As some of you may know, I've had an awful skin rash all over my body since the summer that isn't responding to any ointments. I got a 3rd biopsy and got the results today, and it's some rare problem called lichen planus. Apparently its causes are unknown but thought to be allergic/auto-immune. The google searches of course brought up all these rare but terrible and scary side effects (skin cancer, hair loss, tongue removal). And, it can take 1 1/2 to 2 years to clear up and then will likely reoccur. I'm so depressed about my stupid over-active immune system. Also, not to be vain, but I'm not looking forward to shorts and sandal season this summer as some people can very very insensitive (i.e. "What's that rash all over your body???").
Anyways, b/c this is apparently another fun auto-immune condition according to my doctor, I thought I'd throw it out here to see if anyone else has this.
P.S. If I get to have my tongue removed, I may be on here ALL the time b/c I'd have to quit my job as a speech pathologist, lol. I'll take over Alyssa's old role!
My mom is a Speech Pathologist in Illinois, lets hope you don't have to have your tongue removed...on the "good" side at least you could still type :-P
also I have always thought that having a more responsive body has been a good thing. while allergies suck, I have never...knock on wood...been sent to bed with a horrible illness that other people may have had in school at work. I have may want to reassess my stance if something like a rash develops.
Hi Sarah,I don't know anything about this.I remember years back my husband had a terrible rash on his arms and legs,He went to 2 doctors.Can't remember what they called it.It got worse before it got better.It did leave behind some ugly scars.The doctor said it was like his body turning on itself.He used creams and what the doctor gave him.He was very stressed about it.There was no way to hide it.Summer time---The reason I even bring this up is that stuff left ! It was like it just stopped in it's tracks.It has been many many years and he has had no more trouble...I pray yours will go away too.I am thinking of you and wish you the best....
Sorry to hear your diagnosis, Sarah. I don't have that particular condition, but I've had psoriasis for years, which comes and goes on various parts of my skin and is also an auto-immune (I was diagnosed with that a good 12 years before I got T1).
Anyway, good luck to you and maybe we'll just have a cold summer!!!
Sarah, I am a twin, and my clone seems to be the frail one of the two of us. She has all sorts of allergies that I don't seem to have, and adrenal lows also, which is not a problem that I have. But in her case, she has been desperate enough to seek out doctors who work with alternative medicines such as herbal supplements and she has also seen acupuncturists. She swears that they have helped her. I have one eyebrow raised, but when desperate for help, sometimes it doesn't hurt to check outside the box for answers. Have you seen an allergy specialist? Maybe trying to identify some sources of allergic reactions and remove them from your life would help. Keep your chin up, for there are a lot of folks here with good suggestions. Furthermore, as my sister's alternative medicine doc tells her: the body WANTS to heal itself. That much is true no matter what kind of doctor makes the statement. Maybe looking really closely at possible allergies would help you some and allow your body's immune system to relax some.
What a coincidence... I just went to a specialist today, because my regular dentist thought I had lichen planus on the underside of my tongue. Turns out it's normal tissue growth, and for some reason they never saw it until 2 visits ago, so they thought it was new.
I wish you the best and am sorry to hear you've got more to deal with.