To push for further help with this (trigger - horrible picture included)

[Bbqinwinter]

Hi,

I’ve posted on here before when I had flare up in the past (although I’ve NC since then) but here we are AGAIN because it’s happened again ☹️

i keep getting an infection around my ear. It starts off the same way- a bit of psoriasis, then a small infection then it worsens until my entire ear area and inside my ear is all infected. I’ve had at least 7 flare ups of this and had countless antibiotics and anti fungal treatment in the past to get to grips with it.

am I being UR to ask for further help with this? Sometimes antibiotics takes it away quickly, other times it requires several strong doses and the infection just keeps getting worse and worse. Probably seems a bit silly but I’m just worried about sepsis although that’s never happened but I hate the idea of having an infection so often just in case

I can’t go back to dermatology again because the psoriasis itself isn’t that bad and is fairly under control, but am I being dramatic to ask/push for a referral to someone (don’t know who!) for these non stop infections? I’m not even convinced at this point we’re actually getting rid of it at all, it just happens so much. The exact same happened last new year too and a year later it’s happened again and I’m utterly miserable. I’ll post pictures from today below. I can’t lie on that side of my head because it’s excruciating, it’s yellow, crusty, weepy and worsnening by the day and eventually will spread all the way round my ear and inside it too.

am I being UR to push for some further help rather than just more antibiotics/antifungals and have this happen again? Who would be best to get referred to for this? Thanks x

This is it today, it doesn’t show up clearly but it’s red raw and also yellow crusty/weepy and it just keeps getting worse

I’ll have to go back to the GP but just thinking long term this can’t continue but I have no idea who to request to be referred to for help ☹️

it was the exact same last new years (and several other times in between) and I posted for help at the time and tried everyone’s advice to manage it short term but unfortunately for some reason it keeps happening x

If the infection is caused by psoriasis then I wouldn't say it was under control at all and would definitely push to go back to dermatology. Ok my experience you get vastly different treatment and knowledge from the dermatologist than a GP.

Firstly what have you been given so far?

What do you wash hair with?

Have they swabbed it?

That is very localised, are you sure you're not allergic to your glasses or headphones/earphones?

I did wonder something like that but I don’t wear either😭 it starts off as a tiny patch of psoriasis then just gets bigger and bigger over time and the redness goes further and then eventually goes into my ear, when I draw a line around the edges of the redness you can see it spreading over the next day or so and it keeps doing that until it gets treated, arghh x

I remember your previous posts and I am sorry you’re still suffering with this. It must be miserable.

I can’t offer advice I’m afraid but I Hope somebody can offer some.

You poor thing - it looks so sore 💐

Could you go privately? I would push for a dermatology appointment.

I was going to suggest going private too. A family member was having zero luck with his GP during a severe eczema/psoriasis flare up (I can’t remember which it was) and it was a private dermatologist who prescribed a treatment that actually worked.

I used to get this. Turns out that I was allergic to something in my skin and haircare. Only diagnosed by a fantastic private dermatologist after years of suffering.

My friend has a very similar flair up pattern. Her's is on her forehead and goes up into her hairline. When its really bad its can get a low as to in her eyebrow. Its incredibly sore and cracks if she laughs or emotes with her forehead.

She was prescribed a whole bunch of stuff that never worked for her - seen specialists. She now uses a rolling combo of a daily skin barrier repair cream when its calm (she uses the violently pink coloured 'the ordinary' one at the moment) rosehip oil when its starting to get a bit excitable and when it starts to grow - coconut oil slathered on it. Its now reduced the flare ups to one in every four. However she gets a little tingle when its going to kick off and shes learned not to ignore that and its increased her odds of getting a handle on it too.

However that works for her and everyone is very different.

there has been only one time it was solved mid flare up - she was on holiday and the American urgent care Dr slapped what she thinks was maybe a hydro-colloid and silver nitrate paste on it and that cleared it up in a record amount of time and her skin was great for nearly a whole year after - she contacted both the centre and her insurer to see what the product was but it was not listed. She was absolutely gutted.

I remember your previous posts and yes push for a referral back to dermatology. Go private if you can afford it. Your skin looks so painful- push hard for a referral.

I’m not a medical person but with repeated infections like that have they actually swabbed it to check for bacterial infections etc? I remember seeing someone on Embarassing Bodies who had been fobbed off with repeated antibiotics for a skin issue for a very long time, and then a swab done on the programme revealed a completely different issue, and subsequent treatment needed.

That looks so bloody sore! I would keep a diary of outbreaks (with photos like this one) and demand a referral to a dermatologist. Will probably be a wait, so keep diary going.

My daughter had a strep skin infection whoch looked like this.

Strep can be reoccuring,
and needs penicilin quickly after starting. It can take a few goes until it stops coming back.

I had impetigo as a teenager on my chin. Every single time I get a spot there now (fortunately very rarely) it almost instantly tingles and goes yellow and crusty - almost as if the impetigo is just loitering under the skin and emerges with any single break in the surface.

Your photo looks like impetigo. Your description sounds like impetigo. Yellowy, weeping with clear fluid, crusty, painful.

Yes, push for more. If nothing else a swap to find out exactly what it is so you know the correct treatment.

And a big hug for you.

Thanks for all the advice, I’m going to follow all suggestions 👍🏻 in the short term, would I be ok to call nhs 24 for an out of hours GP appointment for antibiotics? Or would I be better to wait until the GP reopens on Wednesday? I haven’t been able to get a GP appointment this week but I thought I’d get one over the next few days but I stupidly forgot that tomorrow is Saturday and then it’s Hogmanay and new years so they won’t reopen until Wednesday. I HATE the thought of being a time waster or my GP finding out I went to NHS 24 and thinking I was a drama Queen or something (I don’t know why that worries me but it does!) but the redness and crusting is getting worse, but at the same time it’s sort of a chronic thing so would it be ok to wait until Wednesday? Or should I get it dealt with out of hours since it’s infected? X

Have you tried this?

https://shop.pharmacy2u.co.uk/dermol-cream/prd-hq3?gclid=CjwKCAiA-bmsBhAGEiwAoaQNmlj7jEEr5LpKbqvj1Er1AmAswvUNJiWULaRetbVYzMKrwS1XxRwbkBoCXMYQAvD_BwE

My sons ear looked similar to yours and this cleared it up perfectly.

My DD had this. After trying many other products we found this (MooGoo Natural Scalp Cream) - it went within days: https://www.amazon.co.uk/MooGoo-Natural-Scalp-Cream-harline/dp/B07L52C9HT?pd_rd_w=0ZsP2&content-id=amzn1.sym.38f90169-67d8-49b7-8ef1-61bdff262c06&pf_rd_p=38f90169-67d8-49b7-8ef1-61bdff262c06&pf_rd_r=Q93GX86AJV0ARBDJM7BX&pd_rd_wg=ZCCuO&pd_rd_r=f0f60f4c-19d1-4b95-bd35-b10188e82056&pd_rd_i=B07L52C9HT&psc=1&ref_=pd_basp_m_rpt_ba_s_6_sc

Couldn't recommend it highly enough. Good luck op.

This sounds random, but do you happen to drink Prosecco? Each year at Cristmas I was getting a horrible yeasty rash on my chin. That was the only time of year I drank Prosecco and I put two and two together. Now if I have it or even too much other white wine my face starts to itch.

Hi- just posting a quick update- unfortunately the update is that I don’t have an update and it’s still the exact same! It got slightly better and then worse again and it’s pretty much the same as the photo. Absolutely fed up with this and just want to cut my own ear off at this point (not literally but you know what I mean!)