anyone have a punch biopsy done - if so, what were the results?

[zenmorgie]

I just had a punch biopsy done last week due to a recent scabies scare (thought my daughter got it -several in her classroom did). It's hard to tell the M's bumps/lesions from other stuff and I did not want to take the dreaded toxic cream if we didn't have scabies. Since the derm could not tell just looking at my skin whether or not it was mite related she recommended a biopsy on one of the places I had a breakout (I did not mention anything about morgs to her). She just called and told me my biopsy came back as Grovers Disease. Anyone know anything about it? Anyone else had that diagnosis based on a punch biopsy? I need to speak with her at length about the condition (she was between patients) and my results but I find this interesting. Maybe helpful to us in the M's fight or maybe the Grovers disease is just unrelated to any of this and I am one unlucky gal. They prescribed steroids which I won't take. Apparently there is no known cure. I've got some detective work to do - I'll report back if I find anything interesting.

[scabdraggr]

The diagnosis may well be from the psuedo diseses that the M lifeform presents to sufferers that we seem to keep seeing.Frito posted a very interesting and informative post this morning that i seem to find a co relation with about all these psuedo disease diagnoses..The answer may well be locked up in the pathogens that the life form carries with it.Please look at the dark spots on the capsules and life form,which may be one and the same.

[jeanlong]

I had a biopsy after realizing I had M fibers popping out of my skin repeatedly.

My results came back showing there were bumps that are unexplained, that there were no parasites at the site but the pathology report said there might be parasites contributing to the problem which were elsewhere. Lots of tiny bumps were found, but not red ones like the Grovers disease photos I see on the internet. My exam was inconclusive at best - there were abnormalities but no pathogens were found although multiple cultures were done as in no viral infections, no bacterial infections, no fungal growths etc.

That was done less than two years ago, in 2010 after a trip to calif to the bay area, one of the hotbeds of this illness. During that trip I had two fish meals and a bug bite. I have felt toxic since then with episodes of severe itching and lumpy swellings that spew out shiny weird plastic looking things, microscopic in size. There are good and bad periods. During good times, the skin problems settle down and I feel fairly normal without anything really wrong; during bad times I have skin eruptions every night or every day and every night and intermittently feel exhausted, partially due to no sleep with skin pain that is ongoing. I look at things with magnifiers and every pain is associated with eruptions with M objects popping out of my skin. Once they are extracted the pain subsides.

Tonight I am having a painful skin eruption episode with shiny colored fibers popping out my skin, along with round white eruptions. Not a good night.

btw subsequent to that biopsy I saw an infectious disease specialist, and was told I had no infections. Then I had gobs of lab test including allergy testing (food and pollen), pathogens and toxicology tests for heavy metals and probably other lab tests I can't remember. The good news is I'm healthy by any measure but the bad news is no one can tell me the etiology of these severely painful eruptions. Everything was negative until the latest round of tests. Labcorp reported PCBs and DDT exposure, along with DDT metabolites. Because no diagnosis that fit the skin problems were ever found, prior to this , no treatment was offered. The latest doctor said there is no scientifically proven treatment for toxicology issues such as this. I am remaining on my own TCM treatments, especially acupuncture and its various non-needling modalities, along with decoction from traditional TCM herbs which are my own recipes, plus following TCM ideas for diet. i also take vitamin c and zinc which helps me feel better.

I keep wondering about the etiology. In retrospect I now realize I had seen some patients with this type of M problem before moving away from the san francisco area. only a few since moving away and shutting down my private practice. I'm retired now but have the mentality of a clinician; I have seen some people who have fibers without any recurring M symptoms, with the fibers disappearing after a short period.

In my case I have some toxicity issue for sure.

Originally Posted by zenmorgie

I just had a punch biopsy done last week due to a recent scabies scare (thought my daughter got it -several in her classroom did). It's hard to tell the M's bumps/lesions from other stuff and I did not want to take the dreaded toxic cream if we didn't have scabies. Since the derm could not tell just looking at my skin whether or not it was mite related she recommended a biopsy on one of the places I had a breakout (I did not mention anything about morgs to her). She just called and told me my biopsy came back as Grovers Disease. Anyone know anything about it? Anyone else had that diagnosis based on a punch biopsy? I need to speak with her at length about the condition (she was between patients) and my results but I find this interesting. Maybe helpful to us in the M's fight or maybe the Grovers disease is just unrelated to any of this and I am one unlucky gal. They prescribed steroids which I won't take. Apparently there is no known cure. I've got some detective work to do - I'll report back if I find anything interesting.

[scabdraggr]

I keep trying to engage you as I know the answers you seek but for some reason you seem to block me out.What's with that?

[csidegalNH]

I went to look at description of Grovers disease and as i was going thru the google images I found a picture that resembled what was going on beneath my breasts. Skin has been thickening, very dry and leathery feeling. Ends up its called Hailey-Hailey diease. And is said to be a genetic disorder for which there is no cure. Supposedly doesn't leave scarring, so though this may be part of my diagnosis it doesn't explain it all

Originally Posted by jeanlong

I had a biopsy after realizing I had M fibers popping out of my skin repeatedly.

