What is this rash? Pic

[gertrudemortimer]

For the love of god I turned 30 last week and my body is broken. Incase any of this is relevant I'll put down each ailment if someone has a magic pill I can take to fix it all.

Beginning with December, dodgy long heavy periods, pain during sex, gynae said I had a bulky uterus, stomach hard and uncomfortable, very bad smell from inside vagina mainly during periods and after but still a smell every day that is 'off'. Sti tests negative had ultrasound scan last week, still waiting to find out what is what with that.

Last week, small rash started on bum thought I'd scratched it somehow, gradually the rash has spread to both bum cheeks and my thighs. Feels like little raised pin pricks at first but then they get bigger and join up. Sore and itchy at the same time, none have popped or had anything come out. Never had a rash like it.

Few days after the rash I notice I have very strong smelling urine did a urine dip that I had at home it was positive for nitrites and protein but not leukocytes. Gp questionnaire to get AB's was rejected because my only symptoms is the smell and the amount of urine is quite a lot more than usual but no pain or burning etc. HELP. I'm taking in urine samples tomorrow (how small are the tubes now!?) but just so curious about this rash too if anyones had anything similar

That's optimistic! I do hope it's the case. It's a shame, but at least manageable.

Hope that's it and you feel better again soon!

Can you cut out ALL gluten for a few days and see if it makes a difference?

It's good to have an answer but I'd understand if it's not the one you wanted! It's a hard thing to live with

Yeah I can try it I can't cut it out until I have the bloods done which is this afternoon. I feel so so bad the back of my head keeps going heavy andI feel like my head is wobbling/rocking I'm going to check my sugars it's probably because I haven't been able to keep food down

Get advice from the medics before you cut out gluten as you need to still be eating it normally when you are tested.

This is correct. I have non celiac gluten sensitivity and you need to be eating gluten to diagnose celiac via ttg/gliadin tests & a gastroscopy biopsy to test the integrity of the villi in the digestive tract. The gastroscopy isn't pleasant but I had diazepam or some kind of Pam for it! Good luck op, at least celiac is manageable but a very disciplined diet required. 💐

I have coeliac disease. It took me 10years to get diagnosed. They put my rash down to recurring shingles for years. It was in the same place as yours.

Don't stop eating gluten until advised you'll need it in your system for the tests.

DD is getting tested for it as her half brother just diagnosed today.

What a journey OP - hopefully you are nearly at an answer

Would it cause the peeling skin? I feel like my body is attacking my skin. I haven't been in the sun at all even the palms of my hands has started peeling my back is very bad and sore he swabbed it for mrsa but that's it, highly doubt it's mrsa. It was leaking fluid a few nights ago my scalp is peeling still too

My eczema leaks fluid just before it peels as it is a bit blistery, I think its just a normal run of thing if you have anything that blisters, that would be maybe why its peeling if your rash had blisters that leaked

Recent blood results back. The gp (separate trust) did these so I'll wait until the dermatologist has seen them before I jump down the throat of my local trust for calling my fbc 'satisfactory' when actually two things aren't quite right on it when I'm supposed to be a healthy 30 year old, perfect bmi all of my life, healthy eater and now suddenly have weird as fuck skin rashes all over my body causing mayhem.
I'll attach them if anyone has any ideas about what caused these to be higher/lower. I will be seeking medical advice but I just can't be arsed to Google today!

Hi OP, your MCH is slightly high and your folate is low, so you most likely have Folate Anaemia. Do you have your B12 result? It says normal but that just means it's within the lab range which can still be too low. And because you're low in Folate, your B12 result may be falsely higher. It's important to rule out B12 deficiency fully before treating Folate deficiency

Your eosinophil level is also very slightly high and your Ferritin is in range but in the lower end, I can't see any Iron result just the Ferritin.

