Eczema and skin rash

This is a 'lay person' definition but......I too have always had eczema (born scratching) and lots of skin issues. I believe the difference I've noticed between the two is that eczema doesn't create 'raised patches' of skin. A friend with plaque psoriasis had large, gray scaly patches on his skin (sometimes red) whereas eczema is more of a flat rash? All that said, dermatologist seem to spot the difference pretty easily between the two. Psorasis can be associated with other conditions like heart disease and can be a sign of those underlying conditions and eczema is a huge nuisance brought on by histamine production I the body and on the skin.
There are thousands of skin rashes (literally) and even dermatologists can be stumped at times but both psoriasis and eczema are pretty common complaints so doctors do a bit better pinpointing those.

Hi All,

I'd like to share this spotlight about our Mentor Gail @gailb – https://connect.mayoclinic.org/newsfeed-post/gailb/
I hope you will enjoy reading it and getting to know Gail as much as I have!

Another suggestion is to have your bioduct checked. Sometimes there are strictures there & can cause a rash & itching. I’m going through that now.

@nanceedeefeperi ….If you ended up going to GI doctor,,,and he did a colonoscopy and took a biopsy....a workshop l attended last year given by a very savvy Dietician said to be sure any specimens taken from the colon/stomach are read by a Pathologist certified in reading GI specimens. She gave an example of a person told no they did not have celiac disease based on their biopsy read by a generic pathologist....but when she obtained the specimen and brought to the specialist Pathologist...she was told she had the worse case of celiac disease the specialized Pathologist had ever seen. tdrell

Hi. Have you been tested for Celiac? I know you said you are sensitive to gluten. I have Celiac, Crohn's, Autoimmune Hepatitis, and Fibromyalgia which all cause the symptoms you describe. You should have a good work up by GI and liver doctors.

If you have been diagnosed with eczema make sure they give you a specific name for your type. Over a dozen types with similar or different symptoms, different or overlapping treatments and similar or completely different triggers. I muddled along with a primitive eczema diagnosis for a decade not understanding eczema came different forms. With self education learned to ask dermatologists the right questions. I learned about testing and demanded the 5 Day Extended Patch Test for Allergic Contact Dermatitis,ACD. which I began to think was my specific form. No doctor had previously recommended this test. Medicare pays for this test, around $1,500. Not all derms or allergists are licensed for this test, if you are wanting this make sure you go to a derm or allergist with this speical education and training with the testing kit companies. It's not the simple 30 min prick in office test for environmentals. The test kit consists panels on your back for 5 days. For me it disclosed that that out of 78 chemicals and natural elements I was severly allergic to 5. This information saved my life, literally as I was ready to end it all because of my lack of sleep from itching and pain. My ACD is under control today because of contact removal.
Also please be aware you may have multiple forms of eczema with different triggers and treaments. I am now up to 4 types, Contact Dermatitis , CD, ACD, TAD and POD. Since my first form ACD showed up in my 50's I have now progressed and added 2 other, unrelated forms, Transient Acantholytic Dermatosis, aka, Grover's Disease or TAD. Also recently Perioral Dermatitis, POD. Derms assumed my specific symptoms for TAD and later for POD were tied to my ACD. Not so and in fact treatment for POD goes against the traditional use of steroids with most forms. In fact steroids after the first few weeks of remission feed the POD and then it truly blows up.
From reading this post it seems most responding have the Atopic form, which I do not. However, it is common for those with Atopic to develop ACD in adulthood. Please never assume you only have one form, especially if it is not responding to your traditional treatments.

Thank you gardening junkie for your post. I've suffered with all kinds of skin problems since I was born. There are so many types and they are tricky to diagnose. This 5 day patch test sounds really helpful. I'll be looking into this more.

If I had not advocated for myself or kept searching for knowledge I wouldn't be back to my productive and joyful life again. I can be a wife again. With extreme suffering joy can't be felt. In fact I would dread each new dawn having laid in bed itching and in pain all night. Eczema is an incurable autoimmune disease, but I have learned to completely control and eliminate many symptoms and to moderate others to a manageable level. Keep searching cindylb.

@ gardeningjunkie - I read post by same on Team Inspire - always leave an impression and good advice!!!!

So hoping my experience can help some try to solve their eczema puzzles and give them hope. I am a hopeful example of an eczema sufferer who during my darkest and early ignorant days dealing with pain and misery 24/7 was planning my suicide scenarios while I would lay in my bed at night too miserable to sleep. Personallying I'm deal with 3 or 4 forms (2 are related) and yet feeling good today because of being proactive with this disease. Also luck is a part, as some forms are more complex and treatment, eliminations and such have not been as successful. I know feeling good won't last with the chronic nature of eczema and especially 1 of my forms which naturally goes through periods of dormancy and I will have recurrences but am so very grateful for the sweet relief I am feeling now. I hope you are having success also.