Anyone ever experienced rash prior to diagnosis?

Ag123
Ag123 Member Posts: 54 Member
edited October 2020 in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Hi everyone. 

 

It's been a while. I usually post here on behalf of my dad (usually to get support as a caregiver as he was diagnosed with stage IVB nasophangeal cancer back in 2017). His last scans as of a year ago were clear and he's been doing well. :) 

 

I am a bit concerned and curious about something though as he's experiencing rash (sometimes looks like hives, sometimes looks like mite bites, sometimes it's just systemic rash, and other times it's just his scalp being scaly and itchy) since August. We did not think it was concerning until he remember that prior to being diagnosed with cancer he experienced a rash also. :I Mind you he never thought the rash was related to the cancer so this went entirely undocumented. I didn't even know he had this prior to his cancer diagnosis. And even now, i can think of many rreasons why he had that also for example he had had fatty liver back in 2017 which is known to cause rash.... 

 

Anyway, because now he's been experiencing rash for a few months. I urged him to seek attention. We did some search and we came across "dermatomyositis" (very rare condition that is usually associated with various cancers.  It is thought that the body starts sensing something is off and fights it, hence stimulating an autoimmune type of condition which can results in rash. But the symptoms are usually distinct as they happn on the fingers and eyelids.. none of which he's experiencing). Dermantologist dismissed it as he didn't have those symptoms and did a biopsy.

Yesterday he called me to say it showed as urticaria. But just when I thought we could be releived though, he said urticaria CAN be associated with malignancy. He presscibed him steroid cream and scheduled follow up in a month. If it doesn't reside he'll have to look for internal disease. 

 

I hope this is just a coinsidience honestly. But I wanted to ask if anyone has ever experience this prior to diagnosis or before a recurrence?

Comments

  • wbcgaruss
    wbcgaruss Member Posts: 2,451 Member
    edited October 2020 #2
    I Have Not Experienced

    Anything like this prior to diagnosis or after but I have recently had a reaction to antibiotic drugs I was taking. Check any medications he is taking and make sure it is not a reaction to them. Keep in mind that you can be taking a drug for a long time and have a reaction to it. I was once taking a blood pressure medication for a year and a half till I had a reaction to it. I am praying this is something simple to deal with-Take Care-God Bless-Russ

  • Ag123
    Ag123 Member Posts: 54 Member
    edited October 2020 #3
    wbcgaruss said:

    I Have Not Experienced

    Anything like this prior to diagnosis or after but I have recently had a reaction to antibiotic drugs I was taking. Check any medications he is taking and make sure it is not a reaction to them. Keep in mind that you can be taking a drug for a long time and have a reaction to it. I was once taking a blood pressure medication for a year and a half till I had a reaction to it. I am praying this is something simple to deal with-Take Care-God Bless-Russ

    True

    I entirely agree that it's hard to know. He takes multiple meds plus vitamin C. Any allergy can happy from anything at any time lol. Yell

    What's also weird is that the rash occured right after started taking NAC supplement. He stopped it a week afterwards (multiple people complained on amazon that it caused insane hives. I've read studies on pubmed that itt causes histamine release .. a reaction which I know may be prolonged in some people especially prone to allergies). The rash didn't stop for months now though so i'm excluding it but it still could be related.

    We never know. I'm hoping a more common explaination is more likely than a rare occurence such as "cancer itch". We're praying for the same.

     

    Thanks!

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