First, minor skin rash on elbow and knee for years....didn't even know what it was..
Then starting on March 22, 2016 the arthritis kicks in ...years later....First in my index fingers then traveled to the hands, wrists and now up to my shoulders....all in 1 months time.
Now skin symptoms have blossomed and are different all over my body....possibly inverse in the groin, possibly plaque near my elbow and guttate on top of my arms, head and face...and now my thumb nails are showing pit marks...
I'm responding pretty well to 5mg of Prednisone every 12 hours....takes the edge off the arthritis and skin is 75% improved.....
The Dermatologist takes a biopsy from just above my elbow and the test results come back : "Your biopsy is consistent with Eczema"....WHAT !!!
I know what eczema is ....I had it as a child all over my fingers....tiny yellowish bubbles just under the skin, filled with fluid that used to itch like no tomorrow with skin cracking and dryness...
I don't know. I thought biopsies were pretty conclusive .... but maybe they aren't always. I had a big psoriasis flare up last year and frankly I found it even more confusing than PsA. As did the dermatologists. Most of my body is now clear, though I still have patches on my legs that the derm agrees are psoriasis. But I think there's a question mark over the rash on my feet .... or maybe not, to be honest I've given up worrying about it now that it is not so bad.
Can you get hold of a product called Balneum cream in the US? It contains urea and from a management point of view it's excellent, for me anyway. As long as I apply that daily to the residual patches they stay dull and itch-free, if I miss a day they turn livid red and itch again.
Psoriasis .... and eczema come to that, are horrible complaints. Especially when extensive. I hope the picture becomes clearer soon and that your flare calms down.
Thanks for the input.....what makes me even more skeptical about the biopsy is that 99.9% of the time my shin doesn'titch. Only the inverse is uncomfortable (like sandpaper) because of the skin folds.....All I know is that the arthritis started very soon after the skin symptoms began manifesting in multiple places.....
Call it what you want......so I'll be the first case of Eczematic Arthritis....whatever .....
Hopefully on Wednesday we'll get this whole thing under control.....WITHOUT PREDNISONE !!!....please God......I can't take the side effects anymore.....I need to sleep....
So does the dermatologist think that the rest of your rash(es) are psoriasis? That's what I was assuming but maybe the biopsy has thrown it all into doubt .... which would be confusing! But surely there's no reason why you can't have a spot of eczema alongside psoriasis.
I think I've been through this list before when replying to you, apologies if so but I may have remembered another item or two! Last year all these things were considered: discoid lupus, skin cancer, fungal infection, impetigo, eczema, alopecia areata and psoriasis. I had a biopsy on the oddest area in case it was skin cancer and that came back as psoriasis. End result was mostly psoriasis with some fungal infection of feet. Itching-wise, appearance-wise, there seems to be massive variation from one individual to another and indeed on the same individual's body. I think for that reason a firm diagnosis tends to evolve over time for some of us puzzling people!
Is it your rheumy appointment this coming Wednesday? Fingers crossed for a really good appointment. Will you let us know what happens?