Guest guest Posted February 9, 2004 Report Share Posted February 9, 2004 If anyone can help me, I am a 26 yr old female with no past medical history over the summer I developed large red nodules on both my shins. The doctors called this erythema nodosum, they later ulcerated and have been open for about 3 months now, I can get no answer from my doctors, it was first thought to be sarcoidosis, then Bechet's Disease, now they are telling me that it is something called Pyroderma Gangernosum. I was given Prednisone starting at 120mg a day and decreasing by the week, I was taking this for about 2 months, it was supposed to stop the progression. Because that didn't work they put me on cyclosporine, a medicine that I have to be very cautious with. Please any help will be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 9, 2004 Report Share Posted February 9, 2004 , " gingercherie1 " <gingercherie1> wrote: > If anyone can help me, I am a 26 yr old female with no past medical > history over the summer I developed large red nodules on both my > shins. The doctors called this erythema nodosum, Hello, It seems that this problem typically stems from the use of birth control pills and certain other pharmaceutical drugs. Erythema nodosum http://www.cambridgeshire.nhs.uk/yourhealth/dr-kate/erythema- nodosum.htm I have received a letter asking me about erythema nodosum. This is an unusual skin problem consisting of red, hard, painful lumps that appear on the shins and sometimes other parts of the body. The sufferer may be generally unwell with fever and joint pains. Over a period of four to six weeks the lumps go down leaving purple bruise- like marks that eventually fade completely. Treatment is aimed at dealing with the symptoms through pain-killers and rest while the body gets on with the process of healing. The significance of erythema nodosum is that it can be a marker for more serious disease. In about half of all cases no precipitating cause can be found. In other cases it can be a reaction to a drug, or it may be a pointer to infection or inflammation somewhere else in the body. We don't understand why some people with these problems develop erythema nodosum while most do not. The drugs that cause erythema nodosum include penicillin, sulphonamides, the oral contraceptive pill and gold salts used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Women make up over three-quarters of cases, possibly because women are more likely to take the drugs that can be associated with erythema nodosum. Prevention in these cases involves avoiding whatever drug has stimulated the problem. A few women experience the condition during pregnancy, and will find that it comes back with each new pregnancy. The common infections that are associated with erythema nodosum are throat infections (bacterial and viral), tuberculosis, chlamydia, and generalised fungal infections (not those like athlete's foot that are confined to the skin only). Other conditions linked with erythema nodosum include sarcoidosis (an inflammatory condition that can affect just about any organ in the body) and inflammatory bowel disease. If you think that you may have erythema nodosum you should consult your doctor so that these underlying conditions can be checked for. Depending on your other symptoms you may need a throat swab, chest x- ray, blood tests to check for antibodies to certain bacteria and viruses or barium studies of the bowel. It can be hard to see why painful lumps on your legs should be investigated by throat swabs, but now you know the reasons! Dr Kate's index page http://www.cambridgeshire.nhs.uk/yourhealth/dr-kate/erythema- nodosum.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 10, 2004 Report Share Posted February 10, 2004 Dear Ginger: My father died of emphysema. He spent the last three years or so of his life in bed. At one point he developed a bedsore on his hip that measured at least 2 " in circumference. None of the creams or meds his M.D. gave him helped. Eventually he let mom treat it naturally. She slathered a gauze pad with natural honey and taped the gauze over the ulcer. The skin began granulating within a few days. Over the course of a couple weeks, the ulcer eventually healed. I strongly urge you seek out the cause of your condition, but you might want to consider this as a possible stopgap treatment. I consider honey like the Johnson & Johnson cream of the natural first aid kit. Good stuff. No worries about germs, etc., it's naturally bactericidal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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