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Had it for 30 years!!!!

Posted , 6 users are following.

jayne82307
jayne82307

Started back in the 70's with a circle around my  knuckle, went to doctor he said it was GA, gave me a cortisone shot in it, covered it in saran wrap and it went away...since then it has slowly shown up around my ankles, my elbows, little bumps, not bad, seemed to get better in the winter...worse in the summer....I had been doing research on it and now know nothing will cure it that the doctors give you, hadn't been back to one since (what for, doesn't help), fast forward 30 years, I am a 65 year old women and this year it has really gotten out of control, its on my legs, feet, lower stomach, both sides of body, burns then stops, I am getting desperate and scared now. I have looked into now taking niacinimide, 500 mgs, don't know if I should increase dosage, have started looking into fungus in the body, has anyone researched this? Have started taking probiotics, beta gluca tabs, caprylic tabs, and have just now cutting out carbs, I can't help but think it has something to do with fungus in the body, cause fungus thrives on sugar and carbs feed yeast so I am going to try that, and next try herbal tinctures....anybody taking anything for fungus in the body with any results with GA? I haven't done anything different this year for it to start going out of control. It's weird it moves around, like if I wear a tight pair of jeans, it will show up around my waist. But it isn't going away, its in circles on my lower legs and little tiny bumps on my stomach. I've lived with this most of my life, it really hasn't bothered me cause it would show up then move on. But this year it is riduculously severe. Systemic fungus thoughts anyone out there?

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • jayne82307
    jayne82307

    Posted

    and I want to correct what I posted, I started a week ago taking Nicotinamide 500 mg, not niacinimide as I posted...I read somewhere that the Nicotinamide was a treatment, but the article didn't go into detail about how long or how much, so I just bought it myself and started taking it....Nicotinamide is basically vitamin B3, but without the flushing of the other....so don't know how much or how long, but if it was listed as having some success, I'm taking it. anyone else heard of this with any success?
  • patty98033
    patty98033 jayne82307

    Posted

    GA is said to be an autoimmune problem and I believe it.  Since we are all different, it seems that each individual may have something totally different that affects them. I am 72 and about 2 years after I was diagnosed, I sent a hair sample off for DNA testing for intolerances and the results came back that I was intolerant of a number of my favorite foods that I was eading almost daily.  I had no immediate clues since none of these things caused an immediate rash, breathing problems, stomach upset or anything.   It is now 16 months later and with the exception of mild discoloration on the tops of my feet, the rest is pretty much gone.  I did have it on my hands & arms, legs & feet and some on my torso.

    I would seriously consider that it could be caused by food allergies or intolerances - most common being wheat & other gluten grains, dairy, soy, plants in the nightshade family.  Mine are widely scattered among food groups and only tomatoes (nightshades) were among those mentioned.

    I would never have figured this out on my own but I gave up everything on my list and with rare exceptions, have avoided them all since them and while it was slow in going away, it is nearly gone.  Before doing this, mine continually got worse and literally none went away.  Cortisone cream helped with itching when they were actively growing but didn't do anything towards making them go away. 

    If you are interested in trying this on your own, you can find a number of recommended diets for autoimmune problems and low carb diets by doing an Internet search - ketogenic diets - help with a number of autoimmune problems.  Things including seisures, alzheimers, MS, diabetes, and on and on so I think for health, everyone should keep sugar and high glycemic foods out of their diet or severely limit the quantity.  Since my mother had alzheimers & went blind & my dad died of complications of diabetes, I really have the heredity for these things so I am doing what I can to avoid getting them. 

    I do believe there is a cure but it may be different for each of us because what affects one person might not affect another at all.

    Good luck to you!

    Patty

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  • crystal85
    crystal85 jayne82307

    Posted

    hi... I just wanted tomake sure you are aware that granuloma annulare isn't a fungus ( although it looks like it) it is a collection of white blood cells under your skin which relates to it being autoimmune disease. I just found out that I'm allergic to soy (which is in everything) ... and I plan to do the hair intolerence test to find out what else I'm intolerent to. Patty98033 is very accurate and I to believe it's realted to intolerence.  I did think it was hormonal before as it went away during both of my pregnancies but from further research your immue systen is in high gear during pregnancy which is why I belive it completely went away during those times. Either way it is defianlty not a fungal rash... It makes me feel better knowing that so I wanted to share that with you. Stay positive and best of luck! 
    • patty98033
      patty98033 crystal85

      Posted

      Thanks for the vote of confidence!

      I also like your theory about it going away during pregnancies.  Since my kids were in their 40s when I got it, I didn't have any experience with this aspect but have read it in many places that it went away when women were pregnant.

      Patty

  • mary04144
    mary04144 jayne82307

    Posted

    I have only gotten this the past 3 years and I am going to go nuts soon. I still think it is a parasite and should be treated as such.  
    • patty98033
      patty98033 mary04144

      Posted

      If yours was diagnosed by biopsy, then I'm quite positive that it is not a parasite.  GA is not from parasites although it is probably possible to have GA and parasites but  think a dermatologist would have surely caught that.

      Do some searching about food allergies and elimination diets for autoimmune problems and you may be able to find the cause of yours without testing and if not, I suggest testing.  I would never have figured out mine without help since they crossed so many food groups.

      A little over a year ago, I had a hair DNA test done for intolerances and without taking any medications or using ointments (with occassional exceptions when the GA was actively growing when I used cortisone cream), the only treatment has been to avoid all of the foods that showed up on my intolerance list.  I'm delighted to say that it's almost completely gone except some areas on the top of my feet that have faded from dark purple-red to a much lighter color.

      I will say that it was very slow in responding and the first thing I noticed after about 30 days is that no more were popping out and eventually, they started fading away.

      Good luck to you!

      Patty

    • crystal85
      crystal85 patty98033

      Posted

      Patty i just ordered my hair test from the UK... tahnk you so much for this info! I was wondering if you have the generalized GA or localized granuloma annulare? Also since you stopped eating the foods you intolerent too how loing would you say it took before it faded away... I know it is a long process. Also I just started taking dapsone... I'm not crazy about the side effects. I was wondering if you also tried that in the past?
    • jayne82307
      jayne82307 crystal85

      Posted

      Patty, where is this test that you speak of and how do you go

      about doing it? I live in Colorado. Could you send me a link if

      you can. Thanks

    • patty98033
      patty98033 crystal85

      Posted

      Hi Crystal,  Originally when I was diagnosed, I didn't have it in very many places and that dermatologist called it localized but we moved and the latest dermatologist i went to did more biopsies because she thought perhapse the ones on the tops of my feet were something different. They were GA. She said that it was generalized so I think it just matters how much you have.

      It took a few weeks before I stopped breaking out with new ones and then in another month some of the oldest ones were starting to fade.  I'd had it for 3 years and none had gone away and I was getting new ones all the time until I stopped eating all of the foods on my list.  Within about 3 months the ones on my hands & arms had faded a lot and the ones on my legs were starting to lighten up.  I got my test results on May 1 of 2014 and quit eating those foods that day and as I mentioned, it is still on the tops of my feet but not nearly as bad as it was and I am not breaking out with any new ones at all and haven't in all that time.

      Good luck to you!  Keep us posted.

      Patty

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