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Grover's Disease: What works to help find relief?
Skin Health | Last Active: Nov 4 2:57pm | Replies (2012)Comment receiving replies
We are forced to get tough. Without my relentless searches, just like you and others are doing on this site I would not be alive today. My first form of eczema I developed in middle age, Allergic Contact Dermatitis, ACD, made my body feel as if it was on fire, plus itching and stinging. My derms were no help, only suggesting steroids or cortisone. I would lay in bed at night planning the cleanest and least painful way to kill myself not wanting to leave a mess for my husband or others to clean up. Even considered a train track as well as dozens of other ideas. Turns out I am allergic to 3 of the 5 classes of steroids and cortisone is in one of those classes all of which doctors were treating me with. I had to learn about testing on my own for ACD. Now I know what to avoid and no more ACD. Also finally accepted that even with contact avoidance I must give up sugar and limit gluten. A sacrifice, but it definitely helps me and others. Yet we are all unique, that's why you need to study and try anything that isn't dangerous. I even diagnosed my second form, Perioral and have never had it again- 2 derms were treating it as ACD and steroids (my 2 safe classes) actually fuel the Perioral, which I learned about on another blogging site and saw photos and descriptions on dermnetnz.org (awesome site for photos).
There is such a minimal amount of information, even for doctors, that with research you can learn all and more the doctors do. Pain is a big motivator.
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Thanks for your, always informative, response. I am going on to my 8th month with this situation. I do believe that the shingles I was doing smoothies for about two months, but gave them up because they didn't seem to have an effect. I'm back doing them again. I did two rounds of oral steroids over a period of two months, 7 days each. The relief was blessed, but the itching has returned. I knew it would, but it is possibly more aggressive than before. I have tried just about everything that has been mentioned on this site, but changing my diet. I eat quite thoughtfully, minimal meat, lots of fruit and vegetables. I think I am going to try eliminating the small amounts of sugar that I consume and will start looking at the diet that you, and others on this site, recommend. I find that the itching is worse mostly in the morning. Having seen one of your previous posts, I now know why. My symptoms seem to be a little "untraditional", in that I get a
lot of annoyance on my neck and scalp. Sometimes it also irritates the lower part of my legs. The last time I saw my derm, he said that, despite a biopsy, I may not have GD because my skin was so clear. I saw the picture of the woman's abdomen on this site, a couple of days ago. My outbreaks are not nearly that severe. I can't imagine her agony. What shocks me is that the medical field knows so little about this disease, and seems to take very little notice. I am constantly amazed at the amount of information that you, and others on this site, have discovered. I am going to have to make some more changes to my diet in hopes that I can at least mitigate the misery that my GD(?) has caused me. Thanks again for all your insights.