Fibromyalgia and Rashes

I’ve had a lot of people ask about the rashes I sometimes reference on this site.  I’m including an old picture from when said rash was pretty gruesome.

fibromyalgia rash
This is a view of my side, between hip and breast-level.

I never had skin trouble until everything else started going downhill with my body. For me, rashes are a nasty consequence of fibromyalgia. These pictures are from my first major rash several years ago. The one currently on my hip is much less evil, but definitely a nuisance. Clobex lotion is the only thing that makes the rashes disappear, but I hate using it. It makes my skin feel hot and thin and fragile, and it’s extremely expensive.

I’ve had the rashes biopsied twice, and the first biopsy showed a non-specific “reaction” (definitely one of those times when I wondered why I bothered to give over my flesh and money), and the other result came back “guttate psoriasis.” The psoriasis diagnosis sort of makes sense, except that sometimes my rashes appear at specific times—like within 12 hours if I take valium (so I obviously don’t take it anymore). But again, I never had anything like psoriasis before I started having other fibromyalgia symptoms, so for me, they’re inextricably linked.

8 Replies to “Fibromyalgia and Rashes”

  1. I just found your blog through one of the fibro blogger sites. I’ve had rashes like that as well. One of the most frustrating ones was along my arm on my best friend’s wedding day when I had to wear a sleeveless gown. It was miserable and also made me self conscious. Every time I try to narrow down what is causing them, it fails. I end up with yet something else causing another one.

    1. Shelah, I’m sorry to hear about your rashes. Have you tried using eco-friendly detergent and organic, unscented soap? That doesn’t work miracles for me, but the dye-free stuff is less irritating. Thanks for reading and commenting.

      1. Hi I was looking at the picture of your rash from last year and noting that it looked a lot like mine. My body reacts poorly to many environmental factors especially when my health in general is bad and my immune system is down. Turns out it may be caused by my memory foam pillows. Worth a mention at any rate.

        1. Lisa, Thank you for reading the blog and commenting. Memory foam pillows– wow! I have a memory foam mattress, but I was getting rashes way before I got the mattress. Unfortunately we live in a world filled with toxins. I’m glad you figured out your source of allergic reaction!

    1. A clean diet helped me a lot. Using organic and cruelty-free toiletries helped, too.

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