Dealing with Erythema Nodosum

Kevin White5, you really hit the nail on the head with that explanation. I actually spent some time picking doctors' brains about this while I was out—I've always been pretty fascinated by the medical field—but most of them just gave me a shrug. It felt like they couldn't even pin down a solid diagnosis themselves.

Shout out to you, granitebadger25! You’ve managed to cover more ground in a few posts than I heard from specialists during three whole months... and don't worry, I have zero plans to move to India. I'm perfectly happy right here in NYC.👋

granitebadger25 really made my day today.
Thanks, granitebadger25!

Don't mention it. 🙂

By the way, moderator... are we actually having this conversation right now, or am I just imagining things? 😁

I’ve been dealing with this illness myself—it’s been two months now, and it just keeps coming back. During my first appointment, the doctor told me it would last three to four weeks. Then she said four to five, then five to six... and now that I’m hitting week seven, she’s claiming it’ll be seven to eight before it clears up. Honestly, I’m losing my mind. I’m stuck at home constantly because everything hurts—my muscles, tendons, joints, you name it. Initially, I was treated with a local corticosteroid (Beloderm), and after two weeks, I moved on to Medrol injections. Following those, I was put on Medrol tablets, which worked like a charm—the pain vanished instantly and all my symptoms cleared out; I felt like a new person. But the second I stop taking the Medrol, the whole mess comes right back. Now, my doctor won't even let me stay on the Medrol for much longer, and instead, she’s upped my dose of Sumameda due to inflammation and an CRP reading of 41. Everything hurts. Has anyone else gone through something similar?

Just a few thoughts from my side on this topic....

So, back in 2003, I started getting these annoying erythema patches on my forearms and shins, along with total stiffness and massive pain in my joints—mostly my hands and knees. It was honestly brutal. I couldn't even touch my thumb to my index finger without hurting, let alone grab a sheet of paper, brush my teeth, or just turn a joint. A total disaster.

I ended up being hospitalized and put on a heavy course of Medrol for four months. That actually helped clear things up; the intense stiffness went away and I gradually started feeling better.

Back then, they suspected sarcoidosis because they tested my ACE levels. To be fair, the level was right at the top end of the normal range, but it didn't actually cross over.
Right now, I’m not taking any meds, though there are days when the muscle and joint pain gets pretty gnarly, plus I get tired way faster than I should. They told me this is just what happens and I'll have to deal with it for the rest of my life. And man, I can definitely feel it when the weather changes. It's crazy.
My lungs were clear, so they figured it mostly "hit" my joints instead. 😕, liver is fine, eyes are fine.
And so, even though I still go for checkups at least once a year at the Mayo Clinic, I still don't have a definitive diagnosis. Everything is just "suspected," which is honestly kind of pathetic.

The worst part is probably that you look perfectly healthy, but when my muscles and joints are acting up, I feel like absolute crap... yet nobody notices. People just wave you off like, "Oh, why are you complaining? You're young, we all hurt sometimes." Or when I'm exhausted—it's not that "I need a nap" kind of tired where you sleep for twenty minutes and feel fine. It's like a coma. I can't even explain it.
I guess I just have to learn how to live with it. 🤷

placidcyclist said:My CRP is at 41. Everything hurts... anyone else dealt with this?

You probably mean the CRP level. Mine is constantly high, and my ESR never drops below 37. But hey, I guess I've been lucky so far since all my tests for lupus and arthritis have come back negative...

Dammit 😁, honestly, I’ve noticed my pain is actually super tied to stress. If I get worked up over something or even if I'm just too hyped about something, my joints and muscles start aching like crazy, plus there's that inevitable fatigue, obviously.

Hmm... I’m not entirely sure where this fits best, but here goes nothing...
It also looks like I have some Erythem on the outer side of my right shin. Now, is it typical for that area to feel warmer than the rest of my skin?
It isn't even bright red; it's more of a pinkish hue... circular... about 2cm in diameter... it doesn't itch or hurt at all... but it's just been sitting there on my leg for at least six months now.
For context, I suffer from allergies to grass, weeds, and tree pollen, so I take Aerius for that.
On top of that, I dealt with Shingles back in March, and now I'm facing acute bronchitis... I've had a constant low-grade fever hovering between 98.2 and 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit... clearly, my immune system is struggling right now... so, could this skin issue be linked to that weakened state?
Please, I would love to hear any experiences or advice you might have. I won't actually know what this is until my follow-up appointment with the dermatologist at the end of August, but right now I'm just trying to tackle this bronchitis and a potential lung infection (I'm currently on Augmentin).
Thank you all so much!

After spending two grueling years undergoing endless lung scans that yielded absolutely nothing, I finally decided to get my stool tested—and lo and behold, it turns out H. pylori was the culprit all along. The whole reason I even went looking for answers in the first place was because I was being plagued by constant, relentless heartburn. My doctor put me on a course of antibiotics, and within just two to three weeks, my Erythem nodosum had completely cleared up. So, if you're stuck struggling with Erythem and can't find any relief, why not take my experience to your own doctor and see if they'll consider the same path?

My kid dealt with erythema nodosum about four years ago. Back then, the doctors at the pediatrician's office didn't prescribe anything, so I just stuck to cabbage compresses at home and it cleared up. Well, wouldn't you know it, those red patches popped up again today, so we're headed to see the doctor. In the meantime, I applied more cabbage, and the spots aren't feeling hot anymore.