Sorry for your husband, but I doubt you'll get better advice here than from a dermatologist. Go to a third one.
The quality of doctors does vary.
Has he been tested for Morgellon's?
Sounds allergic to me. I'm a doctor but not a dermatologist.
Has he been tested for lymes? I know that a combo of tea tree oil, mint tea and witch hazel helps rashes.I make mine using a spray bottle filled with a cup of mint tea, half a bottle of witch hazel and about 10- 15 drops of tea tree oil. Shake well before using. So does a sock filled with plain old oatmeal in the bath. Works on sunburn too. Good luck.
Does he take the steroids as a pill, or does he use a cream?
I'm led to understand the latter has much less effect on the kidneys.
BTW, what kind of steroid? Prednisone or similar?
I am not a doctor. I don't know where you live. But I have a rash sometimes on my arms and legs that seems to improve when I expose to 20 minutes or so of full sun each day. I guess a sun lamp or tanning bed with accomplish the same thing. This is just my experience and not medical advice. Prayer is always worth trying too.
I would drink Kombucha Tea.
I know this is serious and I can truly sympathize with your husband's distress, BUT based on the title you might as well expect this to be the Friday sillyness thread.
Steroids in Dosepaks are great for knocking down a rash but there are several downsides to their use and they can leave you open to a secondary bacterial or fungal infection. Topical steroids like Hydrocortosone 2% are ok but really designed for small areas where the rash is not bad. We have several species of fungi living on our skin, it's perfectly normal and our immune system usually keeps them in check. Steroids, however, are like cotton candy to them and in extreme cases can result in ringworm (which is not a worm at all). I would suggest he get some Phisohex 3% cleanser from his physician (it's prescription only) and wash the area twice a day when it pops up.
Do you live in/around Stinkadena?
Must....resist....urge....to....snark....
Jock itch?
Where's the rash - all over?
Go here and read for a few days: http://askwaltstollmd.com/index.html
Warning: The posters on the bulletin board are very liberal
From my understanding, skin problems stem from leaky gut syndrome and the first line of healing comes from learning how to do skilled relaxation. Read the article on the site about bracing. Read it all.
Thare things he can do right now, one of which is eliminate all dairy and wheat from his diet for a few weeks and see if that helps. He might want to also start taking some EFAs (essential fatty acids). The poster above who suggested the oatmeal baths has a good suggestion. Colloidal oatmeal which can be bought at the drug store is very soothing for skin. Get a packet and put it in a bath and have him soak in it before bedtime.
As someone who has had their share of skin issues for a very long time, I've found that dermatologists are useless, at least for my situation and probably your husband's. However, they are good at getting you a little more comfortable. Unfortunately, they don't have any cures and don't seem open to other avenues unless it's in a pill or lotion.
Since I've been reading Dr. Stoll's site and really working on relaxing and eliminating "bracing," something I found I've been doing in my sleep for decades, my situation is so much better there's just no comparison.
Sorry, couldn't resist. Have you checked a dermatologist?
From past experience, as someone who has struggled with a similar reaction out of the blue 2 years ago, I would also recommend besides doing every medical test known to man, also looking for an excellent Chinese Acupuncturist that was trained in China and that may additionally be an MD. I have found the right sort of holistic treatments have eliminated my need for much topical medication (which really didn't so much , but mitigate the itching and keep it from getting worse.)
For me the issues were not just environmental (air, food, products), but also holistic. I was very stressed emotionally when it began, but also chemically I was breathing in a lot of formaldehyde, which I later discovered I was allergic to. I do my best to not be exposed to the chemical, but when our bodies are healthy, they do not just start reacting to things in our environment. It is when there is something stressing it out and making it react. This is why I recommend a holistic treatment plan on top of regular medical treatment.
I also had to take the focus off what is the reaction coming from at some point--as all other allergy testing was coming back negative. I switched the focus on strengthening my body/mind/soul and especially my immune system overall. So it was better able to handle the stress in the environment, even when challenged with an allergy.
Spiritually, too I needed to realize that this may never go away and I found many Godly people through out history were challenged and even angry at times with God for these 'chronic daily challenges'. So I also used it as an opportunity to strengthen myself spiritually and not blame God, but see it as an opportunity to do daily spiritual discipline, even when part of me was blamed him and was angry for my suffering. I was reminded I don't go to God, because he is Santa Clause, bringing me only the happiest of gifts. I know corny, but it was true. I was pretty much, wondering why he was challenging me and not some jerk that deserved more of it :-). Like I am not jerk at times, myself.
Best of luck to you. I will pray for your husband. I know how frustrating and stressful this can be. I even became depressed for awhile. I couldn't stand this sort of long term pain and not being able to resolve it made me very angry and sad. It really got to me and I have experienced some very tough challenges in my life, so I thought it was silly to be reacting to something so minor. It is not minor it is a major change and upheaval. It effects someone daily, nightly and won't go away. But now I have gotten a much better handle on it and feel mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually stronger. I have had to make some life changes though. But I certainly was not going to become the girl in a bubble either, which for awhile there I almost had to be to stay away from getting worse.
Sorry for the long share, but maybe there is just one thing he can relate to. God knows there is a lot to choose from :-)
May he find a solution!! he is blessed to have your support. I bet he can be a little bit of a bear at times these days, with the frustration. If so, it sounds as though you are being understanding.
How about Benadryl,they use that for rashes at the hospital and it also makes the patients drowsy.
I had almost the same thing 3 years ago. Went to two different dermatologists and was given scripts for two different kinds of ointments. Nothing worked.
Finally went to my local MD and he said I probably had "stress eczema" and to try an OTC product called Skin Zinc. Worked like a charm. Has never reoccurred. I ordered the Skin Zinc off the internet. Get the spray bottle. Much easier to apply.
DH is something they might overlook:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/index.htm#10