Out of the ordinary events running up to my Rash Appearance

Skin, nail and hair health
1

My single \"Herald\" lesion appeared about 10 days befor the 2ndry rash, upper thight and grew till I worried it was Ringworm. I experienced no itchyness but worried that I had ocntracted it from 1 of 4 possibly changes in my environment / routine during the period running up to showing symptoms.

1) Having a hormone coil / IUD fitted 8 week peviously and possible reaction to the change in hormones levels (although typical experience of this has been acne / similar)

2) I've started eating a handful of mixed nuts daily over last 2 weeks and wondered if I was experiencing a skin allergy.

3) 2 months ago, I had someone and his lovely dog stay at mine, and the area she hung around the most is where my yoga mat lies out on the carpet for days on end. Rolling it to put it away means the down side of the yoga mat then comes into contact with the up side, so I wondered if I had become too intimate with my carpets.

4) Working excessive overtime over last week and possible fatigue / stress mentally and physically.

Visting my GP, I was offered that there is no known cause and no investigatory questions were asked which surprised me as I though that capturing of more data to submit online should surely continue the compiling of data to see if there are common elements in those who show symptoms of this.

After seeing pictures and being 48 hours into the 2ndry (mostly stomach and chest, 1-2 dry lesions on back) rash featuring, I'm very gratefuly that so far mine is far less severe than other folks.

What a bizarre 'rash'. Intriguing. I encourage folks to post changes in their lifestyle, there's gotta be an explanation to likely causes.

Take care.

2

good idea!

both times I've had it it has been about 5m after having had a baby - hormones, and possible vitamin a deficiency or another mineral deficiency.

I have also had a sore throat right before the herald patch appeared - the hearld patch has been on my right hip both times, looking just like ringworm.

3

I have just been diagnosed with Pityriasis Rosea and so far my presentation has been textbook. The herald patch appeared on my upper arm followed by smalled spots on my tummy, around where my knickers sit and on my back about 10 days later. So far I haven't had any real itching (though I'm sure thinking about having a rash is making me think I'm itching!). My partner 1st noticed the severity of the rash after we'd been \"exercising\" (it was Valentine's Day!).

Like many people I initially thought insect bite(s), ecsema or ringworm or (as I work in Tropical Medicine Institution) something far more sinister!

I am interested to note the hormone changes theory: I have developed my PR immediately after stopping taking my contraceptive pill and I have had really tender nipples at the same time as my symptoms first appeared. I wouldn't say I was suffering from excessive fatigue or stress particularly though. It's fascinating isn't it?!

My rash isn't too bad at present so I'm crossing my fingers it won't get any worse! I normally have to cover up in spring/summer anyway due to extreme photosensitivity (the sun gives me a rash) so having to be covered up in winter too seems quite unfair!

Maybe I'll give the anti-dandruff shampoo a try...

4

i was diagnosed with pr at the beginning of this week. started with a patch on my stomach, and and now covered!!

(one of the unlucky ones whose face has been effected)

my big change that has happened lately is ive SNAPPED MY COLLARBONE IN HALF!!! did it 4 weeks ago and the herald spot appeared about a week later i think, though was quite distracted..

my bones have overlapped so i have to go back to the hopsital too see whats what... i think mine may have been caused by stress!!!

soon as i can lay down again i am going to try sunbeds smile has anyone else found being run down in some way has triggered it?? i can't really see how it's caught if it's a non-contagious virus...

i think i am being unfairly targeted by my body :P

another thing is i am around horses a lot as well as swimming (so being exposed to chlorine) so am a little perplexed that when i slow down i get this obscure virus!!!

so yes! has anyone else had something unusual happenaround the same time?? possibly stopping being exposed to usual stimulants for allergies..?

5

[quote:ad1887b032=\"josieg \"]i was diagnosed with pr at the beginning of this week. started with a patch on my stomach, and and now covered!!

(one of the unlucky ones whose face has been effected)

my big change that has happened lately is ive SNAPPED MY COLLARBONE IN HALF!!! did it 4 weeks ago and the herald spot appeared about a week later i think, though was quite distracted..

my bones have overlapped so i have to go back to the hopsital too see whats what... i think mine may have been caused by stress!!!

soon as i can lay down again i am going to try sunbeds smile has anyone else found being run down in some way has triggered it?? i can't really see how it's caught if it's a non-contagious virus...

i think i am being unfairly targeted by my body :P

another thing is i am around horses a lot as well as swimming (so being exposed to chlorine) so am a little perplexed that when i slow down i get this obscure virus!!!

so yes! has anyone else had something unusual happenaround the same time?? possibly stopping being exposed to usual stimulants for allergies..?

Things that where different before being diagnosed with PR...