All these results can be caused by Coeliac disease so hopefully the doctors are on the right track now

Thank you! I've emailed them over to the dermatologist before I start taking anything, he should get back to me soo . I do feel slightly relieved to at least have an explanation for how awful I've been feeling this past week and the diarrhoea and stuff is explained by the folate too so hopefully that will all soon stop. It's so bizarre how this has suddenly all happened and so quickly too, when the rash first appeared I really did feel okay in myself.

These are the missing results

Your B12 is definitely not high enough to rule out a B12 deficiency or to cope with an influx of high dose Folate supplements (which you need). Your GP or consultant might need some persuasion but ask for B12 injections alongside the folate tablets... B12 tablets will be useless if you do have Coeliac disease as you won't be able to absorb them, so you'll need injections.

My test for Coeliac was negative but I still have a reaction to gluten, gastro more than skin though, nothing like what you're experiencing. I've been Gluten Free for about 7 years now and while I wouldn't choose to avoid gluten if I didn't have to, you do get used to it fairly quickly and it just becomes a way of life. Will keep my fingers crossed that you get a definitive answer soon... you'll hopefully feel so much better when all this is sorted!

@kingsleysbootlicker thank you. I'm hoping dermatology will get in touch over the next day or so to provide a bit more clarity before I take anything.

I'm really not sure if it's coeliacs, I just don't think I'm special enough haha! It also seems like one of those things that have small markers that make up the picture over time and they spend years getting a diagnosis, my brother has Chrohns disease and I'll never forget how truly poorly and weak he was as a child waiting to get a diagnosis, I know they're different but similar in that it's the immune system attacking the body. Mine seems quite acute and I don't believe I'm that lucky to suddenly develop it and get a diagnosis within a month. I also REALLY do not want it, I'm a trained pastry chef! it was bad enough been a skinny chef but to also be gluten free so unable to taste any of it I don't think I could ever go back to it

Oh no, that's probably the worst career someone with Coeliacs could have, even being around flour could be an issue, so now I hope it's not that!

If your brother has Crohns, are they sure that's not what's going on with you too? I think it can also cause a rash although I may have remembered that wrongly, and it will cause deficiencies like Coeliacs does

@gertrudemortimer has anyone mentioned Polymorphic Light Eruption? I've only read your posts but the full thread

@kingsleysbootlicker I know it truly is isn't it, I haven't gone back to it as an occupation since covid but it's nice to have it as a hobby. Here's hoping life will be fair

@kingsleysbootlicker no they haven't, to be fair I've never told the dermatologist. Again I just don't think I'm poorly enough, it's all been so sudden.

@abovedecknotbelow my mum has that! I have felt like my skin is extra sensitive so I've been staying out of the sun as much as possible. It wouldn't explain the location of the rashes for instances legs and feet are only just getting the rash now but they've been in the sun more than any other part. I do feel like the sun is 'bad' and I am sure that it hasn't helped whatever is going on but I'm not of the thinking that it's the direct cause

I definitely think it's worth mentioning, Chrohns can be missed a lot of the time because it doesn't always cause the expected symptoms. The rash associated with it is called Erythema Nodosum

Your first pictures look exactly like my skin when I had a lupus attack. I don't have the facial rash, nor does it show up in my blood. The types I have are discoid lupus and cutaneous lupus, not systemic lupus. I had it on my face in red marks just like yours and it spread over a few weeks across my neck and back. I used strong steroid cream and I now take hydroxychloroquine to keep it at bay, and it has cleared up completely

@sixtiesbaby88 Jesus I'm really sorry you have it too! It's amazing how these things affect people so differently yet if you Google the diseases they just show the 'classic' rashes/patterns. Hopefully if it does seem likely then the dermatologist will be aware too, I have looked at it a few times but I'm clueless. I'm struggling to imagine this will be anything lifelong I really hope it isn't but I suppose there is ways of controlling pretty much anything now. Steroid cream is amazing! My arms are a lot better after just a few days

It does look like Dermatitis Herpetiformis, which is linked to gluten sensitivity and lots of people don’t have digestive disturbance. I hope you get answers soon.