[dianaiad]

Revlimid rash or mosquito bites?

by dianaiad on Mon Aug 18, 2014 2:18 pm

Last week was my third week of Revlimid. I'm off this week. I'd gone to the beach during week one, and got a rash on my face and blisters on my lip that really swelled up and looked awful; put it down to sunburn, though I wasn't burned anywhere else (and being a redhead, I burn extremely easily; use SPF as-high-as-I-can-find).

That got better with lots of Carmex.

Last week I started getting bumps; they almost looked like bug bites, but I haven't seen a mosquito all summer, and don't have bed bugs. Little, hard, VERY itchy, bumps. However, they just popped up here and there, a great deal more like bug bites than a 'rash' sort of thing; on my fingers, arms and knees. Weird.

I thought, hmmm ... Stripped my room, looked to see what on earth could be biting me, clean bill of health. Found a daddy-long-legs trying to get in the bathroom window, but that's it.

Every day I'd have three or four more.

I began my 'off' week yesterday, and so did not take a Revlimid. No bumps yesterday. No bumps today.

So is this something I should tell my doc about, or should I just take a Claritin (which seems to be the standard treatment for Revlimid rash anyway) and forget about it? Frankly, though it's annoying, it's nowhere near the sort of all over and nasty rashes I've seen and heard about; just a bunch of itchy bumps.

[goldmine848]

Re: Revlimid rash or mosquito bites?

by goldmine848 on Mon Aug 18, 2014 3:18 pm

Pretty good question. Hard to know without comparative pictures, but I have had similar outbreaks while on Revlimid. The first time it was in the pelvic region and when it didn't go away I went to my family doc. He prescribed triamcinolone acetonide. After a few days it started to go away.

The last time I got got I happened to read the Revlimid warnings which say contact your doctor for any rash. I did that and the message was to use the cream since it worked before.

[NStewart]

Re: Revlimid rash or mosquito bites?

by NStewart on Fri Aug 22, 2014 3:59 pm

It almost sounds like you may have hives. When I have the combination of tomatoes and sun, I tend to break out in hives around the joints of my fingers, wrists, elbows, knees and ankles. It will be one or two incredibly itchy bumps in one or more places.

When it first happened my primary suggested taking Benadryl [diphenhydramine] and to use an over the counter anti-itch ointment. Both of those helped.

I would suggest that you let your doctor know about the itchy bumps. You very likely are having an allergic reaction to something. It could be the Revlimid, the dex, the sun ... anything.

I hope you find the cause and/or relief soon,
Nancy in Phila