EM Outbreak in China? pictures of my flare

General
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Hi all,

I was doing some research on EM and I found this article about an EM “outbreak” in different cities in China.

I’m not sure how legitimate this is and it’s a few years ago… They also mentioned that this is a rare condition in the Western world. If so maybe it’s pretty popular there and maybe they have something for it, hopefully.
And they talked about a big change in weather temperature cause the outbreak, someone keeps a record of all the outbreaks. It’s true for me, I got this when I was visiting Minnesota from California. And now that Cal got colder since the last heat wave, my EM came back.

I was hoping to see if there is any herb/eastern meds that could help.

I started to get itchy toes 8 months ago for a few days, then 1 month ago for a couple days.

Then 10 days ago I started having it again and this time it’s a lot worse and seems like it’s not going away anytime soon.

I wonder if any has the same symptoms, progression as me? I had shingles when I was 13 on my right thigh, it was mild, just many blister looking spots. I also have PCOS for more than 10 years so my hormones is not normal. I don’t have diabetic yet. I’m at a healthy weight and I try to work out. Have any of you heard about a link there?

Day 1 - itchy, red, swollen toes
Day 2,3 - very itchy, only cold water submersion helps
Day 4 - tingling, pin and needle-ish feeling. itching calms down, feel super hot and sweaty in socks and shoes but doesn’t actually sweat that much
Day 5 - Back to itchy and I took 300mg of Aspirin, it helps
Day 6 - Mild tingling, very sensitive toes, feel tight and has a blister-like pain when touch
Day 7- Not much sensation other than swollen, raw, purple-ish toes and hurt like blister pain
Day 8 - very itchy and purple after yoga class, aspirin and water soaking helps. When I walk, it feels like I have blisters all over my toes and I’m stepping on them, it’s a very tight, sensitive and painful feeling.

I find that dropping 2-3 drops of peppermint oil in a small bucket have a very cooling feel on feet, they are still itchy but less. And after I take my feet out, the cooling feeling is still there, like a light fall breeze :slight_smile:

Here is a picture of my feet today. The toes are no longer red, they are purple now. Please excuse the white stuff on my nails, it’s calamine lotion. I hope someone has the same experience and can share their thoughts with me.

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i only get itchy before i get chilblains.

apparently blood rushes back from raynauds so fast… it will break capillaries and cause ulcers (chilblains)

that’s the only time i’ve felt the itch

sorry… i can’t relate more. those look very sore.

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My EM is primarily on my face and ears, so what’s happening on your feet, happens 2my face and ears, so I have a fan on my face most of the day and night. My skin itches before and during flare ups. I sympathize with you.

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Hello…mine started out in my toes and is now on my feet and ankles and half way up my shines. They get red and swollen and extreme heat as though I’m standing in a camp fire. I have tried, and continue trying, different oral meds and compound medicines. These compound medicines work for a while (2weeks) and then they stop working. I am now taking an over the counter lotion (recommended by my dermatologist) called Sarna and that has been taking the burn and swelling away but they are still red. I also suffer from 2 types of neuropathy. So when I get the neuropathy pain mixed in with EM, I just want to die.
I just recently had a bone marrow biopsy done and the results were good. I have no blood diease nor cancer. My EM is very unique cause most ppl that have EM have some type of blood disease. This EM has realky hindered my life. All I can do is lay down with a fan blowing on my feet all day and night. It is snowing now were I live in Montana so I can’t wear my flip flops.
I hope my story helps you.
Sincerely
Christina

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My toes look exactly like yours… occurs in the evening. Look at the EM Facebook group.
You are not Alone.

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Papermoon,
So sorry for your suffering it’s terrible to feel so miserable and no one seems to understand. That’s why this group is so important I’m pretty new to it myself and it’s helped to beable to talk with others in the same situation. I have Raynaud’s but have not got a confirmed diagnosis for EM but seems I have all the same symptoms as everyone on this group. I go from freezing to burning over 100 times a day. If i become emotional my face ears and hands begin to burn so bad. The other day i was having lunch in our break room and it was warm in there all of a sudden i could feel my ears begin to burn the other girls were like your ears look like there on fire. My hands and face are the worst but i also get it on my feet and arms and chest it started all of a sudden and then over the last year and half seems to have just gotten worse, so i totally feel for you I hope after the holidays i will see a derm dr someone from this group refereed me to . My body it always fighting from to cold to way to hot it’s like my internal thermometer is busted. I hope you find some relief soon.

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I’m in Michigan and still wearing flip flops in the snow. It’s funny that late fall when I wore sandals or flip flops people would comment but no one comments now. I guess I went from weird to crazy and crazy scares people. I do keep a pair of snow boots in my car in case in case I ever get in a frostbite situation not that I think I would ever feel it since I have limited feeling when it comes to outside stimuli. If only I could say that about the inside stimuli.

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