So, I've had this mysterious rash thing for the past eight months. Several medical professionals have been puzzled by it. Which is actually not surprising - there are tons of idiopathic (unknown cause) oddball rashes out there. Plus, I am a well known generator of totally weird medical oddities.
The initial theories revolved around a viral trigger. Then as the rash progressed from my arms to my legs over the next few months, hypotheses moved on to some sort of drug reaction - of which I was doubtful - but one never knows. However, the rash continued to claim new territory and it seemed to be totally unrelated to any sort of drug or virus
So, last month, my new spiffy GP and I agreed that it was time to visit Dr. Hemry, my allergy doctor and a totally great skin disease diagnostician. Well, today, I finally made it in to see Dr. Hemry. He took one look at my rash, asked a few basic questions and then stated that it certainly looked like Livedo reticularis. I responded with a "Huh?"
Dr. Hemry pulled out three dermatological reference books and we looked up Livedo reticularis (by the way, the pictures in skin disease reference books are the scariest things ever). Lo and behold my rash was a dead on match.
Anyhoo, Livedo r. is a vascular condition of uneven blood flow that results in a red or purple lattice-like pattern just under the skin. I have to say that I was very smug when I found out that the rash was a vascular condition. From day one, I thought the rash looked like a vascular thing as opposed to a skin condition. But I had a tough time getting traction with that theory.
Livetus r. is common among children but not so common at all at my age. When it does occur in adults, it is more common among women than men. There is no treatment for this rash. And it will probably continue to progress. Fortunately, it doesn't do the face. So, at this point it's not a giant deal - although shorts may be an issue. Livedo r. can be associated with a number of diseases so I need to do another round of blood tests. But it can also be idiopathic, and knowing me, that's probably what it is. But, it is yet another piece of the puzzle.
I just know that before I was born, when I was supposed to be standing in line to get my body, I was goofing off instead. So, I ended up with this body instead of the one I was originally supposed to receive...
8:04:53 PM 
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