1. < Autoimmune Diseases

New Dermatographia: What is helping you?

Posted by jackographia @jackographia, Nov 28, 2021

If you don't know what dermatographia is, please feel free to read and participate, but this discussion is aimed at people who currently suffer from this illness. I have questions that I don't think anyone without the condition can answer. The onset of my symptoms began about a week after receiving the Moderna covid booster shot. (My 3rd covid shot) Which may or may not be a factor. My symptoms began with full body itching, where any scratching would lead to very easy skin reddening. I went into an urgent care soon after and was prescribed steroids (prednisone) and antihistamines. While these work to lessen the itch GREATLY, my skin still reacts to even slight scratches or pressure with easy redness. My condition is largely self-diagnosed, but my primary care physician agrees with it.

There is so little relative information about dealing with this illness that I feel like I need to reach out here to ask. If you have/had this condition:

1. Did you (like I am) develop a tightness in your esophagus? or any bowel issues?
2. Does your face get flushed, fully red and feel warm?
3. Do you know of any support groups that I can reach out to for information and solidarity?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Autoimmune Diseases Support Group.

hellopeeps | @hellopeeps | Jan 22, 2022
In reply to @artscaping "Good afternoon @hellopeeps, I have been following your posts and have learned a little more about..." + (show)
@artscaping

Good afternoon @hellopeeps, I have been following your posts and have learned a little more about some symptoms that sounded familiar to me. I want to introduce you to @rwinney. It appears that you have quite a number of issues and from your last post and this one I see that you are dealing with eye issues. Rachel has had eye issues as well as many other sources of pain and discomfort. She has learned how to deal with many of them and that includes reducing the time she can spend on Connect. So I hope she might be available to say hello.

When is your Allergist appointment? I am waiting to hear if you would please share.

May you have contentment and ease.
Chris

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Hi, Chris! I had to reschedule my Allergist appointment due to the snow storm earlier this week. The doctor called me at 6:30 am to reschedule. We chatted for a bit. Without seeing me, he believes the esophagus / acid reflux feeling is vocal cord related. I do not need to be fearful of an anaphylactic response. Because I have been dealing with the Dermatographia for over 2 months, I qualify for Xolair. They have samples in the office. I did a little research and I do not believe this is the answer for me at this point. My next day off work is President's Day. That is when I have the appointment scheduled. In the event I have a snow day, I am to call the office to see if they can get me in that day. My PCP reached out too. She did not rule out this reaction is due to the vaccine. People with environmental allergies and asthma can have an increased chance of an autoimmune response to vaccines. I have an appointment with her in early March. Thank you for the connect info. Luckily my eyes have been wonderful for the past two years. Hoping to keep them that way too. Have a relaxing weekend.

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lindseyrae | @lindseyrae | Jan 22, 2022

So happy to find others going through the same thing. My dermatographia symptoms started 10 days after my Moderna booster-just as @jackographia described. (However I did not feel the flush face or tightening of the esophagus.) The first 6 days were miserable until getting on Zertec which has helped a lot. But I’m going on 4.5 weeks of this and still no sign of it lessening. Somewhere I had read that it usually lasts up to 21 days. Now I’m beginning to wonder when it will ever end and what to do. I really don’t want to go on a steroid.

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Mentor
Rachel, Volunteer Mentor | @rwinney | Jan 23, 2022
In reply to @artscaping "Good afternoon @hellopeeps, I have been following your posts and have learned a little more about..." + (show)
@artscaping

Good afternoon @hellopeeps, I have been following your posts and have learned a little more about some symptoms that sounded familiar to me. I want to introduce you to @rwinney. It appears that you have quite a number of issues and from your last post and this one I see that you are dealing with eye issues. Rachel has had eye issues as well as many other sources of pain and discomfort. She has learned how to deal with many of them and that includes reducing the time she can spend on Connect. So I hope she might be available to say hello.

When is your Allergist appointment? I am waiting to hear if you would please share.

May you have contentment and ease.
Chris

Jump to this post

@hellopeeps. I'm popping in to say hello and introduce myself. I see you responded to @artscaping that your eyes have been wonderful for the past two years. This is great news! I hope your skin settles down and you find relief after visiting the allergist and that too will be great news.

