we live on the first floor, you'd only hurt yourself at

best. "

Any input would be most appreciated.

Your Humble Servant,

J ( hn

Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Many diseases and injuries can cause blistering, but three autoimmune diseases:

pemphigus, bullous pemphigoid, and dermatitis herpetiformis - are among the most

serious.

In an autoimmune disease, the immune system, which normally attacks foreign

invaders of the body - such as infectious agents - is wrongly activated against

a normal component of the body - in this case, a component of skin.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis is an *autoimmune disease in which clusters of

intensely itchy, small blisters and hive-like swellings break out and persist.

The disease mainly affects adults between 15 and 60; it rarely affects blacks or

Asians. In people with the disease, glutens (proteins) in wheat, rye, barley,

and oat products activate the immune system, which attacks parts of the skin and

somehow causes the rash and itching. People who suffer from dermatitis

herpetiformis almost invariably have signs of intestinal disease (celiac

disease). These people also have a tendency to develop thyroid disease.

Small blisters usually develop gradually, mostly on the elbows, knees, buttocks,

lower back, and the back of the head. Sometimes they break out on the face and

neck. Itching and burning are likely to be severe.

Diagnosis and Treatment

The diagnosis is based on an examination of fresh skin specimens to locate

antibodies in the skin structures.

Treatment may not be needed if a person adheres strictly to a diet free of

wheat, rye, barley, and oats. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, may

cause the rash to worsen.

The drug Dapsone almost always provides relief in 1 to 2 days. Dapsone has many

potential side effects, particularly on blood cells, and usually causes anemia.

Dermatologists monitor the blood cell levels of people taking this drug. In

most

patients, the disease lasts a long time, so they need to take Dapsone for many

years.

[Guest guest]

, auto immune diseases are no joke. I have RA, so I know what I am

talking about. You need to see as many specialists as you need to get a

correct diagnosis. The longer AI conditions are left untreated, the more

serious they can become. In the worst case, they can kill you. Given how

ill you are, you need to be in hospital until they work out what you

have. I know you love being in hospital about as much as I do, but you

need a correct diagnosis and then the appropriate treatment. Take your

research information with you. With luck, the doctors may even listen to

you. Don't count on it though.

--

Fuller

Owned and operated by fur kids Grace, Poppy and Flo

Folding for the future with the Arthritis Warriors team.

[Guest guest]

.. Almost sounds like ring worm fungus infection.. It is spreading

here in NJ quickly among the school age chiildren....

Lots of tmes when I get a hive / rash infect I poke a hole in several

vitimin e capsukles and spread the jiuce on the area and I get some

relief and it helps heal quicker.. have you tried this???? Hopefully

you'll get some relief soon

Hugs

debby