Granuloma Annulare - extremely frustrating and depressing. 17 Female. Any opinions?
Posted , 5 users are following.
About a year ago I went through very stressful life events and also accumulated glandular fever. my immune system definitely went to sh*t as well as my mental and physical health. i'm back on the uphill however a few months ago i noticed two strange lumps on the inside of my left hand. i was poked and prodded at by multiple doctors so ended up getting a biopsy as none knew what was wrong with me. I was diagnosed with granuloma annulare and thought that was the end of it. i was so wrong, the lumps broke out into huge rings, then shortly after i noticed more under my bicep, on my forearms, fingers, ankles, the tops of my feet are plagued in what looks like ringworm, now i'm getting one on my shin and fairly sure one is developing on my nose. 8' beside myself. not to sound vain but the fact this is incurable makes it very devastating and i'm already conscious enough about my looks being a teen girl and all. i felt like i was finally getting my life on track and now i have to deal with this. my anxiety is through the roof whenever i read about others experiences and how they never go away but more so die down and flare up - basically forever. i hate this so much and as it's rare i can't talk to or relate to
anyone. someone help 
?
0 likes, 5 replies
brendaa76 lauren14489
Posted
Hi Lauren, I feel for you and would suggest you try to remain hopeful. A lot of the literature suggests most people will have it for a couple years and then it goes away. I do not have enough experience to know if that is absolutely true however think it's worth considering. This coming August will be two years for me and mine started on my upper arms move down to my elbows and now I have none there now but I have it around my knees and legs. I'm hoping it's slowly exiting out the bottom of my feet as I have it on the top of my feet 2. I think I will
Try MSM powder and perhaps speak to my doc about trying an antihistamine. If I have good results I'll post. All the best and never lose hope. I know it is not fun to have a rash and it can be embarrassing but it does not define you!!
lauren14489 brendaa76
Posted
Do you think it could relate to stress at all? I'm almost sure that mine is caused by it because every time I have a 'breakdown' or go through a stressful period like exam time or such, I find one pops up the very next day!!! Without fail. Could be a coincidence but it doesn't seem like it. I hate this so much, I just want answers and I wish I knew what the cause was instead of speculating all the time.
ann44562 lauren14489
Posted
Hi Lauren I feel your pain . I have it over 3 years now and I did find that going on a gluten free diet has helped. My doctor has suggested to stay on low carb diet. And she has put me on methodraxate. Don't give up help I have been reading about some people who actually have it go completely away. I also have autoimmune disease . I wish you luck and hope you do not let this define who you are. When I start to feel sorry for myself I think of people who have things a lot worse then me. Hang in there
cathygardengal lauren14489
Posted
Dear Lauren, I truly understand how devastated you must feel. Thanks for joining this forum, it's very supportive and informative. I'm post menopausal and have suffered with this for 8 years. It's definitely an auto immune disease. I'm going to start Humira soon. I get Kenalog injections for obvious spots like hands and forearms but quit chasing the spots on my legs; just wear long pants. Plaquenil (along with a compounded anti malarial drug) worked at clearing newest spots on my chest and upper back. Many folks believe gluten plays a factor so I avoid it. The steroid cream works very slowly, can leave stretch marks (thins the skin) and should be used two weeks on, two weeks off. Sun makes it worse.
Hang in there...keep researching. By the way, I read somewhere that GA doesn't affect the face???
Do any other members have the rash on their face?
Take care, Cathy
tia8989 cathygardengal
Posted
Humira with about 7 injections works. I you don't want to use Humira pentoxiffiline 400 mg 3 times a day works, however it takes at least 8 months to work. It worked for me and I know another person that used Humira and it worked quickly.