My first lifestly change. 3monthes ago, January 2009, clearly b4 any symptoms of PS rash my partner and i decide to move from the big city on the west coast, to his families home and property in the east coast. I will leave my job my family and friends to support my partner and live a seemingly normal comfortable life in the country. Minus work, stress, pollution noise and all the things that go with city life.

But before I GO,

After completing all my severence duties canceling bill payments, notice to work friend’s family, the land lord, the big storage move, I begin to considering my options and new things to occupy time for my new life!

I have become responsible for cleaning out TWO old dusty 25+ year old storage containers. I was surprised, not being super affected by the containers. The cleaning and sorting of these containers last about 8hours in total over a 10 day period.

This period comes 1 week before i decide to train for my first fitness competition and notice small patch and eventual brake out of PS over my torso back neck and inner arm.

I change my diet in preparation for a fitness competition I am 5weeks

Out. I begin drinking 4 liters of water a day, recommended by training coach. My exercise program is quite vagarious. I notice a small patch at my bra line in the first week.

I have a visitor come to stay for one week; I am 4weeks out from my fitness competition.

My visitor was a bit sneezy and coughy at the time. She explains how itchy she gets most nights on a regular basis. On the day before she leaves, she shows me an unusual skin blemish on her left arm, maybe from scratching maybe a rash..??

3 days after she is gone, i noticed a spread of tiny bumps on my stomach and several popping around my lower back. She and i where not in close contact for the week she visited, so i had no real suspicions of catching anything from her.

3weeks to my fitness competition, I am still training in hopes this will clear up soon. At 3 weeks out I am diagnosed with PS and offered no real treatment, other then waiting it out. In the mean time i am using 99% alovera gel organic label external use and alovera juice for drinking. I use this for 2 weeks.

I am now 1 week to my competition the use of alovera gel externally seems to have dried and smoothed my rash now i need to fade the areas and reduce the visual appearance. Any suggestions!

6

When I had PR I was aged 13 and the GP who diagnosed me said it commonly affects teenagers and that he himself had it when young. There was nothing out of the ordinary going on in my life at the time - just the usual teenage hormonal changes.

7

I have had PR for about a week now, I had the Herald patch on my back for about a month before anything else happened.

I did start eating nuts before the rash appeared and was told by my GP that it had nothing to do with that, I cannot believe there is nothing to help me, I cannot stop stractching and i feel awful and run down, i have been given piraton and a cream to help the itching, it is covering my body by about 75% today and I first had the spots on Sunday - which is 8 days.

8

I am in the beginning stages of my 2nd case of PR.

The first time I got it a month before my wedding!! So I would say stress was a HUGE factor.

Also, before I got PR the first time I was getting TONNES of cold sores so I started taking double doses of Vitamin C. That stopped the cold sores BUT then weeks later I got PR.

Now this second time (exactly one year later) I have been taking a vitamin when I feel a cold sore coming. So its stops it. BUT weeks later again I am getting PR all over again.

Hmmm could it be from suppressing my cold sores that PR comes out??

9

My own experience seems to share some commonalities with a couple of the above posts.

I am attempting to gain weight (am slightly thin at the moment) in the form of muscle mass, and so I started on a more protein-rich diet and substantially increased the amount of physical exercise I was getting (mostly in the form lifting weights and core exercises).

1) With my diet, I started to consume a great deal more nuts, seeds, and protein-rich grains (almonds, sunflower seeds, quinoa).

2) The herald patch appeared the day after a vigorous workout, which lead me to originally believe it was from slight dehydration (I often get rough patches of dry skin that last a day or so). I didn't think much of it and continued with my exercise regime About 3 days later, the smaller red marks started appearing on my abdomen - which is an area that I had been working on, which then lead me to think it might be something heat-related (there is such thing as a \"workout rash\" but this is only supposed to last 30 or so minutes)...

3) Stress may be involved (I'm currently in the process of immigrating to the United States; martial difficulties, etc.), but I don't believe this would do anything more specific than weaken the immune.

10

I think I have PR although am still waiting to see dermatology doctor to confirm. The two other GPs I saw had not been able to diagnose,although to be fair it was before the main rash had spread. I had my baby 8 months ago, and the rash appeared just before my first period and after having an accident and taking antibiotics. Funnily enough my mum suffered a similar rash around 7 or 8 months after having a baby, so I think it must be linked to hormonal changes.

11

I first noticed Herald patch on my inner leg and was diagnosid with fungal infection, interestingly enough like one of the fellow sufferes my breasts were also very tender and lately my periods have been a bit scatty which would kind of support the hormonal theory. Other changes have been i stopped smoking prior with the help of the drug Champix, so that could have had an impact. With the new me stopping smoking i decided to change diet and join the gym, so maybe too many changes to the body all at once could spring it. I really want it to go soon, cant believe there is no solution and we are just supposed to 'ride it out'

12

My son is fourteen and has just been diagnosed with PR after two misdiagnoses of ringworm.. He is very hormonal at the moment as he is entering the stage of puberty where his body is starting to change quite dramatically now. He has also just done his SATs in year 9 so there has been a level of stress. Another thing that is quite interesting is he has just started to do alot more exercise than usual and this also seems a common theme.

