Darkened skin
 

Hello,

I'd like to ask if anyone with neuropathy in the feet and legs have developed skin darkening in their legs starting at the back of the ankles. The darkened areas are exactly on the same spots on both legs. At first, I didn't give attention to it whent it developed in my left ankle. i thought it was early signs of varicose veins. But lately, I noticed same spot has developed in my right ankle. I would not mind if these are normal age spots. My concern is --- I haven't found the cAuse of my nerve pains and it is slowly getting worse. These darkened areas could have some correlation with my pain.

Anybody with similar condition?

Mary

Hi Mary,

Don't know, but I'd run it past your doctor asap...

Doc

Is this skin change pigmentation or purple
Like a bruise?

Does it go away when your feet are
Elevated for a while? Is there swelling
with it?

Feet do get tanned and sunburned
if exposed a lot.

Iron overload and adrenal issues can also
bronze the skin .

Hyperpigmentation is (as MrsD mentioned) a sign of adrenal issues.

It's also associated with other several other things...see below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperpigmentation

I'm not sure how they would relate to your pain though.

Mrs.D,
The color is not purple, it does not look like a bruise. The skin is not elevated, not itchy. The strange thing is-- it's very symmetrical, shade, spot, size and length. It does not have any unusual pain when pressure is applied.

I had a diabetic uncle (not blood related). I saw his legs when he was alive and the discoloration looks like that, although mine is very lighter in shade. I don't think this is a sign of diabetes because my sugar is not THAT BAD.

It does not disappear when my feet are elevated. No swelling.

I will try to look into the iron overload and adrenal issues. I just thought to be more aware of new things appearing as it might point to that elusive cause of the PN.

Thank you.

Mary

en bloc,
I had a cortisol test (blood) last April and result was normal low. My endocrinologist said that it was okay.

Mary

MrsD and en bloc,

This is off topic but I always feel comfortable sharing here my coming procedure.

I will have aBravo Procedure tomorrow to determine the acid reflux. I'm serious about this reflux because of my lungs. I was told that acid can aspirate to the lungs and I don't want that to happen. I may have missed mentioning to you, I have bronchiectasis. Urghhhh. ... What a life!!

Mary

Good luck with the procedure. Hopefully you'll get an answer as to how significant the reflux is.

Anything aspirating into the lungs is bad...acid, food, water, etc. Treatment for reflux is usually acid blockers. But that doesn't stop the aspiration risk; just reduces the acid content.

Do you have heartburn? Have you had problems with aspiration?

Thank you. I am a bit anxious because of my breathing problems.

I have heartburn. I am not sure if I have aspiration. I asked the radiologist if there was any sign of aspiration in my chest ct scan and said no. Well, I asked because i read that aspiration can be seen in the scan.

I wonder if the reflux could register in the equipment if on that day my stomach is "calm", meaning that I don't have symptoms of hurtburn, bloating? It happens that one day I don't have symptoms and on the next day the symptoms are bad.

If I have indeed some problems, i hope i'd be symptomatic to show in the machine.

Thank you.

Will you wear the ph probe for 24-48 hours?

Ask for the latter to give a better chance for accurate readings since you have on/off symptoms.

Thanks en bloc. It's going to be for 48 hours. I was in bed till now. I still feel light headed due to effect of the anesthesia. Hopefully tomorrow will be back to normal.

The GI will do a biopsy and I asked if they can also do at the same time for celiac -- she told me its part of the biopsy. Would you know if there is a special biopsy to look for celiac or is this just part of a regular biopsy?

Mary
 

What you describe is similiar to how my Stasis Dermatatis started with the discoloration beginning in the ankles. Eventually darkened and is now on the top of my feet, as well as slowly going to just under the knees. The darkest is definitely the front and back of ankles. Look up Stasis Dematatis on the internet. This will give you a better explanation.


Gerry

Sorry, I don't know about celiac biopsy. I would think when biopsies are taken, it's more then one piece. So maybe there will be a separate one for the celiac testing. But I really don't know about celiac testing.

Celiac biopsies--
 

--can be done at the same time as a standard endoscopy--the tube just has to be inserted farther down, past the duodenum (samples can be taken there) and into the small intestine proper (where more samples can be taken). What is looked for is evidence of lymphocytic infiltrate and villious atrophy.

