United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

My daughter, Julia, is 3 now, and has OLBPI. About 8 to 9 months ago she began getting spots, mainly on her legs and feet, but also on her hands, back and one on the bottom of her foot. After a few weeks and the spots did not go away, and they were growing in size, we took her to the doctor who told us that she had bug bites and was just severly allergic to them. After four more weeks, we made another appointment (with a different doctor) and they treated her for several things, including ring worms. To the eye, it does appear like ring worms, but there is no puss, just raised red skin. After a month of treating her, and nothing working, they took blood, no signs of cancer, or anything else, so they sent us on to a childrens hospital ER. Luckily the nurse on duty had just transferred from Dermatology. Julia has Granuloma Annular. Most associate it with diabetics, which I have, but Julia does not. We made an appointment with the Dermatology Unit. Here is the KICKER, and the obvious reason I tell all of you this story: Children who have been injured can develop GA when the body continues to try to heal the injured part of the body and the part can not be healed, is already healed, or make take a lifetime to heal. The body over "works" itself and these "spots" appear on the body. They are not treatable, some may itch so a cream can be used, but they can stay on the body for up to 2 years. Others of you may have experienced this, some may in the future, if you have please contact me, I have a lot of questions that the doctor could not answer...like with BPI the child may never be healed and the body may always try to heal the nerves...so is it a possiblity that she will alway have these spots? Anyway, if any of you in the future experience these symptoms, please bring up GA, as many doctors are not familiar with it, and it could save you a lot of money and time....

How Brandi,
Now, I keep running into things that sound familiar.....but had no idea that they related to my daughters severe LOBPI. Jill is 20 (almost 21).

When she was much younger I also had to put salve on spots on her leg. I can't remember all the details....so long ago. What I remember is, she had bumps and irritations. Especially I remember at the back of her knee. The salve just didn't handle it. I found my own solution and had her put Ammens Medicated Posder on it. I don't remember the name of the salve the doctor prescribed. Never thought to go to a dermatologist.....Too many kids and not enough time then. CERTAINLY NEVER THOUGHT IT WAS bpi RELATED.

OOPS that is: Ammens Medicated Powder

Very interesting....After I had the Mod-Quad I developed red patches such as you discribe. Dr Shenaq and his associates couldn't figure out what it could be. They develped on my OBPI arm and shoulder only.

My 5 yr old daughter has the same thing. She mostly has a few on her bpi arm. She also has one or two on her torso, legs and one behind her ear.
We have been to dermatolgists and they just said it was excema and gave us some cream and sent us home. The cream never seems to work and frankly I kind of gave up treating them. I figured it had to do with our weather being dry. She used to have them really bad on her face when she was about 1 yrs old and they have been mistaken for ringworm several times.
Thanks for posting that! I would love some more info on it.
~Jessica
bri_jess@msn.com

just bumping it up

My father has a condition called Linear IGA. It is a skin disease that causes red itchy then blister like spots. He did not have this when he was young, but rather got it in his later 60s. Your post mentions GA, not sure if it is the same thing as Linear IGA. Sometimes stress aggervates it. Not too many people have this and his doctors said it is an autoimmune disease.

This is the skin post that a couple of people were looking for so bumping up to top.

i THINK THIS IS A SUBJECT TO TALK ABOUT. ABOUT A YEAR AGO MY SON HAD SURGERY AND I DEVELOPED WHAT I ALSO THOUGHT WAS RINGWORM. THE MEDICINE WOULD NOT HELP AND THE SORES DID NOT HURT THEY JUST APPEARED AND AS YOU DESCRIBED AND WOULD LEAVE MARKS OR TIMY SCARS AND WHEN HEALED NEW ONES WOULD POP UP IN THE SAME AREA IF NOT RIGHT NEXT TO THE HEALED ONE. IT TOOK FOREVER BUT I THINK IT IS FINALLY GOING AWAY.

Thanks for bumping this topic. We visited our ped today and it turns out that Makenna has hand, mouth, foot disease. I am so sorry for others we are suffering from something much more serious, as in the Granuloma Annular or Linear IgA. This was a great post Brandi, thanks for bringing it up.
Shannon