Anyone's kids experience bumps on shins during flare?

[Brian'sMom]

My son was recently in a bad flare, (abscess near bottom too), I kept noticing these bumps on his shins that were painful. I thought it was from his snow boots, then I'd see another, and then on the other leg. He wasn't wearing the boots anymore. They would then turn purple like a bruise. Our GI doc said today that the bumps are a symptom from the flare and inflammation...I can't remember what she called them but google search calls them an erythema Nodosum. Anyone know anything about these?

 

[DustyKat]

I don't have any personal experience of them but I know there many others on the forum that do.

This is just one thread about it...................

http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=12948&highlight=erythema+nodosum

Hopefully someone will be along that is far more knowledgeable than I!

Dusty.

 

[AntsMommy]

Hi Brian's mom,

I have read about these also, although Anthony doesn't have them (I thought he did initially). I am sorry to hear that Brian has them. Hopefully they are something treatable?

 

[Brian'sMom]

I think they go away when the flare/inflammation goes away.

 

[Lisa]

Was it Erethenum Nodosum (sp?).....that is what I used to get when flaring - would start out as a red, painful bump, would end up turning purple like a bruise. I'd be put on prednisone to take care of it.....and yes, it is a sign of inflammation.....oh - I'd get joint pain too - mostly in my knees....

 

[e13 boy]

Hi Brian'sMom

I had erythema nodosum for 20 years.It started off as huge scaly rashes which covered my entire left calf.This developed approx 12 months after i had been through 7 operations in 18 months (2 fistulas & 5 Anal abcesses).I was given a cream which i think was betnovate(check spelling!).As the CD progressed over the years it would never fully go away,it spread to my right calf but not as severe.For about 3 years before i finally got diagnosed i used to have deep purple bruises on my shins again the left leg being worst.Following right side hemi the bruises faded but the rashes remained but not as severe.Over the next decade the only time it faded was when i was on steroids,as soon as came off my legs flared again.As the CD slowly got worse again, which a decade on led to another resection,the rashes & bruises followed exactly the same pattern.I only ever met one Dr who really knew what it was,he asked my permission for the hospital to take photos of it as he wanted to show other Dr's.They took about 15 photos from all different angles.
I no longer have erythema nodosum.After i had been on Serovera AMP for approx 6 months it totally healed for the first time ever,and has never returned.

e13 boy serovera AMP Loperamide(due to short bowel)
21 yrs of CD 9 operations
Failed meds Steroids,Azathioprine,6mp,Pentasa

 

[Brian'sMom]

I hope my son doesn't have to deal with it for that length of time. He has his third Remicade tomorrow, I'm hoping remission will stop it. Also, I googled it, among the causes were crohn's (of course) but also it mentioned Strep throat (which my son tested positive on dec 27) and another possible cause was sulfa drugs (my son takes pentasa). He has three of the possible causes...could it be possible it was the strep and not the crohns? I'm just hoping we are not experincing 'systemic chrohns'. I'm new to this whole disease, but do some people have crohns without the 'systemic' part?

 

[Silvermoon]

I would suspect that the strep and the erythema are both Crohn's related....

I think everyone, whether they realize it or not, experience "systemic" symptoms.... concidering the fact that CD/UC/IBD is essentially caused by something wrong with our immune system, and the immune system controls everything in our body, we are all going to experience "extraintestinal symptoms" - just some of us more so than others.....

On a personal note regarding EI symptoms.... it IS EI symptoms that are causing all my pain and discomfort at the moment - my bowel is relatively calm - a small area of inflammation right around my anus - but right now my life is at a stand-still due to EIMs. Not EVERYone is like this - but it is going to happen.... .....

I hope he finds some relief soon.

 

[e13 boy]

Hi Brian'sMom

I hope your son finds remission ASAP
For myself only finding 100% remission cleared up the erythema nodosum.
Only my opinion but i don't think Pentasa would be a reason - i took it for over 10 years -
it didn't help erythema nodosum or any other CD symptom much.
Only Steroids made it fade.

I wish your son well

e13 boy Serovera AMP Loperamide(due to short bowel)
21 yrs of CD 9 operations
Failed meds Steroids,Azathioprine,6mp,Pentasa

 

[Brian'sMom]

e 13 boy,Have you ever tried Remicade? Are you in remission now and how did you get there. Also question to all, which is more important SED rate or CRP? My son's SED rate today was 71, but his CRP was 0.9 (that's mg/dl) He's also been feeling soooo much better. So I don't know why these numbers differ...unless its those erythema Nodosum on his shins that are causing some inflammation there.

 

[e13 boy]

Hi BriansMom,

I was never given Remicade.The drugs i was given following diagnosis were pentasa,Steroids(Pred)on/off as per most CD patients,Azathioprine150mg,6mp.I am now in 100% remission after i started looking for 'alternative' help to what the hospital was offering me.I have now been taking Serovera AMP for 16 months & i am very pleased to say i am doing fantastic.
It took approx 6 months to reach 100% remission which i never found with the above drugs & the 9 operations i had.
During that time i started to benefit within 2 weeks,over the next few months
i went from 5-8 dreadfuly loose,sometimes uncontrolled BM's to a 100% formed stool,the gut pain went,i went from being painfully white & tired to a very healthy pink & excellent energy,i put on over 20lbs,my appetite really improved,the erythema nodosum healed for the first ever time & the severe pitting of my thumb nails healed for the first ever time as well.During all the years of never finding remission i used to get colds/sore throats ALL the time,in the last 16 months i have not had one cold.
i can fully understand people being sceptical of my posts but i can assure i am 100% genuine & i would NEVER post this on a CD site if it was not true

If you click on my name you can read my full story - 21 years of crohn's -
you will see i got a bit of a frosty reception,being accused of being a salesman which i am not.I have never used the word 'cure' which others did & i do not claim this will work for every CD/UC patient.
All i can tell you i have enjoyed life changing success with Serovera after battling CD for over 2 decades.
The one & only reason i joined this forum was in the hope that if my road to remission saves just one person on here from going through the hell & agony i went through i would be chuffed.

e13 boy Serovera AMP Loperamide(due to short bowel)
21 yrs of CD 9 operations
Failed meds Steroids,Azathioprine,6mp,Pentasa

 

[AZMOM]

Hey Brian's Mom - Here's a couple of excerpts from lab tests online that I think might help differentiate between the two tests. I know this is an old post but it never hurts to throw a little info out there! How is Brian doing now????

This little excerpt is from this page:

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/esr/test.html

Is there anything else I should know?
ESR and C-reactive protein (CRP) are both markers of inflammation. Generally, ESR does not change as rapidly as does CRP, either at the start of inflammation or as it goes away. CRP is not affected by as many other factors as is ESR, making it a better marker of inflammation. However, because ESR is an easily performed test, many doctors still use ESR as an initial test when they think a patient has inflammation.


I hope Brian is doing great!

Hugs,

 

[dodie]

Hi, my 8 year old son also has crohns and recently i have noticed he has red patchy marks on his legs, it does look so much like eczema( which he has had since a baby) so i have been applying mild steroid cream and diprobase. seems to be helping a little although i sometimes think it could be the summer time as his hayfever also flared. he also had surgery for anal fistula lasy year and has had one flare in that area which was treated witho cipro and flagyl, done the job and cleared it, thank goodness. I hope your son is doing well. take care. xx