[Harper]

Hi, all. I'm new here. My SCI is at C-4-5-6, incomplete, from a water skiing accident in 1969.
I'm able to walk short distances, use a manual chair at home, a scooter when out.
Falling is a real hazard I must avoid because of the setbacks I've encountered.
Am age 50 now, must really watch myself in pacing my activities, my resistance to illness drops
greatly when I'm stressed or fatigued and it's a constantly shifting challenge to find a balance.

My questions today are about skin conditions appearing above the injury level
as a symptom of illness, stress or overuse. I haven't found any specific information about this, though haven't searched hard yet. Thought I'd ask first.

In the past several years I've noticed that prior to catching cold or flu, I first get a rash on my chest and neck in the days prior to actually getting sick. The line of demarcation of the rash follows the
same line of where my sensation changes, the rash is above the line, where my sensation is normal.

This week I developed a new variation on that, I did some swimming in an unheated pool
( I live in Florida, so it's not freezing, but definitely very cool water) on two consecutive days,
woke in the second night with tremendous itching sensation in my hands, inner arms, neck, shoulders, scalp, wherever I still have normal sensation and now it seems I have developed dermographia, welts arise where ever I touch my skin. I'm itching like crazy,
keeping it under control with antihistamines until I can see my doctor tomorrow. The scary thing is that my throat was starting to close up at the worst moments, I was worried about anaphylactic shock and got an epi-pen for emergency use from an asthmatic friend.
I feel certain that the cold water and exercise triggered this response, and that it is
related to my spinal cord issues. Just wondered if anyone else out there could
enlighten me more about this type of skin problem.
I am subject to episodes of AD, and the rash patterns on my chest are in the same locations.

Sorry if this topic has been discussed previously, didn't find it here on a quick search.
I'm new, this is my first post, be gentle please in your answers.
I realize it was dumb to be in cold water for any length of time.

[Apparelyzed]

Hi,

The throat closing up sounds as though this is more of an allergic issue than an SCI issue.

I'm not sure how you would go about it, but could you get the water in the pool tested?

You could also ask what chemicals they put in the pool, and at what strength.

Simon.

[Harper]

Apparelyzed, on Nov 12 2006, 01:00 PM, said:

Hi,

The throat closing up sounds as though this is more of an allergic issue than an SCI issue.

I'm not sure how you would go about it, but could you get the water in the pool tested?

You could also ask what chemicals they put in the pool, and at what strength.

Simon.

Thanks, Simon.
I forgot to mention that in the past several years I have had some swallowing problems when I become overfatigued, or if I'm eating too quickly.
I agree that the welts/hives symptoms I described above sound like allergic reactions,
that is indeed what they are, but from my reading those reactions can be triggered by things like
extreme temperature and exercise.
I'm thinking that for someone with incomplete SCI possibly there can a parasympathetic or autonomic reaction like in AD that manifests as a skin reaction versus a fullblown shutdown of the vascular system resulting in blood pressure increaase, etc.

The pool's water is balanced, with the lowest possible chlorine/chemical amounts used,
it's a private home pool where I swim regularly except I've been off schedule for a number of
weeks, pushed myself too hard this week after my sabbatical...I'm a slow learner,
forget where the parameters are.
I think it was the temperature combined with the amount of exercise that was the trigger.

What I'm really asking here is whether other SCI folks have had any similar episodes
where they see a flushed rash on chest or neck prior to illness or as a response manifesting on the skin to stimulus below the level of injury which doesn't progress to full level of AD, but
is sort of a low-grade sign of it or something related to it?

[scooterlady]

Hi. I am fairly new here and I realize this post is quite old, but I wanted to see if anyone else has had this problem and found any relation to SCI injury vs allergy. I am C6,7, T7,8, L2 complete. I have been breaking out in welts/hives since 19 days. They started behind my ears, in my head, my neck, shoulders, arms, basically every where I have at least partial sensation. After 5 days of steroids, I continued to have the rash only it now appeared below injury level as well. It appears in all different shapes and sizes. It is sometimes just a red rash, or a red rash with tiny bumps, or it appears "blister like" or as a mosquito bite, as welts that actually are better described as "raised scratch marks" but haven't been scratching. Some itch, some don't, but the ones that do drive me crazy. I take an antihistamine and a prescription ointment, but tonight that isn't helping completely. I had just finished an antibiotic for UTI, but one I had taken before (I've had 10 infections in 12 months). I had also started a new pain medication 2 weeks before but was only taken 1-2 a day if any. I was retested for UTI and found I still had an infection (all these were confirmed urine cultures) and was prescribed a new antibiotic the same day I was prescribed a new pain medication. I usually do not take pain medication, but my pain management physician was booked for 6 weeks so I was given medication to help until I can have radio frequency again. It looks like I'm going to have to go to a dermatologist or get allergy testing done. Does anyone have any insight into this and if I do go to both specialists, any recommendations which I should go to first? I have also been fatigued and feel muscle weakness, all probably due to lack of sleep or to interrupted sleep from AD and itching. Sorry for the length.

[Trinity]

If what you are experiencing is a low level of AD whatever you do DON'T use the epi-pen as this will push your blood pressure up to horrific levels, remember it can be very dangerous to use medication not prescribed for you especially not consulting a dr, the best thing to do if you are concerned you are having an allergic reaction is ring for an ambulance as they will be able to far better monitor you and your symptoms.

[wmnwheels]

sounds like shingles brought out by stress
as soon as you feel itchy take 5 days an anti viral (need to ask your doc) to potentially avoid the bumps.
if it is mostly monolateral.. it fits the description.
remedy = stay calm. life will happen if you stress over it or not.

[pinkcloud]

Hi

me skin has really changed, dry feet and hands and elbows, nerve damage, i've seeen it in bad cases in carpal tunnel, its a nerve thing i was told by doctors.

I get rashes too, blotches, i think that may be medication.

I hope these symptoms fade

[Simba]

I agree with others more likely to be based on allergic/immune response.

AD is also a possibly as this can manifest with a rash around neck area and obviously changes in temperature can trigger such a response. My husband gets these type of rashes also when he is becoming ill as part of AD and has throat constrictions and increased difficulty with swallowing having an already impaired gag reflex. Perhaps this is also the same for you.

Being SCI will make you more prone to immunological issues if antihistamines are working in preventing it it is more likely to be an allergic reaction.

Try to keep monitoring when it happens and what the triggers are and document it when able to to keep a record for yourself to discuss with your specialist and/or doctor.