Unexplainable chest rash which appears frequently. Pics included.

[Avengers26]

I have this chest rash which comes & goes frequently. It gets very itchy when it gets red & inflamed. I have asked several doctors about it & I have never received a satisfactory answer. Does any one have a clue what possibly might cause this?

 

[rosie26]

Could be a heat rash - are you sensitive to heat?

 

[Avengers26]

Not particularly. I have had the rash appear even in winter. I do have moderate heat intolerance though.

 

[GracieJ]

I do not know what is causing your rash.

About two years ago, I began breaking out with a rash that looked like poison ivy, mostly on one arm, sometimes elsewhere. Long story short, I am allergic to corn, which is in everything. It was a long ten months figuring it all out.

Looking back, my back had itched for weeks prior to any breakouts. It still does, and gets worse at times. Some of my sleep supplements have corn derivatives, and no suitable substitute is available.

Keep a food diary for a while and see if there are any patterns.

It seems the immune impairment side of ME/CFS can result in the occasional odd rash. I know it was that way for me for years. They came and went and could be anywhere.

 

[melihtas]

I have had the same rash in same place on and off for about 20 years. I don't know what causes it. I use Betnovate Cream (betamethasone) and it disappears in one day until it reappears after a few weeks.

 

[slysaint]

Just a word of warning re using betnovate which is a topical corticosteroid. See Red skin syndrome, ITSAN.
Another group of sufferers trying to get the condition recognised by the medical establishment.

 

[Gingergrrl]

Have you been tested for histamine levels in case the rash is mast cell related?

 

[Gijs]

I don't want to make you scared but it could be a symptome of HIV. I hope you have been tested negative. In that case it could be heat and sweat rash.

 

[GracieJ]

Ditto what Gingergrrl said. There are several ways rashes show up with ME/CFS.

 

[Christopher]

I got rashes like that on my chest, scalp, and face while living in a seriously moldy home. They resolved when I moved out.

 

[ahmo]

2 sites you can look through.
http://www.dermnet.com/

http://www.skinsight.com/

 

[CFS_for_19_years]

Dermatologists have the best handle on rashes.

 

[Gingergrrl]

Dermatologists have the best handle on rashes.

@Avengers26 My dermatologist is phenomenal but I have no idea where you live?

 

[Avengers26]

@ahmo @CFS_for_19_years One dermatologist i saw thought it was seborrheic dermatitis. He prescribed me selenium sulfide lotion? for it but that made it extremely worse. It got extreme red & inflamed & stayed that way for several days even after stopping the lotion per the dermatologist's advice.
I will check out those websites.

@GracieJ Keeping a food diary & looking for food allergies is a great idea. It's something I have suspected & plan to do when I get a better handle on LDN (It's affecting my sleep badly & causing me increased fatigue even though I have upped it very slowly. But, I want to try it for at least 6 months. But, that's a separate topic).

@Gijs No, I had all kind of tests done earlier. Not that there was a reason to suspect it in the first place.

@Gingergrrl Yes, It was normal.

@Christopher I do have an ongoing mold problem at my home. That might be something to consider.

 

[Avengers26]

@Gingergrrl I live in the midwest, Chicago area. Btw, How do you guys go about finding "good" doctors? Word of mouth? Is Angie's List reliable? Anything else? I will make a separate post about this.

 

[snowathlete]

@ahmo @CFS_for_19_years One dermatologist i saw thought it was seborrheic dermatitis. He prescribed me selenium sulfide lotion? for it but that made it extremely worse. It got extreme red & inflamed & stayed that way for several days even after stopping the lotion per the dermatologist's advice.
I will check out those websites.

@GracieJ Keeping a food diary & looking for food allergies is a great idea. It's something I have suspected & plan to do when I get a better handle on LDN (It's affecting my sleep badly & causing me increased fatigue even though I have upped it very slowly. But, I want to try it for at least 6 months. But, that's a separate topic).

@Gijs No, I had all kind of tests done earlier. Not that there was a reason to suspect it in the first place.

@Gingergrrl Yes, It was normal.

@Christopher I do have an ongoing mold problem at my home. That might be something to consider.

Maybe try a new dermatologist? I have seborrheic dermatitis and your rash doesn't look much like it in my opinion.

 

[Avengers26]

@snowathlete I was not impressed with that diagnosis. Also, while the rash comes & goes, the underlying area is always, for lack of a better word, scalded.


Meanwhile, I started a new post in General ME/CFS Discussion Forum on how to find "good" doctors.

 

[Gingergrrl]

@Gingergrrl I live in the midwest, Chicago area. Btw, How do you guys go about finding "good" doctors? Word of mouth? Is Angie's List reliable? Anything else? I will make a separate post about this.

Never mind, I am in LA! I found this dermatologist from a trusted friend but in general I agree it is very hard to find good docs. I have never used Angie's list and not familiar with it. Often I search on-line for a specific topic or look at internet boards or ask friends (if it is for someone local.)

 

[Gondwanaland]

@Avengers26 @melihtas
Take a look at oxalates
http://www.lowoxalate.info/
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Trying_Low_Oxalates/info

B6 and B1 are supposed to help with it. When I took B1 alone my 20yo rash spot got so much worse, but taking P5P with it resolved it.

Also it is possible that mold exposure makes you oxalate sensitive/endogenous producer

The foods I found out I had to limit were plaintains, sweet potatos, spinach, carrots, beets, nuts. Small amounts of them 2x weekely is fine.

Increasing dairy intake helped (I don't tolerate milk though)

Watch out for excessive vit C supplementation (up to 200mg daily should be harmless)

 

[Avengers26]

@Gondwanaland I do take benfotiamine (vit. b1) & tolerate it well. I take .5 tab of P5P every day but can't tolerate more at this time. I do would look into the oxalates info.