Newbie - Any advice appreciated please!

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I have just joined the group. Need some advice on several things but a bit of

background fiurst! - It was about 6 weeks ago I first noticed a couple of bumps

on the back of my calves that looked like insect bites.

Over the next few weeks there became more and more of them. I went to the doc

and because I have a cat she said it looked like I had had a reaction to flea

bites.

I wasn't convinced so I googled the sypmtoms and came to the conclusion I had

EN. I went back to see another doctor and he confirmed this. We don't know the

cause. About a week after I first got the lumps I had a sore throat which lasted

4 or 5 days but that's gone now. The doc said it can be caused by a sterp virus?

He didn't do any tests, just said take ibuprofen and it should subside on it's

own over time.

However I am wondering whether it is a drug reaction. I was on Minocycline for 4

months for Acne cea, it was working fine but I was worried about continuing

on antibiotics for so long so I was put on Oxytetrcycline as apparently it was

safer long term. Well within a few days of being on this my face broke out in

tons of little pimples under my skin so I stopped them immediately. Then about a

week later I got EN symptoms. Could it be a delayed reaction?

6 weeks on they show no sign of going. I have the lumps on both calves, last

week they broke out on the side of my thighs and a couple on each forearm. I

have a very painful area on one knee, both ankles are swollen and one foot!

One last thing - does alcohol make symtoms worse? Symtpoms seemd to go down on

Thursday and I was thinking great maybe it's on it's way out. However I was last

night and had several drinks and this morning, well, it was worse than ever! My

skin all over both calves was very red and tight and shiny looking, one lump

appears to have dry scab type skin on it and I could barely walk :-(

Anyway sorry to have waffled for ages. I had never heard of this weird condition

until I got it. The body is an odd thing! I am scared it will never go away!

Summer is coming and the thought of hiding my legs under trousers all summer is

depressing. They look so ugle and I'm sick of the pain!

Caroline xx