Itchy Ankles

[DelilahJag]

Does anyone know if itchy ankles and itchy calves has anything to do with Crohn's Disease? For the last few years, at least once or twice a week I seem to wake up and my ankles and calves are itching like no other. Sometimes there's little red bumps like welts or maybe even hives and sometimes there isn't.

Does anyone else get this? Do you attribute it to your Crohns or any of the medicide you're on or is it something else altogether?

 

[zye]

Unless you've been on Prednisone or something similar the entire time I don't think it's med-related or it would happen more often/stick around. I have UC and I get patches of red on my legs, arms, and chest randomly that sometimes itch and my doctors have no clue what causes it, usually goes away after 30 minutes-1 hour.

Crohn's is an auto-immune disease so it can cause almost any symptom under the sun. I would definitely talk to your doctor about it if you haven't already.

 

[billyjoel]

Yes! Not so much the itchy, but the red bumps. I get a lot of red bumps they look like really big pimples and don't feel so good if poked at! Skin rashes/problems are a common problem among Crohn's sufferers.

 

[silvermander]

Actually there is a name for the red bumps and it is something that commonly happens to those with CD, but of course I can't remember the name of it!

I also get the red bumps and the itching, but I also get what I call 'purple ankle'.

Basically the skin over my outer ankle bone turns purple. Huh, I just looked down at my ankle to see if it was purple and realized that I have purple ankle wrapped all the way around to my achilles. That's new!

I'll ask my GI on Monday about the bumps as well as the purple ankle thing - which won't be purple then - when I see him for my violation... I mean scoping.

 

[fromthegut]

I had this many many years ago and didn't think ti was related to Crohns. When I look back I was under incredible stress. I really think it was my bodies way of letting em know. I recall I went on a spiritual retreat at that time and it really helped. I had relaxed taken some breathing room and came back.
Of course I had a new set of tools and friends to help me through. I did however not get any empathy from my boss at work.. who bullied me even more. Thank God for unions )))))))))))))

 

[scoutfinch]

Sounds like erythema nodosum - which is not uncommon to Crohn's. I've experienced these symptoms too when I was flaring. At first I thought they were bug bites because they were itchy and raised (even though it was in the dead of winter when no bugs would be around) but I did some research online and self-identified it as erythema nodosum (later confirmed by my GI that it was the case).

 

[billyjoel]

@scoutfinch, thank you for finding the actual name for these, my wife is always like those are pimples and I tell her NO THEY ARE FROM MY CROHNS!!! Haha it bugs the crap out of me, now I can educate her on what they are!