Alex Carson
A Suspicious Insect
A woman from Oklahoma was outside mowing her lawn one day when she was bitten on the ankle by a suspicious insect. It wasn’t long after that she noticed a rash on her ankles. The bumps were green and purple. She had never seen anything like it in her life. This woman was bitten while mowing her yard. Then months later, dark spots began covering her body.
A Spreading Rash
A few weeks after she was bitten by the insect, she noticed dark splotches on her arms. Soon, they spread all over her hands, arms, legs, feet, and torso. Her face was spared, fortunately, but the spots on the rest of her body had multiplied so much that she had to wear long sleeves and long pants all summer long to cover them up. She was embarrassed by the way that she looked, but the itching was worse.
The Itching
Calvina’s rash caused her to itch constantly. The itching was so bad that she was up all night itching. She would itch so much that the hard, thick bumps would start to bleed. The itching began to interfere with her job as well. While sitting at her desk, the itching would become so intense that she would have to get up from her desk to avoid distracting her co-workers and bringing attention to herself. When she would return to her desk after, there would be blood stains on her pants. The itching was terrible, and she didn’t know what to do. She was struggling at work and she was barely sleeping at night. She became depressed and frustrated.
Seeing a Doctor
Calvina went to see a dermatologist who performed a biopsy on her bumps. They couldn’t figure out what it was so they told her that she had prurigo, which is a term for itchy spots. They had no more information than that. She was given many medications, and none of them were working. She lived like this for seven years.
Calling “The Doctors”
When Calvina couldn’t take it anymore, she called the television show The Doctors. They brought her on the show, and they had her sit down with a top-level dermatologist, Dr. Sonia Batra. She met with Calvina said that she had the most interesting case of prurigo that she had ever seen. Right away, she began running tests.
A Diagnosis
The tests performed by Dr. Batra showed two conditions that were not diagnosed. The first condition that Calvina was suffering from was called hypothyroidism. It occurs when the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough hormones. It is a relatively common and treatable condition. The doctor discovered that Calvina also had a secondary condition that could have made the hypothyroidism worse. It was through a biopsy of the rash that the doctor discovered that Calvina also had urticarial vasculitis. It was an autoimmune condition that causes the blood vessels to swell. The combination of the two conditions is what caused the rash all over Calvina’s body.
Hope For the Future
Now that they knew what was causing Calvina’s issues, they could finally treat her. Calvina was so happy that she began to cry. After seven years of suffering, she was finally going to get some relief. The doctor told her that they would get her hypothyroidism under control and then they could treat the urticarial vasculitis.
Planning Treatment
Dr. Batra referred Calvina to Dr. Adrienne Lam’s skin care clinic in Oklahoma City. They needed someone close to Calvina’s home to handle the treatment plan. They gave her medication for her hypothyroidism, and she started steroid injections. It would be six months to a year before her treatment was complete. Best of all, Dr. Lam offered to treat Calvina free of charge.
Freedom
Calvina finally got the answer to her problem. She was going to get the treatment that she needed. After just a few injections, Calvina started feeling some relief. The itching started to lessen, and she didn’t have itching outbreaks as often as she once did. She couldn’t wait until she could finally start wearing short sleeve shirts in public again. For the first time in seven years, Calvina felt free.
A New Lease On Life
Calvina couldn’t be happier about life today. She loved the fact that she was feeling better. She no longer itched and she no longer looked like a contagious woman. Calvina says that she has the show, The Doctors to thank. She also thanks, Dr. Batra and Dr. Lam. She finally realized that it wasn’t the insect that caused her issues. It was simply two conditions that were easily treated. Today, she is happier and healthier than she has been in years.
