Thursday, May 20, 2004
Vasculitis....
Got another piece today to the ugly puzzle that is my health. Finally went to a dermatologist to inquire about a red rash I've had on my legs since March. It doesn't itch or hurt or have welts or anything, so I considered it low priority, but it recently began to spread, so I decided it was time to find out what it was.
Turns out that it is a very minor form of vasculitis. Ick. When you look at it up close, you can see that it isn't a continuous rash at all, but a series of small red dots. These dots are called petechia. They are places where I've actually hemmorhaged under the skin....the red color is blood. Ew. The dermatologist told me this is quite common in people with lymphedema, which I have in my feet. He even noted I had swelling in my right leg, which I hadn't noticed before. And it did feel weird when he pressed on it....more burning than pain though.
So it looks like the Sjogren's is indeed progressing. Luckily, this is nothing serious. The doc did tell me to come back right away if I developed any large red or purple patches as this would indicate inflammation of larger blood vessels, which could be a sign of a potentially serious problem.
The dermatologist gave me a topical steroid cream for the rash and told me to elevate my feet. He also suggested I wear knee-high support socks. Yep, the granny hose again! This is the part where I ran around the room with my hands over my ears, screaming "La lalalalalal!" No, I didn't do that. I just wanted to. I had been pretty faithful about wearing the dreaded granny hose until my foot surgery in November. After the surgery, I had to stay off my feet anyway, so I didn't need the hose, and the edema went completely away. It started up again in March, but I've been ignoring it. See what happens when you ignore things? You get icky little blood spots. Rats.
I guess I can add this to the list of things to consider about going on disability. If I were home more, I could elevate my feet more. Just a little piece of the puzzle.
Turns out that it is a very minor form of vasculitis. Ick. When you look at it up close, you can see that it isn't a continuous rash at all, but a series of small red dots. These dots are called petechia. They are places where I've actually hemmorhaged under the skin....the red color is blood. Ew. The dermatologist told me this is quite common in people with lymphedema, which I have in my feet. He even noted I had swelling in my right leg, which I hadn't noticed before. And it did feel weird when he pressed on it....more burning than pain though.
So it looks like the Sjogren's is indeed progressing. Luckily, this is nothing serious. The doc did tell me to come back right away if I developed any large red or purple patches as this would indicate inflammation of larger blood vessels, which could be a sign of a potentially serious problem.
The dermatologist gave me a topical steroid cream for the rash and told me to elevate my feet. He also suggested I wear knee-high support socks. Yep, the granny hose again! This is the part where I ran around the room with my hands over my ears, screaming "La lalalalalal!" No, I didn't do that. I just wanted to. I had been pretty faithful about wearing the dreaded granny hose until my foot surgery in November. After the surgery, I had to stay off my feet anyway, so I didn't need the hose, and the edema went completely away. It started up again in March, but I've been ignoring it. See what happens when you ignore things? You get icky little blood spots. Rats.
I guess I can add this to the list of things to consider about going on disability. If I were home more, I could elevate my feet more. Just a little piece of the puzzle.
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