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| Looks downright Christmas-y doesn't it? |
The festive looking image to the right is related to the second set of test results that came back for Bob. The bloodwork Sunday was normal. Today we got results that ruled out the scary-diseases-that-one-rules-out-for-this-sort-of-thing, plus we learned that there is evidence of an immune-related problem. That can be a lot of things, and our GP mentioned four of them:
- regular old allergies
- Lupus
- Rheumatoid something
- Psoriasis
We need to go to an allergist for more tests, and we have a third round of test results we are waiting for. In the meantime, Bob is feeling better, and he claims the rash is subsiding -- I don't really see it yet, but I believe him.
BTW, Bob wants me to point out that despite my whining (which I feel is legit whining), we did ultimately get appointments and physician contacts we needed. I think he was unhappy that I was so dissy about our current health care system. He doesn't want to lose it, and he is right that we did ultimately get the appointments we needed. Nuf said...
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That is great that he is feeling much better... hopefully with the next set of results they are able to give you more answers. I wish your guys all the best in the new year!!
ReplyDeleteI'm in the club of no clue what's going on as well - currently waiting to start getting worked up for Lupus in about a week. I'm going on about 6 months since the development of my symptoms so the no clue thing is definitely no fun. Wish you all well and a speedy resolution.
ReplyDeleteAllergies are strange things. Apparently, they can crop up in full force at almost any stage of life when somehow the immune system just "decides" to overload on that irritant.
ReplyDeleteYou might look into NAET testing and treatment as an alternative to meds and such. It really worked for one of my cats and I've had some of the theory explained to me enough so I think it's worth a shot. A little "voodooey" perhaps, but very interesting.
Wonder if acupuncture might also do some good????
I was about to invite you up to New York and see my Mom's dermatologist! Glad to hear there are some conclusions on the horizon. Mom has sarcoidosis, another suppressed immunity condition. She also sees a rhuematologist, pulmonologist, GP, and retinologist keeping tabs on all the indicators. Luckily her case is mild but definitely keeps the ring of doctors busy.
ReplyDeleteImmune systems are great when they work, but when they shut down or get "dissy" as you say, it's a real b-word.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed the medicos get to the bottom of this and 2012 gets better REALLY quick.
My husband had adult onset food allergies arise around 2004. We were on vacation, and he suddenly became severely allergic to watermelon while we were camping of all things. Luckily I had some Benedryl on hand, and we dosed him with that and kept a close eye on him for many hours. (Talk about scaring our friends!)
ReplyDeleteTurns out that he's allergic to all sorts of trees and grasses, and where we were camping just happened to be full of those pollens. His body decided it had had enough, and it freaked out with allergic reaction. The foods that he became allergic to during that five day trip have proteins that are related to his tree/grass allergies. It's called oral allergy syndrome, and it sucks. There was no warning and no turning back once it started.
So, severe adult onset allergies isn't a crazy idea. I sincerely hope it's that and not Lupus or something scarier. At least allergies can be controlled to a large extent. My thoughts are with you!
If the docs are looking at psoriasis, something that can be considered is PRP (pitiriasis rubra pilaris). It's quite rare, and flares up very quickly. I got it earlier this year, and my general practitioner and a dermatologist could not diagnose it. It wasn't until I went to a new dermatologist that it was finally diagnosed, and he recognized it right away and confirmed it with skin samples. It's gone now with no flare-ups. Just something to consider, because it looks a lot like plaque psoriasis all over your body except it's a one-time flare up, and it's quite rare.
ReplyDeleteHope he gets better soon. Skin problems really suck. Best of luck :)
Well, I've got lupus, and the thing about lupus is that you never know what might happen next, so...
ReplyDeleteDid they not do a sed rate as part of their bloodwork? An elevated sed rate can be any of a number of things, but a normal one should pretty much rule out bacterial infection and lupus. I'm guessing the autoimmune test that came back weird was for antinuclear antibodies? Those can be slightly queer for any number of reasons, and no reason at all. Just saying if they can't track anything down no need to panic.
Anyway, I had a weird rash similar to Bob's which turned out to be allergy to Advantage. Similar to Bob's in that it also wasn't on mucus membranes or hands and feet... the deal turned out to be that Advantage gets into the body's oil production system, so only parts of the skin that are oily were affected. It lasted about three weeks, as long as Advantage stays in a dog or cat's system. Since Bob works with chemicals I wonder if something similar could have happened. Just throwing that out there in case.
Hoping you guys figure out what it is! And hopefully he will turn out to be healthy in all other ways.
Awww, that's too bad but at least you know what you are dealing with now.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping to avoid immune-mediated illnesses. Rheumatoid whatever (arthritis) is balls. I feel like a 60 year old sometimes. No rashes, though...
ReplyDeleteTwo books you might want to check out, No More Heartburn, written by an MD who, as an adult, was plagued with allergy/immune/gut issues. Book discusses the link between diet and gut and triggers. Healing Psoriasis written by a chiro and MD who found a link between certain foods and the skin condition. My dad cleared up his psoriasis by avoiding certain foods. I didn't want to believe it, but it worked.
ReplyDeleteFor auto immune check out Beta Glucan 1,3,6. I have auto immune issues and this has helped calmed down and balance my system so it doesn't overreact.
I'm telling you about this because I wish someone would have let me know about some of this stuff so I could have investigated it sooner for myslef.
Good luck!