Can anyone help me ?

[forevermu]

I have these on my legs and arms no amount of lotions and potions from the doctor , a very light purse too ? These have been on my legs since before Christmas 2017 , ANA has been found in a recent blood test . My doctor seems to think I have Crest disease as there are other symptoms such as pins and needles in my hands and legs , feeling like a zombie where I just lay in bed , headaches and pains and aches internally.

I really need help as these ' mark's ' are quite embarrassing.

[GlasgowHen]

Has your Gp referred you to a dermatologist and rheumatologist? Did they check you for lupus as you get a positive ANA and rashes as well as other symptoms like you describe.

[forevermu in reply to GlasgowHen]

I am now waiting to see a rheumatologist but it seems their department have availability issues ! Not good for me though !

I am not sure what the ANA actually means all I understand its to did with antibodies I am going to try and book an appointment with my GP tomorrow as these rashes are still appearing but not disappearing?

[GlasgowHen in reply to forevermu]

The ANA indicates that there is something autoimmune going on however there can be false positives. The rash looks sore so hope your gp can suggest something in the mean time

[beaglab]

Hi forevermu, those look like Ringworm. See a doctor who can diagnose your sores accurately. Ketoconazole is a prescription cream for that. Do they itch and burn? How long have you had these? If you don't get answers from your doctor, find a better physician. I am here if you want to write again. Please take care of yourself.

[linda-l]

Well, I'm intrigued, because I have the same marks over my feet, just above the swelling and inflammation from my Raynaud's.

Mine definitely isn't a rash and it's spreading. I'm positive it's related to the host of other autoimmune conditions I suffer from and I feel it's probably related to Raynaud's, as it started to appear at exactly the same time as a flare.

I'm seeing my rheumatologist in two weeks and will post any information then if it's helpful and may explain your problem too! 🤔

[forevermu]

I have been back to my doctor this morning as the pins and needles in my arms and hands is getting worse and pains under my ribcage . I questioned if I should visit a dermatologist and he feels it's all tied into the Crest disease something he has never seen before and it's quite rare too ? He is contacting the hospital again as he wants me referred sooner rather than later , I'm also to book for a chest xray due to a cough that he thinks is related to the gastro , heartburn symptoms.

Thank you I feel better knowing there is help out there in the big wide world ! 😘

[Intimeslikethese in reply to forevermu]

I had a cough for 3 mos once that I think was finally relieved by taking store bought Zantac nightly before bed along with 1 week of low dose prednisone to reduce the swilling from the prolonged timeframe stressed cough.

[Bec9680]

I would like to share with you that most the time autoimmune issues is normally because there is something foreign in the body most the time bacteria (mycoplasma) or virus but unfortunately doctors don’t test for this & just give medicine to cover up symptoms. I’m not sure where you are located but if you want real answers to your problems you can go to roadback.org to find a doctor that will find out the root cause. I had systemic scleroderma & would have died had it not been for these doctors who found out I had a mycoplasma infection. You can also ask your doctors to test maybe they will but usually it’s out of their protocol & they’re scared they will get shunned..but we need to hold these doctors accountable to start testing for things like this!! I’m a nurse & I promise when there’s something going on it’s usually bacterial. 80% of our immune system is in our guts and when it is damaged it allows it to get into the bloodstream.

[NewbieAP in reply to Bec9680]

Wow! How was the mycoplasma infection treated? And now that it's been treated, are you free of symptoms and the SSc auto-antibodies, or will you have those forever? The thought of going to yet another doctor after having seen so many and having spent so much money is scary, especially when their approaches seem out-there or potentially ineffective, if not possibly dangerous. Also, usually not covered by insurance. I have been tempted, though.

[Bec9680 in reply to NewbieAP]

There’s another support group called inspire.com that’s where I first heard about the AP therapy or antibiotic treatment. If you join there and type that in the search you can get info & read some success stories where symptoms are completely gone & disease reversed but it’s a slow process. But it least I feel like I’m taking care of the root cause & not just covering up with immune suppressants which I had a bad allergic reaction to! I’m going on 6 months and I’m doing much better, saliva glands went back to normal first month or so skin is loosing & joints feel much better! fatigue is a lot less too. Also go to roadback.org and read stories & get info it’s amazing! The type of bacteria does not have a cell wall so it doesn’t get resistant to the antibiotics. God bless you for even being open minded to this most people on here have not been. They need to realize most doctors are just drug pushers unfortunately & pharmaceutical companies want to make the most money & do not have our best interest in mind & antibiotics don’t make them any money. Doctors need to start doing better tests to get better answers instead of just saying they don’t know why our immune systems go crazy.

[NewbieAP]

Definitely push to see a Rheumatologist. Also, a hospital or even your GP should be able to order more detailed Rheumatological blood tests now. A positive ANA result is non-specific, so a Dr. needs to test for specific antibodies to get more info about what's going on. Also, does anyone know if those spots might be Lichen Planus?

[forevermu]

I am in hemsby Norfolk.

My doctor has never seen it before so isn't sure how to treat it , I told him of pains under my ribcage, pins and needles etc and he is looking on his screen agreeing that all symptoms associated with Crest . He said the hospital once a get an appointment through will then do more specific blood tests . The rashes are a worry as they've been there since last year with more appearing frequently

[AJOC4]

Could it be a Psoriasis rash which is also autoimmune? I have psoriasis as well as SSc.

[Alanjones]

It looks like a fungal infection which is very difficult to get rid of. Tablets from your GP will soon sort it, lotions do not work or work very little. Good Luck.

[X-Woman]

I have the same things on my legs and breast. My doctor has been treating them as psoriasis but nothing is shifting them. I'm really embarrassed by them. When they get itchy they sting and some of them bleed.