Weird Skin " Bites"

[JanW]

Went to my rheumy this morning after self-diagnosising with what I thought was hives, that seem to come and go very quickly. I first noticed something weird going on on my back about two weeks ago, when I woke up and had what felt like like mosquito or black fly bites -- maybe a dozen -- that i had already scratched and were scabbing. I immediately checked for bedbugs (current menace of the Northeast) but nothing, and my husband and kids don't have any bites. Only travel was to Richmond, a couple of weeks ago, where I was wearing a sundress and spent a lot of time in a backyard (including running into a large hedge). My bumps didn't appear immediately following that though.

Fast forward to last Friday and a few 'bites' come out on my arm, behind my ears and, a couple of days later, on my trunk. They itch, but really off and on. New ones appear, and then disappear, and reappear in other places. Other than the slight itches (not even as much as a mosquito bite), they aren't worrisome, but of course with the WG, went right away to have them checked out.

My doc says that they look like bug bites to him, and he did get me in with a top dermatologist tomorrow. He says that I should be comforted by the fact that they are not persistent, not really spreading and not terribly itchy. They are small, and because I'm black, don't really appear red. He specificially said it looked like neither a med allergy, and not a vasculitis type rash at all. If it scratch them, even a little bit, they generally scab like an insect bite, and the bumps don't occur in that place again.

Anyone have any ideas, or have anything like this happen to them? I should add that if not for the WG, this is not something I would have ever gone to my GP for, unless it had gotten much worse, or didn't go away after a few weeks. I should add that I used a new exfoliating skin scrub, maybe on the same day that more bumps came out (since stopped, obviously), but not before I got the bites on my back.

[elephant]

JanW this happened to me 10 years ago and then again twice in the last 6 months. Ten years ago I had probably around 20 something mosquito looking bites ( winter time) on my arms, legs, buttocks and trunk...they itched and that is when I had over 5 dermatologist look at me and had no clue what they were. Then I went to the kidney doc and that whole team ( 4 renal docs) looked at me...no clue just biopsied it and nothing came out of it. Then a couple years later same thing happened and the dermatologist biopsied it and said it was a bug bite. I don't believe that. I think it is the WG's, I did show my Rhuemy ( local) the raised light red spots and she said they don't look like typical WG rash. I am her only WG patient!
I think it could be from WG or infection....I am keeping an eye out.
JanW, your not having any shortness of breath? Other symptoms going on?

[JanW]

No, no other symptoms thank goodness. I have not had the heel pain of a week ago since I stopped wearing those shoes (and put heel pads in the other boots) and my ankle pain continues to lessen quite well -- no other foot pain or joint pain (my major signs).

My doc was very clear to point out that "I'd never rule out any kind of weirdness going on with wegener's" but he doesn't get why they go away and don't recur in the same spot. How long did yours take to go away -- already mine are less itchy now than they were on Friday, and I haven't gotten any new ones today.

[elephant]

Mine too would disapear and new ones popped up. It took about a two to four weeks for them to completely go away. Mine took a while to fade, but they would flatten and then fade away slowely. Mine itched for about 4- 7 days.

[JanW]

This is so interesting to me, elephant. Did you notice other WG symptoms appearing at the same time?

[elephant]

Ten years ago I had mild WG symtoms ( runny nose, tired, chest and abdominal pain, asthma type symtoms out in the cold only, a few fingers would get swollen for a few days) no one new what was wrong until 2008. In the last six months my sinuses were bothering me, so they increase the bactrim ds one tab every other day. It is a mystery, I have a feeling I will get this again. Did you take a picture of your "bites"?

[JanW]

No I didn't. I'll be curious to see what the dermatologist says, but I don't tend to rule out WG on anything -- particularly when I can't point to any other reason directly.

[eileenv]

Janw, I can't say i've had bites like your describing but was intrested when you said about what the dermatoligist said about nine months ago i had skin lesions on my legs my rheumy sent me to a dermi ans she said that it was doscoid excema but she would't biopsy them no i believe it was wegs because when rheumy increased my pred they went and she didn't have the benifet of my notes and at the last visit when thay were going she said i didn't know you were on pred. They have left scars where they were.

[dunkie2202]

Hey Jan, I've had small lumps like what you have. My Doctor thought it was chicken pox ( before I was dx with WG) but after dx, my Nephies told me they were the sore's some get with Wegener's. Since being on all the med's, they have all disappeared but have left little red marks. Some of them scabbed and went black. I'll be interested to hear wht your dermatologist say's.

[Sangye]

If it's Wegs, it makes sense that they would appear and disappear and also that they'd change locations. That's what a Wegs rash does! There are different types of Wegs rashes.

Something else to throw out there-- immune-compromised people get more bug bites. So you could be getting bit while no one around you is. Same with animals, BTW. Fleas and ticks feast on weaker animals. And here we are, just like nature documentaries....