← Return to Grover's Disease: What works to help find relief?

Discussion

Grover's Disease: What works to help find relief?

Skin Health | Last Active: Mar 17 1:04pm | Replies (1921)

Comment receiving replies
@pen2015

I am literally dying. This is spreading to places where the sun don’t shine. Like, never. Burning like carpet burns. I am bruised everywhere from scratching, although I try not to.

Going to Mayo Clinic in Jax, but they can’t get me in until dec 16.

I’m beginning to wonder if this is something else, because of where it is going.

Path report was short and sweet. Said acantholitic dermatosis consistent with Grover disease. That’s all.

Anyone have any suggestions as to where I can get help? Dec 16 is too far away.

Seems no one cares about Grover sufferers. There’s not enough money to be made... well I wish I had done something different right my career path.....

Jump to this post


Replies to "I am literally dying. This is spreading to places where the sun don’t shine. Like, never...."

I’m sorry you’re having such a rough time. I understand what you’re going through. I was actually having suicidal thoughts the first few months. It will get better. You will find something that your body will respond to. Cilantro, chlorella, ice packs, sarna and soaking in the pool were the best natural treatments for me. Clobetasol liquid and a round of steroids when things were unbearable. I just spoke with a woman on Facebook that said hers went away after she stopped eating peanut butter and McDonald’s fries! It’s literally the strangest and brutal skin disease I have ever heard of. No rhyme or reason on what can cause or cure it! By the way my girlie parts we’re affected too!

If by "spreading to places the sun don't shine" you are referring to female privates I have had great success getting relief from chronic female issues in the vulva, not classic yeast which has discharge, but burning exterior tissues . Many of us with GD have multi issues which adds to the confusion of treatment and diagnosis. Last Oct I went one an anti-inflammation diet. I have mentioned this many times on this site, William Crook, MD, The Yeast Connection Handbook, I have the later addition that includes some herbals like oregano and caprilic acid. Crook is a pioneer, one of the first MD's to tie in diet to elevated yeast as the culprit in raising inflammation. I found an old book for 25 cents at the library sale, yet I saw it is still for sale on Amazon. Simple, easy to follow plan. Detox for min of 2 months is a challenge, but after that more foods are introduced. The Whole 30 diet Mariannj is on is more brutal as now I can have specific carbs and add back limited natural sugar in fruit. I noticed a difference in my privates in 6 weeks and was so incouraged I kept up the detox for 3 months as many more recent diets suggest. Yes hard to give up natural sugar and from your photo you look slim like me. Weight loss is an issue. I can't loose more weight. After being on this almost year I have dropped 15 lbs and down to 121 at 5' 6". I eat volumes of food, yet giving up gluten and processed sugar for life does something to the metabolism and the food doesn't go to fat in the body .
I have great empathy for you with your commute. I am older and retired, but still travel distances at times. When in a full blown breakout leaning back in a seat was too painful, so I would drive hunched over the steering wheel for hours. As you know our back muscles ache from this unnatural position.
Please hang in there encouraged by the hope that in most cases the first break out has the worst symptoms and it lasts the longest. Then most get a break, for me it would be about 5-6 months, then another breakout for me for 6 months, but with each breakout it would be at least 15% less severe. After living with it for 4 years I was down to break outs at least 30-40% less severe. Now the cilantro has been a miracle arresting my March 19 breakout, however something is going on with my lower back torso, the all to familiar itch. Yet can't see the typical rash bumps coming on. Still as mentioned I have done everything wrong. Brutalizing my body with record breaking heat and getting soaking wet with sweat because of my activity.
I see you live in South GA and I lived in Valdosta for a year. I taught school back in 1970-71 in an old red brick 2 story schoolhouse in Hahira GA- no air-conditioning. I made my own sleeveless cotton dresses and lived on those tall glass bottles of coke out of a machine and for the teachers we have a huge kettle full of sweet ice tea with plenty of ice. My hair was always in a ponytail! Nothing like GA heat and humidity which would aggravate GD conditions. Back then no eczema for me.

@pen2015 This is how I managed an appt. with the dermatologist. I called every day for 3 days, pleading my case. On the fourth day I said I didn't know how I could live with this any longer. I was totally sleep deprived and making wrong decisions. Each time I called I told all my symptoms and I described them brutally. On the third try, the receptionist asked if I could come in the next day!!!!! Granted, I was an already established patient, but I never gave up calling. I believe they thought I was suicidal although I wasn't. The doc recognized Grovers in 2 seconds. I started with triamcinolone. It eased the itch/pain a little. After two weeks I was better but no where near normal so I got on this site and the rest is cilantro history. I also began the whole 30 diet and switched to only pure cotton next to my skin. It took a few months but I finally had results. I discontinued the triamcinolone when I started cilantro, and I hated even handling it Two days ago I felt some major burning painful itching right under my bra. I had been running around all day in the heat and was very stressed. When I removed my bra it was very wet (a synthetic material) and I saw the red bumps. I immediately applied triamcinolone for two days and increased my cilantro. The itching and pain has disappeared. I know the bra was too tight because I had gained 9 pounds. I also remembered that I had washed the bra in Dreft instead of my usual All free clear. It is a delicate tightrope that I walk. I thought I could make some changes. It's time for me to be more careful with my diet again and keep the cilantro dose higher.