Need help figuring out

amother

Aubergine

Sun, Oct 07 2018, 3:23 pm

I need some help figuring out what direction to take. I suffer from exczema and psoriasis and it fluctuates. At times it’s bearable and under control and at times it’s awful. I look blotchy , can’t stop itching , full of rashes...
I’ve tried all the creams sometimes does work sometimes not.
I started to think maybe it’s some food I’m allergic to. I once tested for food allergies and nothing came up but it was a while ago and I realized I was taking some medication so maybe it wasn’t accurate. (And truthfully I’m not sure I wanna know cuz I’m very bad and watching my diet.)
Lately it’s been flaring up and I’ve been off a few things that I suspected since rh at least and haven’t seen any change. So I’m assuming those aren’t the culprits. So I’m trying to figure out what it could be and I’m thinking maybe it’s all that challa I’ve been eating this month. So I thought maybe to get off that but I’m a bit confused as to what exactly to get off- do I go gluten free or just do whole wheat - like how can I figure out if it’s the gluten or the yeast or white flour or sugar or carbs ...?.or is there a simple way to test?

amother

Jade

Sun, Oct 07 2018, 6:54 pm

Please call the Skin Healing Gemach. They can really help you. 845.425.2773
They are specifically open for people with rashes. It's free and the advice is extremely valuable.

Just from the simple description you've provided, it sounds very much like a condition called Red Skin Syndrome. But call them and they'll help you figure it out.

amother

Aubergine

Sun, Oct 07 2018, 10:40 pm

I should probably try to stay off wheat - that’s what always suggested- stay off wheat and sugar or white flour - it’s just soooo hard for me I need my carbs -
You said a month?! I was gonna give myself a week but I’m barely making it thru the first day! I didn’t have any so far but I’m dying for some cake or roll - I’m very addicted to my cakes and carbs.
But let’s say I’ll try it - what exactly can I and can’t I have? Is rice cakes or corn cakes ok? Whole-wheat bread? If not what type of bread challa or crackers is ok? What about pasta, orzo , couscous they’re prob all wheat and I’m not satisfied without these - what type of carbs would I be able to substitute?
And if I stick to it one week is that worth anything or I might as well not bother? Cuz I have a bunch of simchas coming up and I doubt I’ll be able to control myself.

amother

Orange

Sun, Oct 07 2018, 10:47 pm

amother wrote:

The fact that you're so addicted to it is a sign that it is no good for you. It means that the particles are crossing out of the gut into the bloodstream only partially digested. It can take up to 3 months for gluten to fully leave the system.

NovelConcept

Mon, Oct 08 2018, 12:02 am

Most adults don't have severe eczema, and many times psoriasis is misdiagnosed, or has a comorbid condition.

Ask yourself these questions:
1. Do you have extremely flaky rashes, any time you are not using steroids, either creams or pillls/injections?
2. Is there oozing?
3. Do you ever notice any swelling?
4. Do you ever have a burning sensation?
5. Is the itch so strong that you can literally shut out the world when a scratch attack hits?
6. Do you feel significantly overheated, or, the opposite: chilled?
7. If you are off the steroids for about 2-4 months, do the rashes spread and become more red?
8. If the rashes have ever spread, have you ever had a sunburn/burn look creep over significant areas, such as the neck, or the head/neck/shoulders area? Or the arm, like a red sleeve, or leg, etc.?
9. If the face is affected, do you ever have red, dry eyes?
10. Do you ever get swollen lymph nodes?
11. If you are off the creams for a while, do you become insomniac?
12. If you do not use a steroid (or untested natural cream that may contain steroids) for 7-10 days, do you flare up again?
13. Does the flaring go in cycles? (You already said it does, above actually.) Sometimes the skin is unbearably itchy, then becomes tight-feeling, and then flakes off?

All of these questions are mostly Red Skin Syndrome specific. Especially the burning sensation; neither psoriasis or eczema burn.
In adults, real eczema is typically located to the eyelids or the hands; more than that is not typical eczema. Psoriasis flakes, but the itch doesn't drive a person absolutely insane.

amother

Periwinkle

Mon, Oct 08 2018, 12:06 am

Please please don't self diagnose. You need to see a medical professional and do this properly. Yes gluten is a common culprit but this could be an allergy to ANYTHING, and you'd be making yourself miserable without gluten for no reason.

What if it's milk, or eggs, or fish? I have a child allergic to beef. In a million years I wouldn't have guessed she's allergic to beef. I didn't even know people COULD be allergic to beef.

Go to an allergist. Do blood and RAST tests. Go off the foods you're actually allergic to.

Feel better!!

NovelConcept

Mon, Oct 08 2018, 12:12 am

amother wrote:

]
Nonsense.

This is the typical pattern of Red Skin Syndrome.
First you get a real rash, then you go the doctor, then you get put on steroids...
Then you try to stop, and a rash appears. You think it is the original rash (it usually is a new rash, actually, caused by the steroids being used inappropriately.)
And there starts a ridiculous cycle of addiction, with the patient always believing that "allergies" are at play. Sometimes they even think they have a crazy autoimmune condition and that their body is broken.

