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My wife over the years has had lower back problems and occasional neuropathy type symptoms in her legs and arms from time to time, but she's never had any major medical issues. Because she has a degenerative disk condition in her lower spine, she has been in pain management for about 4 years. During that time, she has been on Percocet for most of that time, 3-4 a day. I only mention all this, because I don't want to leave out any detail that could be important or a possible cause of what's going on with her. She also has PCOS, which apparently is pretty common, but the only thing they do to treat that is keep her on IUD birth control. Her medication list that she has been on for 4 years is Percocet, 800mg Motrin and Neurontin. For the past year, Prozac and Adderall have been added, and less than a year ago, she was also put on Zanaflex.
I don't know if any of this stuff is related, so I will explain all of it. About 2 years ago, she suddenly started having migraines so severe that they required her to be hospitalized for treatment. This lasted for a month or so, where she had them every few days. They went away with no further treatment just as suddenly as they started. About a month after they stopped, she started waking up every day with severe pain and swelling in her hands. Over the course of the day, it would get better, but first thing in the morning it was horrible.
Fast forward to November of last year. Her leg was itching one day, and she went to scratch it. Suddenly, a very large area of redness spread and engulfed most of her arms, legs, chest and back. It was so hot that it was giving off heat, and it would itch severely. Everywhere that she would scratch would welt up. She would take Benadryl, put aloe with lidocaine on it, and nothing would help. This would last for 1-2 hours, then vanish. Gradually, it has gotten to be something that happens every day, sometimes multiple times. We thought it was something in the house triggering a reaction, but nothing about our environment has changed for several years. We have no new bedding or furniture, we have always used dye free soaps and detergents, none of us wear cologne or perfume, she hasn't changed anything as far as makeup and stuff goes, everything is exactly as it has been for several years. The itching triggers at various times of the day, and diet seems to have no correlation with the outbreaks. The itching will start anywhere from her scalp to her foot to her leg to her shoulder, and within seconds of her scratching the itch, it's nearly a full body explosion of red, itching, burning skin. It's horrific to watch, and I feel helpless while she sits there frustrated and on the verge of tears over it.
More recently, in the past month, she has started having severe asthma attacks. It started out only happening first thing in the morning, then at night and in the morning, then randomly. They gave her a prescription for an inhaler and a nebulizer machine to use when the attacks happen, but it's exhausting mentally for both of us, and physically for her. For the itching, the doctors have tried various creams and pills that have done absolutely nothing. The only time she had any relief was when they put her on Prednisone for a week. The symptoms went nearly completely away during that time. But the first day she didn't have it anymore, she was right back to where she started.
This has gotten me worried to the point I stay sick with worry over it, because doctors are stumped, and I feel helpless. She's miserable and there doesn't seem to be an answer. All of her blood work has come back normal, no treatments have done anything but the Prednisone (which they can't keep you on), and it seems to be getting worse.
Does anyone here have any idea at all what could possibly be the cause of this? It also isn't just localized to our house, because she had it happen when she was driving my dad's truck one time, and it happened when she was in school one night. So it doesn't appear to be environmental, but we aren't 100% sure. I just want to know for her sake and my sanity what could possibly be causing this. There are no bites, no spots, no rash looking bumps or scales or anything, just bright red flaming hit and itching skin that swells if you scratch it. Followed by asthma attacks that seem to be getting progressively worse. We are desperate for any help in finding out what this is. So far our regular doctor and a Dermatologist are stumped.
I don't know if any of this stuff is related, so I will explain all of it. About 2 years ago, she suddenly started having migraines so severe that they required her to be hospitalized for treatment. This lasted for a month or so, where she had them every few days. They went away with no further treatment just as suddenly as they started. About a month after they stopped, she started waking up every day with severe pain and swelling in her hands. Over the course of the day, it would get better, but first thing in the morning it was horrible.
Fast forward to November of last year. Her leg was itching one day, and she went to scratch it. Suddenly, a very large area of redness spread and engulfed most of her arms, legs, chest and back. It was so hot that it was giving off heat, and it would itch severely. Everywhere that she would scratch would welt up. She would take Benadryl, put aloe with lidocaine on it, and nothing would help. This would last for 1-2 hours, then vanish. Gradually, it has gotten to be something that happens every day, sometimes multiple times. We thought it was something in the house triggering a reaction, but nothing about our environment has changed for several years. We have no new bedding or furniture, we have always used dye free soaps and detergents, none of us wear cologne or perfume, she hasn't changed anything as far as makeup and stuff goes, everything is exactly as it has been for several years. The itching triggers at various times of the day, and diet seems to have no correlation with the outbreaks. The itching will start anywhere from her scalp to her foot to her leg to her shoulder, and within seconds of her scratching the itch, it's nearly a full body explosion of red, itching, burning skin. It's horrific to watch, and I feel helpless while she sits there frustrated and on the verge of tears over it.
More recently, in the past month, she has started having severe asthma attacks. It started out only happening first thing in the morning, then at night and in the morning, then randomly. They gave her a prescription for an inhaler and a nebulizer machine to use when the attacks happen, but it's exhausting mentally for both of us, and physically for her. For the itching, the doctors have tried various creams and pills that have done absolutely nothing. The only time she had any relief was when they put her on Prednisone for a week. The symptoms went nearly completely away during that time. But the first day she didn't have it anymore, she was right back to where she started.
This has gotten me worried to the point I stay sick with worry over it, because doctors are stumped, and I feel helpless. She's miserable and there doesn't seem to be an answer. All of her blood work has come back normal, no treatments have done anything but the Prednisone (which they can't keep you on), and it seems to be getting worse.
Does anyone here have any idea at all what could possibly be the cause of this? It also isn't just localized to our house, because she had it happen when she was driving my dad's truck one time, and it happened when she was in school one night. So it doesn't appear to be environmental, but we aren't 100% sure. I just want to know for her sake and my sanity what could possibly be causing this. There are no bites, no spots, no rash looking bumps or scales or anything, just bright red flaming hit and itching skin that swells if you scratch it. Followed by asthma attacks that seem to be getting progressively worse. We are desperate for any help in finding out what this is. So far our regular doctor and a Dermatologist are stumped.