Facial Rash & Lurgy

Every few weeks or so I get these things appear on my face. It's been happening for a while now but it seems to be getting more regular. However, last month I was sitting on the PC minding my own business when I leaned my hand to my face and it was....wet? It seemed there was a patch of open skin just infront of my ear and another patch on the cheek. And then THIS happened...

What a pretty picture I was!At least the healing 'scar' was in the shape of a heart :). To add to this I had a lot more hair loss in the bath than usual. As I don't know what's normal or not it's hard to know if this is strange.

I've had lots of nice peoples from the Health Unlocked forums offer suggestions, generally relating to Discoid Lupus, however I've emailed the pictures to my consultant to get his opinion. I've no idea when my next clinic appointment is as I have about three letters with the same postal date saying different appointment times. How confusing!

Christmas Attack

Recently I have been struggling and had another bad attack on Christmas day.

I hadn't taken my Raynauds medication by mistake and come the evening I ended up with pain in the left arm, zoning out, followed later by loss of mobility on the left side then facial droop, the 'usual'. Later the legs weren't working properly (again!) and I couldn't walk. Not the best Christmas evening ever. We had a Boxing Day meal with all the family and I just felt so ashamed and emarassed, once again carting myself about on crutches. On taking some extra Nifedipine the following evening as a test, I regained mobility in the legs, hooray. Coincidence perhaps but in the past it's helped with releasing the constriction in my neck and the voice loss. Vascular confusing? Hrm, who knows.

This week I've been unable to sleep at night due to the horrible 'pressurised' feeling I have all over my body. It's a pulsing, gurgling sensation that makes me feel very unwell - like I'm going to pop. I also have lots of pain in my lower back (right side) for which my GP has given me co-drydramol. Blood pressure was on the lower side of normal and I lowered Raynauds medication just in case it was that but it made no difference.

I'm very weak, extremely tired and often experiencing constant headaches/joint pain and nausea along with some very low moods. And I mean low moods, nothing like anything I've felt before. I spent two hours the other day crying so much my eyes were going to burst. I am more miserable than I've ever been and I look at myself and my shambles of a pathetic existence and..pfft. Well I'll probably be okay in a week or so and be back to 'normal'. The problem is, how can I go to a doctor and talk to them about this. Firstly I'm scared that they'll negate everything else thats going on and pile lables on me that aren't relevant. Secondly that they'll want to add more medication to the mix that will screw with my brain. I don't really understand how to explain that half the time I'm perfectly fine and the other half, desperately miserable. I don't want to be near people, I don't want to leave the house, but at the same time I'm very weak and in so much pain that I couldn't anyway. The point I knew that things were wrong in my head though was when I had to phone Three to cancel my contract. I got so anxious about making the call that I had a bout of IBS. Not good.

Anyway.

Lurgy

Everyone got it. I've not had a cold in like, 2 years? I thought, pfft, I'm immune! The local population has no conception of hygiene, literally none. The people spit on the floor, cough directly in your face and I doubt they bother washing their hands more than once a week. My number was up and it started. Week one was fine, usual cold stuff and a throat infection with weird horrible blisters in the back of my throat. It hurt but I took painkillers and got on with it. Sorry for the grim picture! Normal or not, hmm.. All I know is they were ouchie.

Eventually, I was fine enough to go get a bit of shopping but by the time I got home, my god I felt rubbish! Fever, chills, shaking.. the flu'ish drill. No fun at all. So I was stuck in bed for quite a while. It seemed to last a long time.

I think that's all updated for now!