What Am I Allergic To

The blood test was soon after my visit to the dermatologist. As you can see in the photograph, the skin on my arms was so bad still inflamed and sore and angry and weeping in places too and cracked it was impossible to take blood from my arm in the usual place. So it had to come out of my hand.  I had not been too bothered by Blood tests in the past but in the hand was sooo painful for me. The nurse was great but there was still just a lot of pain and I was glad when it was over.  Little did I know at that point that I would need several more Blood Tests in my hand but anyway...I was glad it was over for now.  The results came back quickly and Fantastic I DID NOT have Lupus! I was overjoyed at this point , at least one of my worries was over. However it was short-lived as I was not getting any better. I stayed out of the sun, I applied the strong potent steroid creams, I used the emollients, I bathed in the prescription bath lotion.  However, there was mi...

OK so I was waiting to see the dermatologist. In the waiting room were so many people with skin conditions, even little children. I had no idea before that so many people had so many skin issues.  I was doing my best to hide my own skin as I thought it looked horrible, yet it was so sore and itchy and inflamed I didn't really want any clothing on it. You can see my skin in the photograph above.  Being dressed for me was simply agony.... When I saw the dermatologist she took a history then asked me to undress to my underwear so she could examine all my skin. This took a little time  and afterwards she came back with a diagnosis. She said I had severe sunburn! I was quite shocked by this as although we had been on holiday I had covered up, worn a factor 50 suncream, not sunbathed, and worn a hat so I really thought I had been very careful.... Anyway so in a bit of a daze i was directed how to use a steroid cream - a potent one to relieve the irritation and the inflammat...

I rang the doctor surgery the next morning, it was a Monday and typically there were no appointments left. The receptionist asked if I needed to see a doctor urgently- hmmm I thought well no I am not bleeding or having breathing issues so No - but I said maybe I need to see someone- so she booked me in with a nurse for half an hour later. Thank goodness our doctor is close by as the walk there was a nightmare, my arms felt heavy and the blisters were now filled with a weird fluid.  I went in to see the nurse who took one look at my arms and said you need to see a Dr today - now! She said she thought it was infected and that I would need antibiotics. she didn't really want me to leave the surgery and sorted it out for me to see the Dr as soon as he had a gap. I went in to see our doctor, I had seen him before and he is a very calm, measured doctor, nice and professional. However, I saw the look on his face when he saw my arms and knew he was shocked at what he saw.  I r...

So how did it all start? Well, we were on holiday in a wonderful sunny climate and I was diligent as usual about wearing sunscreen and keeping covered up and in the shade. I am very pale-skinned and I can't take much sun so I am very careful.   We had a great holiday, sightseeing, resting, relaxing, a quality much needed time. On the day before we were due to fly back I noticed a small bumpy rash on my left forearm... it was a bit sore and a little itchy but nothing to worry about much.  To be cautious I went to the local chemist who thought it was a heat rash and gave me some gel to put on it and said to stay out of the heat. It was our last day anyway so this was not a problem for me.  Nothing changed much, we flew back to the UK , went shopping the next day in our town and drifted off to sleep that night. I woke up on a Saturday morning and there was a BIG CHANGE - looked at my left arm- it was covered in large - I mean - HUGE blisters!!  They sort of grew...

I wanted to start this blog with an expression of thanks to my healthcare team. In all my experiences of my skin condition one of the main things that has kept me going and kept me calm is the caring, professional and calm approach of my family Doctor.  Looking back I feel it is so important to be able to talk with your family doctor, to be honest how you feel, for them to be honest with you, and to feel able to ask questions, discuss concerns, for them to listen to you  and to feel like you really are a partner in your care and treatment.  I was so lucky to have that communication with my Doctor. later I will share some of the most useful questions I asked and the questions I was asked to help to advise me and help me to recover and deal with my skin condition.  For now I just wanted to say thank you to my doctors-they know who they are- for sticking with me through all of this quite horrible condition, for answering my many queries and questions and helping m...