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Rash not typical, but must be PR?

Posted , 2 users are following.

Guest
Guest

Hi all

The posts I have read have been far more useful than any of the 'medical' ones, which only seem to talk about typical presentations.

Around a week to 10 days before the rash appeared, a raised, rough looking patch of intensly itchy skin appeared on the top of my inside thigh (where the leg meets the groin). Talcum powder made it dry and flakey, whilst aqueous cream made it puff up and 'soggy looking'. Neither helped, and furthermore ALL my skin was starting to itch (but there was no visible rash anywhere other than that first patch).

A pharmacist and a GP (neither of whom looked at it) suggested it was fungal, and I was given Canisten HC. Over a week had elapsed at this point, and a similar patch had started to appear in the same place on the other side. I put the cream on both, and also on a rash of small but itchy spots that had appeared following the line of my bra under my breasts, and in both arm pits. The cream did nothing but darken all the rashes, and make them scaly. The herald patch is now much flatter (having peeled like sunburn) - but also much bigger. The skin either side of my groin is a pinky/purple colour, rough and scaly looking. Meanwhile, a highly itchy rash of small red spots (whitish before I scratch them) has appeared on my thighs, stomach, backs of knees and inside of elbows, shoulders, neck, chest, and back (all over including right down to my bottom). But my bottom cheecks and actual breasts seem to have been spared! Lucky me! Sometimes the rash is angry looking and very itchy, and at others (usually when it is cooler) it is less red and less itchy.

I have not had a formal diagnosis of PR, despite seeing two further GPs. The first tested my blood for everything and it all came back clear (although the blood count showed some sort of allergic reaction going on) and the second said it could be anything from scabies to fungal to allergic. And asked ME which option I would like him to treat! I wasn't best pleased and have now been referred to a dermatologist who I won't see until next week. CAN ANYONE SHED ANY LIGHT TO HELP ME COPE IN THE MEANTIME? I will of course give feedback once I've seen the dermatologist.

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    It sounds like PR to me.

    Mine started as a red raised patch on my left arm and has now spread everywhere with small (a few millimetres diameter) red spots. I've had the herald patch for over a month now, and the red spots were intensely itchy for the first few weeks, but fortunately the itchiness has slowly faded over time and is now largely ignorable. The rash (while sometimes faded and less scary) shows no signs of buggering off, however, and has looked fairly constant for the last week and a half.

    The dryness has been there from the start and is still there; after having a shower or bath the dryness is particularly bad, with most of the spots appearing scaly. Horrible condition, this.

    Good luck!

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Thanks for responding.

    I have to say it really gets you down. I can't be bothered to go out, and feel really tired most of the time anyway. Some of my rash has faded completely - but in places it is horribly dry and leathery (mainly the first places to flare up, and those I used hydrocortisone on) and although now the itch isn't as intense, it feels (especially in the evening) as if my clothes are made of sack cloth (scratchy and uncomfortable). Is this a phase you went through?

    Hope it improves for you. All the best.

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    I had to stop going to the gym because it was not only too embarrassing - I could've 'manned up' I suppose - but I was also feeling a bit lethargic. My clothes have been quite uncomfortable also - I suggest wearing mostly cotton - I found it was the non-cotton fabrics which caused the most grief (the elastic in underwear, for example, and denim jeans were a nightmare).

    Hydrocortisone creams can damage some elements of the skin (I think it does something to the elastane, which is the factor that allows your skin to be stretchy and supple), which is one of the reasons you can only use it on a temporary basis.

    Eurax (crotamiton) works particularly well to stop the itching, as does staying cool, which is the most important thing - I keep a fan on me most of the time which just takes the edge off.

    Even 5.5 weeks on I still find myself irresistably itchy maybe once or twice a day for a few minutes. The good news for me is that finally I've seen a few of the spots fading - even the herald patch is showing signs of fading a little; but the faded spots still feel itchy to me. Gah!

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    I had this PR for five to six years and used all the creams and lotions none of whitch really worked , we found that when i had a throat infection it was the worst so we kept saying that i had tonssilitis and was reffered to a doctor that said for me to have my tonsils out taking away the infections brought back my skin , if you have any sort of saw throat at anytime just ask to have your tonssils out it only hurts for like a week, and because im still fifteen, i got two weeks off school. smile

    Good Luck to be honest Jake.

  • Muller
    Muller

    Posted

    Oh blimey I'm so glad I found you all. Thankyou for the tips on coping with this nightmare. And thankyou for making me laugh about it all. My rash developed after a very hot and humid trip to Florida. Got a sore throat but thought it was holiday health crash. Then thought rash was due to staying in motels - serves me right for being cheap with the discount coupons I thought! And for existing on pretzels and coca cola! I was so embarrassed I even made up the old 'just asking for a friend' story at the pharmacy so they didn't recoil in horror at the thought of accidentally touching the scabby freak at the counter! So now I know I don't have to waste time at the doctors and will stock up on all the remedies suggested to try and blitz it. I'm only 2 weeks in but will report back if anything works. Oh and finally it fair cheered me up to read that the usual age limit for PR is 35. I am 45 so glad to know I'm still down with the kids...I'd wear my jeans slung halfway down my butt if only I wasn't all rashed up! :lol:
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