He has been given some cream and is lathering himself with it every day which has had some effect and reduced the rash somewhat. I am off to get him some milk-thistle and am going to give him echinacia to boost his immune system. The use of bio-oil is great for getting rid of blotchy skin tone so may get him to try this aswell.

My heart felt best wishes to you all, as this is certainly an unpleasant complain. good luck all x

13

There is 3 common things so far ringworm,stress,hormones..my friend was visiting me from abroad and i had the herald patch a few weeks before she came over and i just thought it was a bite,went to doc's and got told it was eczema,i was convinced it was ringworm. I had been round horses and dogs so there was a chance. The strange thing was when my friend went back home she got a herald patch on her neck too,about a week later was diagnosed with ringworm and was given the topical cream same as me...BUT..i went on to getting PR and she didn't. Strange!..after trying every topical cream and every vitamin supplement,anything i could try i noticed that when i had alcohol,or exercised it got worse..also i stayed off sugar for about a week and it was getting better then i had my usual hot chocolate and a biscuit for a couple of days and it just exploded all over my body after that!!..so i am now still suffering from it 2 years on although most has gone just the odd spot, i think i will try cutting out sugar again to see if it is a virus that feeds on it..here's hoping good luck everyone..

14

my herald patch appeared whilst on holiday so i assumed it was a bite or something.

the rash appeared approx 3 weeks later and coincided with 2 things....

1. starting a new brand of contraceptive pill (possibly supportingt he hormone theory)

2. a friend being involved in a bad accident (the stress theory perhaps?).

I have it from face to knees and the itching is horrendous....cant seem to see an end to it and its really getting me down! will definitiely give the head and shoulders trick a try as nothing else is working!

15

I have just been told I have PR and my baby is 6 months old, PR and hormones are definately related, I have also returned to work and very busy.

16

I have just been diagnosed with PR, and am a bit gutted!

I got the lesion in France whilst visisting parent, and thought it was a bite, boom, 10 days later i have the secondary rash!

I think the most probable cause for me has to be stress! The two weeks before i got the lesion, i went through a torturous process of having to reapply for my job... Still waiting to hear back by the way!

I will start using the H&S, but there is no way i will be trying the sunbeds! I would rather have a spotty torso than look like some kind of p00fy lothario!

God help the world if i have to turn into a sunbed junkie and then get skin cancer!

17

I wonder if thats what I have, see link to post http://experience.patient.co.uk/discussion.php?t=36928

18

I've just been diagnosed with PR, which started with a herald patch on my hip and the rash has now spread over my back, neck and stomach. Good to hear that it generally seems not to affect the face.

I did notice a couple of weeks ago for a few days I kept feeling an itching, tingling, almost stinging sensation across my back from time to time. Along with a couple of dizzy spells, I also seemed to be sleeping a lot more, several days of almost 12 hours uninterrupted sleep, which I just put down to the effects of working hard. Since the rash has appeared I feel fine in myself.

Thanks to all the posters tips on here. I'm going to try using H&S and having a few sunbeds. I've also started taking Ecchinacia to help boost my immune system.

19

I've not been diagnosed with PR by a doctor, but having read this and several other sites am convinced it's what I have. It's a big relief to know I'm not alone!

I am normally very healthy. I rarely get ill and have no history of skin complaints, so it really caught me by surprise.

Here are my life events which I think may have triggered it:

The herald patch appeared about 2 weeks after I'd taken on a new work contract with long, unpredictable hours. It certainly increased my stress levels!

This was also about 6 weeks after I'd run a marathon, which had evidently taken its toll on my body as I'd come down with a 'flu shortly afterwards that lasted about 3 weeks - the longest I can ever remember being ill.

So it appears the combination of stress on top of an already over-worked (normally very efficient) immune system has led to the PR.

At first I thought it was a reaction to starting a new contraceptive pill. But then I realised the herald patch appeared about the same time I started taking it - surely the hormonal changes couldn't have taken effect instantly?

20

I've had it twice now and the other thing that I can think that links the two events is overwork.

Certainly no hormonal thing in my case but I definitely had a sore throat and a bad flu spell a week before I got the herald patch.

I'm definitely one that doesn't suffer whilst the spots are apparent, so my sympathies go to those that suffer, and I'm able to cover them all up with clothes (at the moment) so its not been something to be self conscious about.

So does it seem the link is being run-down and a bit stressed out.

It does say that re-occurance is a rarity though, so that doesn't really fit.