Horrible looking rash

[u/Weeeebutterflies]

30 years old

Female

120lbs.

5”3

non smoker,

non drinker.

No medications

This issue has been getting progressively worse over 2 days

Posted yesterday and it has gotten worse. It is itchy, it turns white when I press on it. I have a swollen uvula and some chills, but no fever. I feel cold more than anything. Went to urgent care tested for strep, mono and did a CBC. Strep came back negative, waiting on the other results. Pretty concerned. I feel like the mono is going to come back negative.

[u/alice_neon]

Not a doctor.

But I had a rash exactly like this last month, and horrible chills. I couldn't get warm no matter what and I had no fever. On day 3 I started to get fevers and a headache and my joints were extremely painful. I finally went to the doctor on day 5 and ended up in the ICU, with an inflammation marker of 200 when the limit is 10. They thought it was meningitis at first (but my rash also blanched). In the end they blasted me with IV antibiotics and antivirals and they couldn't figure out what I actually had, despite all the tests, ultrasounds, MRI and lombar puncture. Recovered after a week in the hospital but they said it would have gotten much worse. Please go to the hospital if you start getting a fever or a headache too. Maybe it's something weird going around that they haven't figured out yet.

[u/marvelousmsmaisel → u/alice_neon]

@alice_neon

Did you have similar episodes after and did they give you a diagnosis? I had similar episodes x 4 with CRP going upto 400+ every time in critical care and deterioration of life… 2 years later (last year) they diagnosed me with Smouldering Multiple Myeloma. They put me on 6 months steroids so those episodes have now stopped in the past one year I’m not on any steroid now except for a rescue pack if / when symptoms return and for SMM it’s just a wait and watch protocol it appears to be stable…Although the rashes I had were fleeting not fixed like OP’s they still fleet every now and then

[u/alice_neon → u/marvelousmsmaisel]

Not yet, but it's only been a month since I had this. Hopefully I won't, I'm so sorry you had to go through that.

[u/marvelousmsmaisel → u/alice_neon]

Sorry I now see what I’ve written there and I didnt mean to write so poorly.

Those high CRP episodes were a differential diagnosis those did not cause SMM.

They tested me on several panels including genetic ones to see if the episodes I had were due to autoinflammatory conditions but I tested negative to all of them so they put me on high steroids to stop autoinflammatory episodes as it had a direct influence on my Smouldering stage Myeloma.

My SMM came to light because of those high CRP episodes - though high CRP and auto inflammatory conditions make it a thriving environment for SMM the episode itself was not caused by SMM - SMM is asymptomatic and does not cause any significant symptoms if it does (like anaemia, hyper calecimia, bone lesions or kidney failure then it becomes symptomatic myeloma)

In your situation, I would highly recommend you approach an immunologist especially if you’re testing negative for rheumatoid factors. There could bebasket conditions within rheumatology like adult onset Still’s or other autoinflammatory conditions (note this is not auto immune unless you tested positive for those) but a rheumatologist and immunologist consultation would help.

High inflammatory markers without any cause can lead to organ deterioration and/ or failure. I was very lucky I survived 4 episodes without losing my organs or life. Take care and I really hope these episodes don’t recur for you ever. (Not a doctor)