My results came back showing there were bumps that are unexplained, that there were no parasites at the site but the pathology report said there might be parasites contributing to the problem which were elsewhere. Lots of tiny bumps were found, but not red ones like the Grovers disease photos I see on the internet. My exam was inconclusive at best - there were abnormalities but no pathogens were found although multiple cultures were done as in no viral infections, no bacterial infections, no fungal growths etc.

That was done less than two years ago, in 2010 after a trip to calif to the bay area, one of the hotbeds of this illness. During that trip I had two fish meals and a bug bite. I have felt toxic since then with episodes of severe itching and lumpy swellings that spew out shiny weird plastic looking things, microscopic in size. There are good and bad periods. During good times, the skin problems settle down and I feel fairly normal without anything really wrong; during bad times I have skin eruptions every night or every day and every night and intermittently feel exhausted, partially due to no sleep with skin pain that is ongoing. I look at things with magnifiers and every pain is associated with eruptions with M objects popping out of my skin. Once they are extracted the pain subsides.

Tonight I am having a painful skin eruption episode with shiny colored fibers popping out my skin, along with round white eruptions. Not a good night.

btw subsequent to that biopsy I saw an infectious disease specialist, and was told I had no infections. Then I had gobs of lab test including allergy testing (food and pollen), pathogens and toxicology tests for heavy metals and probably other lab tests I can't remember. The good news is I'm healthy by any measure but the bad news is no one can tell me the etiology of these severely painful eruptions. Everything was negative until the latest round of tests. Labcorp reported PCBs and DDT exposure, along with DDT metabolites. Because no diagnosis that fit the skin problems were ever found, prior to this , no treatment was offered. The latest doctor said there is no scientifically proven treatment for toxicology issues such as this. I am remaining on my own TCM treatments, especially acupuncture and its various non-needling modalities, along with decoction from traditional TCM herbs which are my own recipes, plus following TCM ideas for diet. i also take vitamin c and zinc which helps me feel better.

I keep wondering about the etiology. In retrospect I now realize I had seen some patients with this type of M problem before moving away from the san francisco area. only a few since moving away and shutting down my private practice. I'm retired now but have the mentality of a clinician; I have seen some people who have fibers without any recurring M symptoms, with the fibers disappearing after a short period.

In my case I have some toxicity issue for sure.

[scabdraggr]

One little explanation will clear up so much for you an if I ever make you feel like that I'm confused then you won't ever have to speak to me again about my perceptions and beliefs.

[janedoe]

i had two. one had words ill never understand, second oen said alergic to bugs

[zenmorgie]

Hey Gang - just wanted to let you know I passed along my biopsy results to my LLMD. She said that lots of M's patients who have biopsies receive this diagnosis. I guess when inflamatory cells appear in a biopsy Grovers is the diagnosis of the day (it has no known cause and no cure so it's a sure bet for derms).

On the bright side, at least if enough of us have these kinds of test results which demonstrate something is happening under our skin someone will eventually have to take us seriously.

I'll just go back to business as usual. Thanks everyone for weighing in.

[jeanlong]

From a western view, that issue of thickening is not uncommon with severe allergic reactions where the skin becomes repeatedly inflamed, or toxic reactions when a lot of histamines are present locally, then after a bit the skin settles down but is thick and rough. it can be a local plaque, or perhaps scar tissue.

I've seen that on patients I've examined (as a clinician). It is not one of my problems at the moment. when I have eruptions little patches will do that though, afterwards when they heal up. then it gets back to normal but it can be slow.

Here is a type home treatment I have used to calm down the thickening. Soak in a warm water bath, then while still in the tub with the skin is wet, rub something nontoxic and edible such as olive oil or ghee on, then sprinkle with lots of fine plain salt (kosher or pickling salt etc), and rub lightly, which will take off much dead skin to help with exfoliation; immediately rinse in the shower, towel off by blotting and rub oil on. Follow up by eating some kind of rich oily food, but not anything that has been heated (to avoid transfats), so only a cold-pressed oil such as flax, or perhaps hemp or sesame, or ghee. We often eat salad with home made dressing using Flora oils. That brand is organic and cold pressed and the nearby store always has some sort.

Originally Posted by csidegalNH

I went to look at description of Grovers disease and as i was going thru the google images I found a picture that resembled what was going on beneath my breasts. Skin has been thickening, very dry and leathery feeling. Ends up its called Hailey-Hailey diease. And is said to be a genetic disorder for which there is no cure. Supposedly doesn't leave scarring, so though this may be part of my diagnosis it doesn't explain it all

[jeanlong]

I am not blocking you. My mailbox doesn't show new mail here but it frequently gets full.

What I want is to be well, and for M sufferers to find solutions and answers.

Originally Posted by scabdraggr

I keep trying to engage you as I know the answers you seek but for some reason you seem to block me out.What's with that?