Terrible rash. Any advice?

[Rivergoddess]

Full of questions. Sat. night I felt a bit itchy and by last night I was covered in a huge rash, skin feels hot and itchy , body feels chilled, temp. 98.6, but if a sore throat. I’m due for my 3 month blood test at my 6 month mark since diagnosed with CLL. Wondering if I should cancel because my WBC is probably going to be very high fighting off what I have. Anyone experience anything like this before? Feeling very confused. I had a penicillin shot 3 weeks ago and wondering if this is a side effect. Maybe I am allergic to it? I had a staph infection. Would love some support.

[cllady01 Former Volunteer]

My thought is rather than cancel the appt., call and ask to see the CLL Dr. sooner--describe your situation and ask to be seen sooner. Give yourself some peace of mind by letting the Dr. sort this out. Chills can be a sign of fever that does not show up on thermometer---with CLL our systems do not always go by the book with body temperature.

Again, I would call now. This is your second recent possible/probable reaction on antibiotics.

Please let us know how you get on.

[EugeneL2 in reply to cllady01]

I would go to see a dermatologist. My CLL doctor always referred my skin problems to dermatologists and I have benefited from their expert opinion.

[cllady01 Former Volunteer in reply to EugeneL2]

I have no idea from the posting what Dr. prescribed the 2 antibiotics. With both (maybe) having a negative reaction, immunity levels could be involved---I want my CLL Dr. to know in puzzling situations what is happening. The CLL Dr. or his nurse, may suggest i go to a dermatologist, sure, and referral may also be required for insurance purposes.

[Rivergoddess in reply to EugeneL2]

Thank you for your reply. I will call my dermatologist today.

[Rivergoddess in reply to cllady01]

Thanks for your reply. I saw my GP yesterday and she said was an allergic reaction but wasn’t sure to what since I finished my antibiotics 2 weeks ago. It was either a delayed reaction to that or sine type of reaction to my gardening or a food. My oncologist suggested I wait until this settled down before having my next set of blood tests. I’m just not sure what is appropriate to call her about. Still news to all this.

[t2aa]

No chance it might be measles? Unlikely, but there is a huge outbreak in the US.

[blowinginthewind in reply to t2aa]

Measles was my first thought too - cellulitis was my second. Either way, you need to get this seen too as soon as possible, Like today.

[Rivergoddess in reply to t2aa]

No, my GP said it is an allergic reaction probably to my antibiotic that zi took 2 weeks ago. Thanks for the reply. That possibility passed through my mind too.

[goldstream]

It has happened to me twice. One was an allergic reaction to an antibiotic. The other was pseudomonas, likely from a hot tub. In both cases it took about a month for it to clear up fully. Not much fun. My advice would be to go to your GP right away.

[Hoffy]

You could check your IGE. When mine was highest I would get a lot of itching.

IGE went down with treatment,

Be well,

Hoffy

[Jonquiljo]

This happened to me right as I was being diagnosed in May 2018. Overnight, I was covered with red skin and hives. It seemed to start where my clothing had been - initially you could see an outline of my t-shirt on me in hives. Then it spread everywhere.

It turns out (from looking at old labs) that I have had CLL since 2015 - not 2018 (stupid doctor syndrome) - so it had nothing to do with new CLL. I had taken cephalexin and Bactrim - DS about 1-2 weeks prior. Seems like delayed reactions from antibiotics is the common theme from what people are saying here. Good luck.

[81ue]

Ever since my diagnosis, I've been allergic to alcohol. I had no idea every time they rubbed my skin before doing the blood draw that they were causing an itchy red bumpy rash. Now I make sure to ask for betadine/iodine and tell them that I'm allergic to alcohol. I was able to use alcohol my whole life. I couldn't figure out what was causing the rash, thought it was allergy to metal in needles, but finally figured out it was the alcohol when I saw that the rash pattern followed the path of the alcohol rub perfectly. If the person doing the blood draw dabbed on alcohol on a small area, it was small, if the person did a big sweeping rub, then I had a big sweeping rash exactly where the alcohol touched. So now I know to avoid skin care products with alcohol in it.