Our story begins a year ago. Warning if illnesses and this kind of talk make you gross out just stop now and look at some bunny rabbits and go back to what you were doing .
I had noticed I had some rashes on my arm on and on my lower back; some red blotches; they were not really uncomfortable and I would have hardly noticed the one on my back without seeing it in a mirror. I dilly dallied and did not see a doctor until sometime in September 2005.
I was wondering before seeing the general practitioner; what if I have something bad. What is going to happen next? I have never had a serious illness aside from a smashing my knee up, the occasional flu and chicken pox and the usual cuts and scrapes that are part of childhood.
So when I see the GP, he goes something like "looks like a fungal infection... here is prescription for some topical steroids to be applied as a cream." I joked about it with some friends later how I thought I had something more serious.
I get the prescription filled and sure enough the one rash on my arm goes away. The one on my back stays. It has been a year now; I cannot say if it has changed size but it is still there. I am not really aware of it aside from the slight itchy sometimes. But If there is something that can be done about it; well, let's get something done.
I have seen a GP twice now in the last 4 month about the rash; he could not say what the cause was and I recently saw him and asked to be referred to a dermatologist. Time to bring in the pros. I was very pleased to say that it only took a month to get into to see a dermatologist. I have experienced much longer waits to get my knee looked at (this is a story for another time; I still should apologize to my brother; it was an accident after all; he knows). I saw one doctor and she thought hmm and then the main bloke, I suppose the big Kahuna of dermatology, came and had a look and he mentioned some medical terms like lesions and this and that. I was asked if I had been abroad; I do go to South America last April/May to Argentina and about my family history for things like diabetes. The doctor did say how she thought it would be a 'fairly routine skin condition' from the letter from the GP; interesting point, you would think people would use digital photos more. A picture is worth a thousand words as the saying goes.
The rash does appear to be benign but it has an air of mystery about; more medical terms; I should have taken notes.
I got throughly checked out today; I had some photographs taken, skin scrapings collected, blood drawn and finally, I had a biopsy done.
I should know more in 4 weeks when I go back.
Ok, so this appear to be more than just a typical rash. I am intrigued; I know the doctors were. I have been watching the show House with Hugh Laurie and I felt like this was my personal taste of it. Watching House, showed me how amazing the human body is and how truly complicated things can be and all the kinds of things that can happen to us. How does it end? Ask me next month.
M