I don't know that I can be of much help to you except for letting you know that sometimes a variety of sensory issues can become established from a disruption to the Central Nervous System (CNS). It appears some folks are having disruptions from Covid-19 shots possibly resulting in an upregulation of the CNS.

I personally experience this from Central Sensitization Syndrome (CSS), in which my brain receives louder messages from my body which in turns creates fight or flight. I have a lot of sensory issues which include skin (over reactive/itchy/sensitive to clothing), eyes (over reactive/sensitive), and esophagus (sensitivity) to name a few.

In any event, this is just food for thought. I hope you progress in a forward manner and things calm down for you soon. May I help in any other way?

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1 reply
hmccarth5 | @hmccarth5 | Jan 24, 2022

Very interesting, I may have what is going on here also, as least there is an answer of some kind, thank you!

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hillis | @hillis | Jan 24, 2022

My exact story, 12 days after my third shot I got all over hives, starting with itchy scalp, then neck and chest, by the second day it was everywhere, ears red and on fire, plams and well everywhere! This went on for a few days. Then on top of the hives I got dermatographia. I tried benedryl, it helped a bit but not enough, the first presc. from my dr gave me insane acid reflux (or based on these posts might have been the reaction as well?) second presc. helped a bit but again nothing is curing this. I am "ok" now as long as nothing irritates my skin. If one hair tickles me, or my mask rubs me wrong, or a my clothing rubs I break out and it just explodes. Ice is the best cure. If I ice an irritation before I scratch it im good, but I dont alwasy have that avialble to me. It's now been 24 days.....

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lindseyrae | @lindseyrae | Jan 26, 2022
In reply to @ajohnston "I am relieved to find all of these posts. I have been experiencing the exact same..." + (show)
@ajohnston

I am relieved to find all of these posts. I have been experiencing the exact same things and have wondered if it was the Moderna booster. I had my booster on Fri Dec 3rd. Around 10 days later my scalp started to itch and then itching spread throughout my whole body. Each day seemed to be a new spot. My ears were inflamed, I had hives wherever I was itching. I even woke up one morning with hives on my face. After 3 days of trying benadryl and claritin I went to urgent care. I was prescribed Prednisone for 6 days. The doctor at urgent care said i was the 3rd person to come in with similar symptoms after the moderna booster. I have been off of Prednisone for over a week....the crazy itching stopped but I have dermatographism and I am just wondering when this will ever go away. If I itch anywhere on my skin it is bright red. Has anyone on here had their skin fully resolve yet???? and how long did it take?? I have an appt with an allergist but if it really was the booster I'm not sure if it's even worth it. I had no skin reactions with the first two moderna shots last April. I had the usual side effects like headache, fever, chills but no crazy reaction.

Jump to this post

I’ve been experiencing the exact same thing and also wonder if anyone else’s has cleared up and how going to a dermatologist will help? Isn’t this something we will have to just wait out? It has been 5 weeks of dermatographia for me now.

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1 reply
3gingermama | @3gingermama | Jan 26, 2022

How is your dermatographia now here at the end of January? It's been two months...any improvement or is the dermatographia the same?

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1 reply
jcskitz | @jcskitz | Jan 27, 2022

This could help. Search on FB. Thank me later.
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reggiegirl | @reggiegirl | Jan 28, 2022
In reply to @lindseyrae "I’ve been experiencing the exact same thing and also wonder if anyone else’s has cleared up..." + (show)
@lindseyrae

I’ve been experiencing the exact same thing and also wonder if anyone else’s has cleared up and how going to a dermatologist will help? Isn’t this something we will have to just wait out? It has been 5 weeks of dermatographia for me now.

Jump to this post

Developed dermatographia 11 days after Moderna booster. I am just about to pass the three month mark of daily symptoms.

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kb1989 | @kb1989 | Jan 28, 2022

So glad I came across this post! I too received the Moderna booster on December 3 and a week later hives everywhere. To this day I’m still getting them. I’m an African American women in my 30’s healthcare worker so I’ve received literally every vaccine. But this has been difficult sometimes uncomfortable in my own skin. Just wearing pants with a tight waist band I have welts. I hope there’s more research on this. I’m headed to the allergist in a couple of weeks!

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