Update
 

Hello,


I wanted to give you all an update as its been a little while for me here.


I did drive to North Carolina and then realized I needed to come back to Maine.
I realized being in California all by myself with no support would be an entirely different world that I experienced this last semester. I am still getting infusions every month and I think that combined with trying to make a rent payment every month, along with cleaning, working out, working, etc. would be a death wish.

I just drove back to Maine yesterday, and im glad Im here. I am getting an apartment here yet my parents are going to help with it. I am going to school for a couple of classes and I also applied to the hospital for a phlebotomy job. The job is per diem so Im hoping I get a call back from that soon and it wont be too much work for me.

I hope in the coming months I will be 100% and ready to venture off on my own. Possibly go to california.


MG wise I have been pretty good. When I was in North Carolina I was very worried about getting weak because of the heat...thats another reason for staying in Maine...I have felt very good since being here and i think it is partly due to the cold weather and the muscles. In north carolina i requiered a longer nap than usual but that was to be expected.

I have infusions still every month, 3days 55grams. Imuran 250/day and prednisone 40/mg a day.

I have a 'rash' on my chest surrounding my scar. It doesnt itch, and almost looks like roscalia (SP)? - NOT CORRECT...
Annieb3- you asked me one time if had a skin condition- somewhat like acne...it appears to be like that. It is like little blotches of redish/skin colored patches and it gets much worse when i take a shower with the heat.
It doesnt hurt or itch like I said and im not sure what it is, im going to call and make an appointment soon to deal with it, as its quite nasty.-Although it doesnt excrete anything. It seems to be spreading a little bit and I want it under control.

Anyways...thats it for now, im going to bed. Apartment searching in the morning. Look forward to hearing from yall.

Your rash could be anything. Best to have a doctor look at it, since you take immune suppressing drugs.

However, a common possibility is tinea versicolor. This is a benign fungus that normally lives on the skin, that may invade deeper skin areas when there is alot of moisture present, or you have too much sugar in your system, or have immune issues. It often occurs in young people, on the chest and back. This is diagnosed by shining a UV light on the skin area.

In light skinned people the lesions are darker, in dark skinned people the lesions are lighter.

They don't itch, ooze or do anything but look strange.
http://www.medicinenet.com/tinea_versicolor/article.htm

If course it could be anything, including viral, since you take those strong drugs. So best let a doctor check it out.

I found your rash symptoms very interesting....my husband seems to have the same thing all of a sudden...go to the dr on friday so shall see.....

Tyson, Find a good dermatologist and go! They have tools to figure out what it is exactly. They can do a little sampling or biopsy of it. Try to find one in a University setting if you can.

I'm glad you are doing fairly well. Are you tattooed? ;) If so, I hope it looks great. You know, they could do a smaller version.

Annie

Is the scar from a thymectamy?

smokey- yes it is about 8 inches.

Annie- I am at the doctors right now and they may give me a referral to a dermatologist if they can't figure it out. thx!

mrs d- thx. maybe this it. I'll ask I'm here now.

It was tinea versicolor or however you call it:) They told me to go by some athletes foot cream and put it on twice a day...yeast infection on my chest, now thats attractive;).

They said it would come back every once in a while but was harmless thank god.


I noticed pain in my back and my regular doc says my scoliosis which i havent really had problems with since i was around 11. Never was really bad but now its causing more pain, so an xray is happening on tuesday to check the angles.

Hope your all well

You will want to use Lamisil, as it is the strongest antifungal OTC.

Also I believe the gel form penetrates better.
Lamisil comes in a gel.
http://www.drugstore.com/lamisil-at-...rapy/qxp163109

Another alternative is clotrimazole liquid. It comes in a little squeeze bottle, and was designed for toenail application. You might have to have this item special ordered.
http://www.amazon.com/Clotrimazole-A.../dp/B000GCIAR2
It does not cost $14.99 at drugstores as far as I know.
Only a few drops goes a long way... you don't need much.

I have read that sulfur soap also works. They make several types for acne.

Tinea versicolor is very hard to get rid of. And exposure to heat and sun will darken it in a light skinned patient.

Well, I do know that cornstarch - yes, cornstarch - works wonders on fungal infections. Makes them go away fast. It dries out the area and keeps the fungus from coming back. Keep the area clean (gently washed) in between applications. It's cheaper than a drug. You can apply it with cotton balls or a cosmetic powder pad. It can fly all over the room if you're not careful with it. :D Or simply do what your doctor said to do. If it's a bad infection, you probably wouldn't want to play around with alternative medicine, since you're immunosuppressed. But if a fungal infection pops up on your feet, try it.

Yeast is a fungus.

MG is a fungus too. ;) Just kidding.

I hope whatever you use works, Tyson.

Annie

A powder is a possibility but I'd use Zeaborb antifungal.
Zeasorb AF in between showers. Don't shower if you don't need to...and dry off with a clean towel each time. Even blow dry the area with low setting if necessary.

Tinea Versicolor is very very hard to get rid of. If you do succeed consider yourself lucky!

This is an organism that lives on your normal skin. When conditions are ripe... diabetics, showering too much or sweating too much, sharing towels, and in this case immune suppressing drugs, it will mutate into deeper layers of skin and live there. The antifungal product you choose must be able to penetrate down there to get to the organism. Things that sit on the surface are not going to cut it.

If you have sensitive skin, and use defatting soaps (detergent types like Zest or Irish Spring) for washing you expose microscopic cuts in the skin, where this fungus may enter. I would use Dove unscented and not too much of it either when showering. Don't scrub the skin, but pat it dry. And if necessary use a blow dryer on low, to dry yourself off. This can spread to your face, hair and back. It can get worse and create a cosmetic problem. Now is the time to nip it in the bud.

Using a sulfur acne soap may help in the early stages. This fungus cannot stand sulfur. Do not get one with salicylic acid however as it will inflame the damaged skin. Some people rub on Selsun shampoo or Nizoral into the area and rinse off the next day. This may work or not depending.

How you take care of your skin in between showers, is as important as the treatment.