One of the strange afflictions that's taken a hold of me since moving to New York City is a mysterious, incurable, unidentifiable skin rash. It's primarily confined itself to under one eye -- confounding dermatologist and ophthalmologist alike with its resilience and specificity. Beginning back in June, this ailment has caused incessant itching, redness, and swelling of the delicate under-eye area (not one easily dismissed by women of a certain age.)
In my ongoing quest to solve the problem, two weeks ago I visited a Chinese herbalist / acupuncturist. (This, after months of futile $50 copay doctor appointments and a full battery of contact allergy testing.) Frustrated by two rounds of failed acupuncture, said healer prescribed an alternative medicine chest full o' herbs late last week. Herbs, to drink. Stinky, witchy, weird-looking herbs. Much like my ailment: herbs that are unidentifiable, infinitely odd, and endlessly colorful.
I'm double-boiling them right now, fearing the moment of ingestion.
Man they stink.
In my ongoing quest to solve the problem, two weeks ago I visited a Chinese herbalist / acupuncturist. (This, after months of futile $50 copay doctor appointments and a full battery of contact allergy testing.) Frustrated by two rounds of failed acupuncture, said healer prescribed an alternative medicine chest full o' herbs late last week. Herbs, to drink. Stinky, witchy, weird-looking herbs. Much like my ailment: herbs that are unidentifiable, infinitely odd, and endlessly colorful.
I'm double-boiling them right now, fearing the moment of ingestion.
Man they stink.


13 Comments:
See, and people are always telling me not to blog about my rashes. But you're setting a new precedent! Cool!
hey, where's the RSS feed? I can't be reading web sites at their actual homes. That's soooo 2004!
Dare I suggest that the affliction may have coincided with the return of The Howling One?
Sorry.
ECG -- LOL. And yes, I will embrace that other three-letter acronym ASAP. You're so right -- I did it for the travel blog but never updated this one. I'm on it!
KMS -- This was actually a considered and dismissed cause, since said affliction began *before* her return and of course, our previous 12 years of coexistence posed no problem... It's such a mystery!
So I'm curious if you ever found out what causes the rash. I'm experiencing a rash under one eye on the west coast. It's possibly related to cheese?!
MY name is Chandra Lutz I found your oicture in the web during my own search of what I like to call, WTF is wrong with my eye. I have the same thing and it looks just like yours. please tell me what you find out. I thought it was the weather but it keeps going away and coming back.
Chandra lutz
lutz.chandra@gmail.com
I found out the cause of mine... it flairs up after I drink beer or eat foods high in yeast and sugar content. In short, it's a yeast allergy, and eating certain foods increases the overgrowth of fungi, making the allergy worse! To rid the problem, one must undergo a diet change for at least 3 weeks. You'll probably lose some weight and feel a lot better overall in the process... but sad not to have beer or bread! Check out "the Yeast Connection" for more info (skin problems around the eyes are definitely a symptom!)
Thats kinda crazy! An allergy to yeast? I have always drank beer, its my beverage of choice, and goes even better with pizza. I am just wondering if this was something that just kinda came on with no real warning, I have never had a problem in the past with it.
Crazy, guess I am going on a diet, Thanks :)
Ladies, this is all very interesting. I'm glad you found my blog posting. I actually underwent this whole week-long skin allergy testing -- and it only came back very slightly positive for a metal allergy, which usually is only triggered by metals being in direct and constant contact with the skin. Very strange. I've also been to two dermatologists and was prescribed a few different topical medications, all of which have nasty side effects (e.g. permanent thinning of the skin if used too frequently, linked to lymphoma, etc.)
Thus -- I am very anxious to get to the root of the problem! At the moment it comes and goes for me, but has been regularly around since JUNE. June!
Yeast allergy is an interesting possibility. I don't really eat much bread or drink beer -- but I do drink wine which I'm told (by my husband) has yeast as well.
I think I will go to a doctor for a food allergy test that includes yeast. The most interesting part is that it could be caused by something consumed internally rather than just something coming into contact with the skin...
Karen did you get an allergy test?
Update: I've been finding Burt's Bees Primrose Overnight Cream helpful in place of the prescription stuff -- doesn't clear it up entirely but it is soothing...
I have the EXACT same eye rash!!! I foudn your site by lookign on google images for a cure or reason. I have seen the dermatoligist and they told me it was eczema and gave me a cream. It seemed to help but I guess if you use this cream often it makes your skin think which it already is under my eye. I would rather just knwo what it is from and not do that. I can't put anythign on it includign burts bees or plain vitamin e cream as that makes it hurt still. It is the same exact rash!!! Even in that it ends RIGHT where th eeye skin ends. I itched it and it made it redder. This has been going on for well over a year for me and began when I was pregnant. I was using this makeup called Express Makeup by maybelline and this made it worse. If I go without makeup then it is almost gone butI cna tell it is still there and on day of makeup will make me look liek I have a bi red itchy black eye. Please contact me and let me know your progress. I will send you a photo too! Then you can see we have the same thing. Mine is one eye too and that is strange. You mgiht think it would be two eyes if it was something we were using, right?
Please updaet this blogs commetns if you can since you r post is so old I am wondering if this problem went away for you. My eye hurts so much! I keep itching it and the skin comes off. This is a nightmare. I fee like some sort of lepper from the old days.
I got a swelling just like that. The culpril was smoking: I just started smoking (age 30) cloves.
The smoke goes into the eye and boom... swelling.
I stopped smoking, it went away :)
I have the same exact rash in the same exact place! Some days are better than others. Moisturizers make it burn and puff up all red, but it never goes away. Left alone, it's dry and scaly. I've had it for months on end. It just popped up once in college and refused to go away. Did you find anything that worked?
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