His conclusion:
He believes there is no way I am actually allergic to 18 different chemicals. He thinks that since my skin is so inflamed it wouldn't have mattered what we had put on it anything would have caused a reaction. His question was why I hadn't reacted to all of the test patches that were put on.
My skin was so inflamed and out of control that he put me on another round of prednisone and some stronger antibiotics that are supposed to fight infections related to eczema.
Along with this, he did a prick skin test on my arms. (Which I have had done several times before) although this one included wheat and dairy. Which both came up negative.
The positives were dust mites, grass, pollen, cats, and dogs. All of these I have previously tested positive for allergies. Dust mites proves to be the most severe.
The questions I did not get answers for:
If my skin doesn't test positive to gluten or dairy should I still be staying away from it?
If I continue to go on prednisone throughout the year when I have a flare will my eczema get worse every time? (I have heard this but I'm not sure if its true)
Is there a possibility that where I live, my condo, could be worsening this problem? Mold possibly? It's very damp all the time. I have been there a year and have never had eczema so bad in my life. To add to that we are considering moving soon.
He would also like me to be on fluconase for the next year. It's a steroid inhalant as far as I know. I don't want to be on steroids for the rest of my life! Is this supposed to be the end solution for this?
Another question..he said that the allergy shots may not even help me with the dust mites, pollen etc. I was told before it would make a huge impact. Has anyone seen great results from allergy shots with these allergies?
Needless to say I still don't have all the answers, and I have not yet found an allergist who can explain to me what is going on or what my future outcome looks like.
This is a pic of where I was at last week..now that has completely healed and I am eczema free. Thank you steroids...I think.
Oh my gosh..... your doctor is incredibly wrong about how you couldn't be allergic to multiple chemicals. I'm allergic to several chemicals - check the "My story" page on my blog. There are doctors who can test you ACCURATELY for your possible chemical allergies. Doctors tried to put me on Prednisone in the beginning and I didn't like how it made me feel. There aren't many doctors who specialize in patch testing (Dr. Scheman in Northbrook, IL does)because it's expensive to keep all of the allergens on hand, but there are at least a handful who can do this testing. I was actually allergic to a lot of the medicine/ointments that were originally prescribed to me. My skin is only about 98% clear, but it's a VAST improvement from my staph infections. Dr. Scheman changed my life. The steroids are only a temporary fix and steroid ointments thin your skin.... not to mention the whole Topical Steroid Withdrawal issue that some doctors don't like to recognize. I may have to avoid a lot of things now, but in my preference, I don't like the harsh drugs.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for responding!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your familiar with the T.R.U.E patch test. Is this considered an accurate test? Because that is what I had done and I wore it for 4 days. My dermatologist did the test but both allergist don't believe I can have that many allergies. So frustrating! If I lived closer I would most definitely see your doctor. Unfortunately I live in Seattle so that's kind of a trek but who know at this rate I might need to. I have looked at your story and we have some of the same allergies. Nickel, and I'm also allergic to ointments that control the itch. I hate the harsh drugs but when it gets so bad I don't know how else to get back to normal, but it's brief and usually comes right back. I'm so happy for you that your almost 100%!! I hope I get to that point one day. I feel like I have so much more to learn..it would be nice to have a doctor to guide me! Thanks so much for your comments and your posts..really helps;)