They do extensive testing
They get plastic anti-dust mite sheets.
Get an air purifier.
Avoid going out in the sun.
Think of moving to Arizona.
Rip out carpeting.
Go on the SCD/GAPS diet or cut out all gluten.
Cut all yummy foods in general.
Get rid of the dog/the cat, if they have one.
Etc.

And they are MISERABLE.
And it has NOTHING do with allergies, though after being on the steroids long enough, the IgE does begin to rise, and they can eventually get both false positives and new "real" allergies that will resolve with time upon steroid cessation.

Having someone already suffering from terrible skin damage and then having them stop all carbs for three months is the worst idea. It just adds more suffering. And will probably NOT help.

I know of someone who put her child on the GAPS diet to help his horrific rashes...
Her child was traumatized and NOT better. Because he had steroid damage.

NovelConcept

Mon, Oct 08 2018, 12:15 am

amother wrote:

Periwinkle, I agree, she should not self-diagnose. The thing with Red Skin Syndrome is that there ARE board-certified medical professionals that can diagnose and help her out. But she needs to get pointed in the right direction to find those who are enough well-trained to determine if it is RSS or something else. The majority of doctor have extremely poor training in recognizing skin conditions. ESPECIALLY the typical dermatologist/allergist.
Baruch Hashem, there are good ones that can tell the difference between the types, but they are few and far between.

Ma3

Mon, Oct 08 2018, 1:21 am

amother wrote:

Go to Miriam Weider kenesiologist 7189631798

I say YES to kinesiology. They do muscle testing and can tell you if you're reacting to food or something else. I have personal experience. After going weeks to test by a great allergist that told me 2-3 foods to get off and it wasn't helping, I BH got to a kinesiologist. It can sometimes take a session to find a simple trigger, sometimes a lot longer to see what else it could be. I came to the kinesiologist with all my soaps, shampoos, detergents, creams etc and he tested everything. I didn't have to guess what it could be. If I had a hunch about something, I brought it along with me to be tested.

Lots of Hatzlacha. Hope you feel better and get the right shaliach.

amother

Aubergine

Mon, Oct 08 2018, 1:44 am

Thanks to all your replies. All these ideas can be it or make sense but that’s the confusing part - which is it? Is it the dust mites and I definitely should pull out my carpet - which I love. Or as others tell me I must get off sugar and flour? Or is it a food allergy? Or can it be the red skin syndrome? And some of you might say it’s a combination of all and I should do it all get off everything... but these are all really hard for me especially if it’s just a guess and I have to keep trial and error and I’m not sure which is actually helping or maybe it’s just getting better on its own.
You say I shouldn’t self diagnose- but I haven’t yet found anyone who can diagnose- or has any knowledge in these things. Every doctor will just shrug it off yeah there’s not much to do and just write up a cream which sometimes eases it and sometimes does nothing. As Novel said even allergist and dermatologist don’t seem to have the answers. And from my research online there seems to be no cure for either exczema or psoriasis.
I’ve had exczema ever since I can remember- that’s hereditary they say and yes it was mostly on edge of mouth eyelids fingers ....
Recently I got psoriasis which is the flaky stuff mostly on my head which as I read is an autoimmune disease . When I went to dermatologist to ck what it is exactly I didn’t get a clear answer so I had to figure it out myself and the only option to relieve it was steroid shots which you can’t do often maybe once or twice a year which gives relief for a short time.
I don’t have very red rashy sunburn looking skin it’s not such big areas but it used to stick to same areas and now I see it’s spreading . Some of your points match up to red skin syndrome but not all - how can I really determine what it is?
Do you know any of those few and far between that can really figure it out and not just guess? Any specific recommendations?

NovelConcept

Mon, Oct 08 2018, 1:52 am

OP -- I was in exactly your shoes. I searched for a diagnosis for a decade before learning about RSS. The thing is, there are different stages of RSS.
That sunburn look only comes at about 2.5-4 months after your last dose of steroids, because there is a drug washout period.
The first flare up does occur sooner than that, but it is in blotches, as you have.

Not everyone has every symptom, but some get the full shebang, but not until the drug washout period is completed. Then it can come on in an instant. Once the big flareup happens it is bad. Bad, bad, bad. But there IS hope and healing. It is possible to completely heal from RSS, though it takes time and a lot of pain. (There are safe medications to help handle the symptoms that a knowledgeable doctor can RX as needed.)

Did the derm do a biopsy of the "psoriasis?" If yes, do you know what the terminology he/she used was? Psoriasis is so, so often a wrong diagnosis. There are times it is real, but usually, it is either a combo with RSS, or just RSS by itself.

amother

Purple

Mon, Oct 08 2018, 2:37 am

amother wrote:

how can I really determine what it is?
Do you know any of those few and far between that can really figure it out and not just guess? Any specific recommendations?

Why is it so important to you to figure out what exactly is causing it?

Do you move your bowels every day twice a day?

Changing the diet, doing a proper detox, will almost surely clear up your skin problem.