Symptoms

[michaelki]

Hello I wanted to get some advice and thoughts on my condition. I am 27 year old male about 170 lb. About two and a half weeks ago I went to a walkin clinic for a rash on my forearm. They looked at it and said it was ringworm. I also have been dealing with a dull, crampy stomach ache. They didnt think much of it and prescribed me ketoconazole cream for the ringworm. The rash is not itchy at all. I have been taking it twice daily for two weeks as advised. However after two weeks the marking barely looks any lighter and is still noticable, is it possible it is not ringworm? I dont know how I could have gotten ringworm...I dont have any pets or wrestle, both off which the doctor asked me about. There is only one mark and i havent had any more appear anywhere to this day. I called the walkin and they said to keep using the cream for another week or two and if still not better then see my regular doctor. As i was in the beginning stages of using the cream I did see my regular doctor for the stomach discomfort which was believed to be acid reflux. I was given a 10 day prescription and am almost done with it but the discomfort is still present with the same intensity..a mild sensation..i dont think it is acid reflux. My bowels have been normal for the most part and i dont feel like im going to vomit. The discomfort is constant but i have been noticing it being worse after any meal. My appetite has not been normal and the feeling in my stomach is weird, just feels like something ive never had before. Could i have a wheat allergy? Would losing 10 or 15 lbs help my ache? What other symptoms are common with a wheat allergy? I do plan on seeing my regular doctor in a week or two since both prescriptions are not helping too much. Is there any parasite that woud cause one rash on the forearm and give me the stomach trouble? Thanks for the thoughts and advice, i appreciate any opinions.

[cristiana]

_{I'm not sure if what you have is wheat related.  However something that one of my children had was discoid eczema which looked pretty similar.   He was tested but was found not to have celiac disease.  I hope you find an answer soon.}

[nvsmom]

Some celiacs get dermatitis herpetiformis, which is a very itchy rash caused by gluten consumption. The area beside the rash can be biopsied for celiac disease, but I a, afraid I can't tell you much more about it. If you are concerned you have celiac disease, you should ask you doctor to be tested for it. Ask for the complete panel, and do not go gluten-free before testing or it could cause false negatives.

BTW, celiac disease is not an allergy but an autoimmune disease. It is a pretty separate part of the immune system from allergic reactions.

Best wishes. Hope you feel better soon, and welcome to the board.

[michaelki]

Thanks for the replies. The rash is not itchy so maybe it isn't Celiac. The pain has been mild and noticably a few inches above my belly button, I do not see or feel any bumps but the area does feel a little tender. My appetite has been weak but I still eat normally. Does that sound like a hernia? I have been trying to lose weight and exercise recently, would that help with the pain? Im 5'10 and weigh about 171 so maybe losing 10-15 lbs may help? I did have an xray of my stomach(without swallowing anything) so the dr could look for any blockage. They told me the tests are normal..so would that rule out gallstones/kidney stones? What else could that rule out? I was only told things are normal from the xray and was given an acid reducer prescription which did not help. Is there anything i can do at home to help? Thanks for the replies, i did ask quite a few questions

[cristiana]

I really think one good place to start is that full celiac panel test that nvsmom talks about.  So many of us have had odd symptoms, difficult to pin down sort of stuff, and the positive celiac test helped put the pieces together and then everything starts to make sense.   I'm not a medically trained person but I do have a hernia (umbilical) which I can actually feel,and yes, when I eat too much and put on weight (around Christmas!) it hurts!   I'm pretty sure that you would be able to feel a lump but anyone out there who can say for sure perhaps they could chip in?  I would say do get that test done, if you can.

[124chicksinger]

I can speak to the ringworm.  My daughter recently had this on her thighs, and it is very resistant.  Google that and you see people's stories in getting rid of it.  The good news is a) it isn't life threatening and if one cream doesn't work, get a prescription for a different cream.

 

My daughter didn't respond to the keto prescription cream, nor a Lotrimine type cream that she tried first.  The rash was spreading and after about 7 weeks of no results, she got a prescription for clotrimazole betamethasone and the results were amazing. After 24 hours the rash was subsiding and was less and less visible every day - she used the cream however for 2 weeks to ensure the rash was dead.

 

When the keto cream wasn't working, she was advised to swab the affected areas 2x daily with alcohol before putting the cream on. Also, to not have contamination of the cream, she would squirt it onto a different finger each time she put it on (she had many spots).  We also thoroughly cleaned her bedding in hot water and high dryer heat.

 

We have a dog who is 14 who does not have nor seem to carry ringworm.  Getting it from pets, as our vet stated, usually occurs with kittens.  It is the spores that affect your skin, and they can be anywhere.  I read that someone bought some toys at a garage sale and the entire family came down with ringworm--and the toys apparently were the culprit.   My daughter works with children and could have picked up the spores there, but quite honestly, she went for a bikini wax and thereafter got the rash.  We're not sure 1 and 1 makes 2 on that theory, but it was the only thing she did differently.

 

If the rash doesn't subside, ask for the prescription clotrimazole betamethasone cream.  Whatever you do, DO NOT take the oral pills for ringworm; they are dangerous and unnecessary, like drinking poison to heal a scratch.

 

As to the losing weight to relieve your belly ache, one likely has nothing to do with the other.  Losing weight won't cure a belly ache, I don't think.  Why you zeroed in on wheat for the allergy and/or the ringworm, I don't know nor can i speak to that, but I would guess you've been losing weight successfully, and now something is not agreeing with you.  Once when I was on a diet and was restricting dairy, the moment I had an ice cream I got stomach distress and hit the bathroom hard.  That wasn't a coincidence.   I'm not stating that what your eating and the subsequent stomach ache is a coincidence, but perhaps keep a food diary and log what you eat and if there are any ramifications.

 

Good luck getting rid of the rash, you eventually will, and take note of what you ingest for the next few weeks and see if you find a connection, cause/effect.