Rashes Post Transplant with Hep C

Okay, so I haven't talked about this one. It is kinda gross and worries us a lot: Mike is the President of the RASHES R US club these days.

For the past 6 months they pop up everywhere, but recently they are kind of gross:

There is something on his scalp, red scale patches, that are not itchy but sometimes flake. His hair grows fine, thank goodness, but the patches are creeping from the crown (like under a baseball cap) down onto his forehead. The dermo has prescribed Clobestasol Propionate Solution for months with little effect.

There are different spots on his arms, trunk, and legs...mostly the arms that are not itchy. They gave him a cream I can't recall the name. They biopsied and we got no specific NAME of a condition, just dermatitis...which means nothing.

Now he has a horrible red rash on his groin and testes. They have him make a paste of two creams: Triamcinolone Acetonide and Econazole Nitrate Cream 1%.

This last med one seems to be working as the hot red horrible flush that is solid, not patches, seems to have faded from bright and slightly raised to flat and almost skin color. He hates to wear jeans or anything but soft sweat shorts. And I can't blame him. It was a hot mess.

I have heard that some of the treatments have dermo side effects and if he were on a treatment, like retching (which has resolved), would have been reported as a side effect of the med, not just a Mike anomaly.

Anyone out there with difficult to deal with fungus type things while on antirejection meds? That is my theory of the moment, but why after 2.5 years and not from the beginning.

The guy only wants to wear long sleeve shirts now and says he is going to stop going out if it gets bad on his face. Poor Mike.

Hugs,

WD

Nope. No trial meds. Just the usual.

Carol

Mama Lama,

I too suffer from skin rashes! but mine started pre-transplant. I have a good supply of Econozole, clobetasol! and nystatin powder on hand.

Pre tx, I developed eczema on my shins, and had a fungal infection in my groin area several times.

Shortly after tx, I had a rash in the groin thigh crease area which the nystatin cleared. I was fine until last week, when I discovered my inner butt cheeks were red and raw I started with desitin to no avail but then used the Econozole which cleared it up.

I use a shampoo/body foam cleanser called Aloe Vista by Convatec. They used it on me at the hospital. it is very mild but good at cleaning all the nooks and crannies!

Susie

the miz: He is not allergic to the wipes, but we don't keep them around as I am! Thanks...glad to know others are having similar problems and we are getting the same meds...can't do better than standard of care.

Hugs,

TP clinic follow up this month and dermo next month. Hope they can figure it out soon.

As you know I'm not post TP but have had rash problems for a number of years especially during treatment or worsening of other symptoms. The worst was in my mouth and around my genitals during treatment(s). It's more painful that it is itchy. They kept treating me for fungal infections ... but it turned out to be lichen planus and lichen sclerosis. My mouth treatment is Oracort (there was a more expensive spray that the dermatologist recommended but my insurance didn't cover) and it works fine. Genital cream is Tropicort ... very effective. One GP years ago made up her own concoction that worked but I've long since lost the name of it.

@ Lostwife...Mike is trying the SelsunBlue and having mixed results...maybe it is too soon and he should continue a while longer. When we went to the store to buy it there were several types with different active ingredients...can you recall which you chose?

a. 3% Salicylic Acid
b. 1% Selenium Sulfide
c. and I think a third had only Menthol -- and they called it medicated...huh?

Thanks,

Carol

We went to post TP clinic today and I will separate my posts into two topics:

First, on the RASH thread, we discussed this RASH business with the Hepatologist, Resident, and TP Nurse Coordinator.

When Mike had his liver biopsy last summer, they found evidence of graft rejection and Hep C changes. They couldn't increase his prograf for some reason I can't recall at this moment, rather they increased his Cellcept from 250 mg to 500 mg twice a day.

Some literature suggests that Cellcept may have rashes as a side effect.

So they are switching Mike from Cellcept to Myfortic today with the hope that his various skin problems begin to resolve.

Evidently the active ingredients are similar but it works differently and skin problems are not seen as often.

I remain skeptical as the drug web site says some get mouth sores with this one and Mike had a terrible reaction to Rapamune with mouth sores and crazy labs that ended him in the hospital. I haven't said anything to him about that, and so he doesn't get any ideas....we shall see what we shall see.

Fortunately the rashes on scalp, trunk/arms, and scrotum (3 different looking ones) are not itchy or painful....they are mostly just RED and ugly.

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