It's best to have this done with an experienced gastroenterologist who knows about celiac. though. Multiple samples from different areas should be taken, as damage from celiac is often patchy and hard to find, and it's easy to miss damage spots and only get "normal" samples--one of the reasons, traditionally, for celiac underdiagnosis.

Gerry,

I will surely look statis dermatatis on the Internet..... Thank you.

Mary

Glenntaj,
Thank you for your reply. My doctor had me tested for celiac. She treats a handful of celiac patients. So, I hope she knows what she is doing. After the procedure, she talked to my husband, and was told that there was no indication of celiac, but she said that we have to wait for the confirmation of the biopsy result.

Mary

What an irony, while I had the little machine to monitor the stomach activity, my stomach was not acting up. My stomach was feeling nice and easy. But once the 48 hours was up and after I returned the little machine my heartburn starts again. Can you beat that??? And now, I doubt if there was anything recorded in that machine!!! It's a bummer. Lol

Gerry,

I read online about the Statis Dermatatis. I don't have swelling. Although i am not sure if the pain that gets worse when standing or the dull ache I feel is from the neuropathy or from this Statis. Mine is not bumpy or cobblestone looking skin and I don't have skin sores, I guess this would come in due time.

I have problems with varicose veins, but the 2 symmetrical discolorations in my ankles are in the areas where there are no signs of overt veins.

What treatment did you have for this condition? It says online that it is related to heart problem....

Mary

Mary
 

I do not have the sores; but their is the discoloration with some pinkish spots under the skin. This started after I had a surgical procedure for my bladder which also caused edema; not necessarily form the Stasis. This was about four or five years ago. The discoloration started very slowly.

Becuase of the PN cannot use any hose for the edema (use med for edema). I use Lubriderm lotion on my feet, ankles(sometimes vaseline on the ankles) and legs every a.m. after washing. This seems to keep the skin smoother and prevent inflamation/sores.

I saw a dermatologist who diagnosed the Stasis. She did give me a prescription; but not good for the PN burning so just stay with the lotion/vaseline. At first I thought it was the Stasis causing the burning pain; but my internist said this was all from the PN. The discoloration can be embarrassing.

The swelling/edema can be related for some to heart problems. I do not have any heart problems.


Gerry

Oh yes, the discoloration is becoming obvious. Although, aesthetically is the least of my worries now but now that you mentioned about "discoloration can be embarrassing", I agree with you. At this point, I don't think my PCP will think that this warrants any medication or more attention because its not of significant size. I want to rub the area with mineral oil mixed with a moisturizer but my hands cannot do it long enough. My hubby has no choice but to do it for me.

What kind of surgical procedure you did for your bladder, if you don't mind. I thought that bladder cannot be operated on.

Mary

I had Cystocele surgery. My bladder prolapsed where it was visable. Mostly due to forcing because of my strong narcotic pain meds causing terrible constipation. I do take Miralax daily; but still have issues.

When i had the Cystocele surgery, the urologist did not take the necessary precautions and the small bowel came down causing me to have Rectocele surgery the following year. When I had the Rectocele surgery performed, I made sure this time I went to a urogynocologist. I wish I had had the urogyny for the Cystocele surgery.

I should have mentioned the venous blood insufficiency seems to pool in the ankles thereby causing heart concern. I did have a specialist look into the venous pooling in the ankles. Tests all showed this had nothing to do with my heart. Sitting for long periods can be a problem. When possible, elevating feet is very beneficial.

I, myself, would not want to rub into ankle/feet areas. I gently put the lotion on without a lot of pressure. Also, if I rubbed; this might aggravate the condition; but would cause my PN to burn even more.


Gerry

Ger,

Thank you for your explanation about your bladder surgery. I asked because my husband has an enlarged bladder. He has been told that there is virtually nothing can be done about it. He has difficulty starting the pee, this is because the bladder does not contract as it should.

Anyway, back to my skin discoloration, I am not physically bothered, not painful nor has unpleasant sensation, it's just aesthetically becoming unpleasant to look at. I will leave it at that for now. I just wanted to make sure that it does not affect the PN pain.

Thank you for your posts.