UC /Crohn's rash?

Hi everyone,

i am experiencing  a terrible rash at the moment - started about 5 days ago, and it was mainly itching at the beginning, then it got worse and now red spots cover my whole arms, neck, hands and the sides of my back and the upper part of my legs, sometimes some yellow pus gets out of the spots, but the biggest problem - apart from looking awful and enjoying a flare at the same time i s the pain, my arms where the rash is concentrated are swollen and painful, every single movement is painful, stopped eating(almost) because i am afraid some of the stuff i eat can be irritating. My family doctor said 'crohn's/UC rash' prescribed prednisone 50 mg the first day and 20 mg for the next 10 days? isn't it too low a dose? has anyone had anything like that? I am thinking of increasing the dose myself, the only prednisone scheme that has worked for me has been 40-35-30-25-20-15-10-5-0 ,for a week each. would my doctor be offended if I ask her to increase the dose?

and one more question - i live in Cnada and will be missing days from work - i'll miss the pay too and I cannot afford it. do you know if you can get EI benefits for such a short period as a week? HR told me that they usually don't cover the first 2 weeks - it is unfair!  so I have to  be absent for more than 2 weeks to get covered? and to lose my job at all?

take care, everyone,

i hope the pain will go away....

 

 

sulfasalazine, 8x500mg

fish oil+evening primrose oil+flaxseed oil supplement

swiss formula probiotic

some multivitamin supplement but stopped it because thought was allergic to it

prednisone 50mg +20 mg for 10 days

valeriane

anti-allergy pills

 

 

For what period of time have you been using sulfasalazine? Has a skin culture or biopsy been performed?

Wow, that sounds terrible! I hope it gets better soon.

Have you changed anything (laundry detergent, soap, shampoo) that might be causing it? It might be good to think about that, too, just in case.

As for the dosing, I'd say it's different b/c you're treating a rash, not your colon. I know that for severe poison ivy they typically do a very short course of treatment. Because of the nasty side effects of pred, I'd try the dose she prescribed first.

I live in the US, so can't help with the pay question, but I know that for my short term disability, I have to cover the first two weeks as well, and I think it's a pretty common thing. I can use vacation or sick days for those two weeks so that I don't loose pay.

Thanks, everyone.

I have been taking the sulfa isnce I was first diagnosed in 2001- but have taken different brands, so who knows, it could be the brand as well...

i have been too embarrassed to ask if I am entitled to get paid for the sick days- i have been working at this company for 9 months. i could ask some of my co-workers, but feel strange. i don't know what the reaction would be.

take care, everyone.
i hope the pain will go away....


sulfasalazine, 8x500mg
fish oil+evening primrose oil+flaxseed oil supplement
swiss formula probiotic
some multivitamin supplement but stopped it because thought was allergic to it
prednisone 50mg +20 mg for 10 days
valeriane
anti-allergy pills