forloveofbirds

(I know there is alot here to read, but please bear with me and read as much/all of what I have posted, as I am incredibly desperate for some answers/help.)

I have been suffering from a skin rash/itch that comes and goes randomly. When it does surface, it is only during extremely cold winters, and the condition typically stays until mid-spring (December - April, roughly). It doesn't bother me every winter – it seems to appear abruptly at random. In fact, prior to this winter (08-09), the last time this skin disorder surfaced was during the winter of 03-04, and prior to that was roughly winter 95-96. So as you can see, it shows up very randomly.


Quick details to take into consideration: I live in northern Ohio, where the winters can be maliciously cold and dry (-20 degrees, via windchill, somedays). My diet is a lot better now than it was during the other skin rash outbreaks, though not flawless (I am very certain that this condition is not related to a food allergy). I'm under stress now, but I wasn't during the last two winters when the rash broke out. I don't smoke, drink, do any drugs, nor do I have any food allergies that I'm aware of, and nor do I have any sort of disorders that require medication. I do not “sleep around,” and have no STDs. Also, I'm a 31-year-old male.


Now for the skin rash itself. It seems to only show up during winter, and once the stage is set, so to speak, by the cold weather, a number of things can set off this rash. If I suddenly get nervous or angry - as in, sudden changes in mood or in emotion - that will set it off (e.g. If I almost drop a glass object but catch it just in time, that sudden shock and surprise can trigger the rash, or if someone says something to me that I take offense to, that also can trigger my condition). Just getting really nervous can triiger the rash. If I try to exercise or do any sort of physical labor, that can set it off (e.g. Sometimes something as simple as picking up a heavy object and moving it 5 feet can trigger it). Moving from extreme cold into somewhere very warm will do it. Having hot air blow on me (from a heating vent, for example), can do it.


The itching itself only lasts for a good 3- 8 minutes, depending on how severe of a flare-up. The itching sensation is EXTREMELY painful, and burns SEVERELY – like hot pins or boiling water under the skin - and if I itch it the pain and burning increase dramatically. The itching starts of as a tingling sensation, which slowly builds up to the painful itch. Little red bumps (slightly bigger than the size of a period at the end of a sentence, roughly) begin to appear, mainly on my forearms, legs, and chest – the more intense the itch is, the greater the amount of bumps. Also, much of my skin will just turn bright red, mainly in spots where the skin is sensitive, like on my back and chest. The itching typically starts on either my hands/wrists, lower legs, or back, though usually spreads to my chest, forearms, and sometimes forehead. The bumps/rash will typically go away within 5-7 minutes if I don't itch my skin. If I do itch, my sensitive skin becomes very red in the places where I itched it, and the redness lasts roughly 15-20 minutes.


After a severe flare-up, I almost feel relieved, as if my skin has just successfully removed something from my body and can now “breath” or function correctly, if this makes sense. It is almost like my body is trying to sweat and can't - something is making it difficult for my body to relase toxins or sweat, thus creating the painful sensation. Just a theory. My skin is often times fine for awhile after this – sometimes for the rest of the day – though on some days I get multiple flare-ups. Perhaps there is a problem with my pores? I have no idea.


I take a multi-vitamin, vitamin B, E, D, & C, omega 3, calcium/zinc, and saw palmetto supplements. I take zyrtec (sp?) x1 pill daily, I drink lots of water, and I use unscented lotion all over my body the moment I step out of the shower. I also found that when I'm experiencing a flare-up, going somewhere cool or cold or rubbing cold water on my skin can help to calm it a bit. (Though I have been outside in the cold, all bundled up, and still experienced major flare-ups, so being inthe cold doesn't always equate no rash. again, maybe a problem with my pores and not being able to sweat properly?)


I've come to the conclusions that being exposed to bitter cold weather over a lengthy period of time, stress, and some unknown unbalance in my body are the culprits. On the other hand, I have gone through many winters where my skin was perfectly fine, and I have been very stressed at other times in my life and my skin didn't break out into this heat rash then. Other than winter time, there is nothing consistent enough to single it out to a single cause of this crippling rash, which makes identifying this horrible condition all that much more difficult. I DO have sensitive skin, as I have fair, pale skin overall, but there is something more at work here, and my condition is not merely a result of it just being too dry during the winter (unless the overly dryness is what's keepingme from sweating normally). (I also sometimes get eczema on my hands during cold bitter winters, but I believe that this has nothing to do with the skin condition detailed in this article.)


Lastly, I have seen a few dermatologists about this back in the 90s and back in '04. the first merely put me on benedryl (didn't help) and gave me some anti-itch ointment (didn't help). The '04 dermatolotogist (did I misspell that?) put me on claratin and Paxel. the claratin helped with my allegies, if nothing else. And to this day I am not sure if the Paxel helped, as I started using it in April - right when the weather began improving - and my skin was better by the end of the month. (She put me on the Paxel because she believed that my itch/rash was nerve-related.) I am currently seeing a naturalpath doctor for my skin, who believes my adrenals, somewhat low WB-cell count and liver (producing a bit too much belarubin) are the cause, and has placed me on some all-natural supplements. It has been 2 weeks and so far my skin still isn't any better.


I thank those of who stuck it out this long. I had to quit my job as a teacher because of my skin, and I'm seriously considering relocating to a much warmer climate, even though I dislike the constant hot weather. I haven't worked out since October. As you can see, this condition is very crippling, and I'm anxious to have it at least under control, if not cured. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.