Jun 18


I have had a very red, itchy rash in various parts of my body for a month and a half, supposedly caused by an allergic reaction. The rash is around my eyes (upper and lower eyelids, extending to the brow ridge), around my mouth, under my left armpit, on my inner thighs, and on my left ******. The rash is very red and has clearly defined borders. Sometimes the rash on my eyes is so swollen, I am unable to see and cannot drive to work. The rash around my mouth makes it so that when I open my mouth wide enough (to eat a sandwich or burger), the corners split open and bleed. I have been to 4 different allergists, and 2 different dermatologists, and nothing has been figured out other than that it is contact dermatitis. I have been on three rounds of prednisone, which eliminate the rash completely (but have very nasty side effects), have tried cortisone cream (did not work), and various other prescription-strength anti-itch cream (did not work). I have been on hydroxyzine, a prescription-strength antihistamine (did not work). I have eliminated all possible allergens that come into the contact with my body. I have stopped using deoderent, I switched to baby shampoo, I stopped using shaving cream, I switched to cetaphil (unsecented, hypoallergenic) body wash, and I have stopped using sunscreen. I stopped using fabric softener, I use ivory flakes laundry detergent, and have switched my bedding. I have even stayed at a different house for a week to see if the allergen was where I was living and the rash still got worse. I was blood-tested for various auto-immune diseases like lupus and the results came out negative. It seems like my doctors have all given up and want to put me on prednisone for the rest of my life to mask the symptoms but not try to figure out the problem.

Can someone offer some help? What should I do? I will pay you if you give me advice that turns out to be helpful / finds the cause. Also, please give me the names of very powerful antihistamines (perhaps experimental ones that need test subjects) or any kind of medication that is being used to treat rashes. I would prefer non-steroidal ones. I **** the side effects of prednisone and related medications.

Thank you.
I have tried benadryl – it does not work, but I am thinking it doesn’t work because of the permanence of the rash. The rash itself is very red and inflamed, and I would doubt that any single dose of anything would make it go away. I noticed that with the prednisone, the itchiness went away immediately, but the rash itself did not dry up and go away until after a few days. Also note that the rash oozes clear fluids and fills with pus occasionally, especially around the eyes.
Apparently the blood test was comprehensive and tested for syphilis, which came out negative. I have seeked professional help (which is strange because usually one would seek professional help AFTER yahoo answers), but my doctors have disappointed me. No progress has been made in terms of finding out what is causing the rash, and I am sick of wasting my time and money seeing doctors who just prescribe prednisone and tell me to wait it out. It has been a month and a half and the rash is NOT clearing up at all.