# Skin and Mouth Problems?



## cinny

So, I've got a whole slew of skin and mouth problems going on, and I can't seem to get any answers.

The short version: (1) mouth discoloration (yellow-white), veiny mouth (spider veins on soft palate), darkening of uvula, yellow tongue, white gums; an increase in canker sores
(2) Yellow skin on face around eyes and mouth (not on sclera), possible rosacea and seb derm. (flaky, red skin with spider veins under eyes and on nose); yellowing of skin on feet after standing and possibly yellowing on hands (3) possible granuloma annulare or purpura on legs (haven't had these since July/August)

You can see pictures here: http://s1321.beta.photobucket.com/user/cinnytq/library/ This should just take you to the general library page. You'll have to click on the left hand side to choose a specific album. I've categorized them by mouth issues, the yellow skin issues, and the red rash issues. I have too many problems to include the pictures directly here; hope this is okay for me to link to photobucket.

First, last May I had my tonsils out, due to ridiculous swelling that had existed for at least 6 months (if not longer). I recovered pretty well from it luckily.

However, soon after returning to work, I began getting this round "rashes" (red flat patches) on my shins. They weren't itchy and weren't raised. They always appeared on my calves. Only one appeared at a time. At first when they appeared they were bright red/almost purple, but faded (usually from the center outward) as they disappeared on their own. My primary doc said that it was "granuloma annulare," but did a biopsy just in case. She said it came back "benign." My dermatologist said it just looked like purpuric "rashes" (basically they are burst blood vessels beneath skin, as I understand it), and if it continued, to see another doc because it could mean vascular issues or what have you. After getting 3-4 of these spots, they stopped appearing, but since then I've had an increase in petechiae around my body (very small blood spots).

My mouth still looks ridiculously ill post-tonsillectomy; the white scar tissue (or at least what I think is scar tissue) only seems to be getting brighter/more spread. My uvula is a dark blue in some places. My oropharyngeal wall (way back of the mouth) is still super irritated, with many ulcers on the back of it, and sometimes those ulcers have bled. It's always fun to see bleeding in the back of your throat.

In August, I had 5 cavities (my first cavities ever. I am 23, by the way). The dentist filled them all. One of them had a gap and as a result my gums began swelling and became super sensitive. Over the course of the next month and a half, he had to replace that filling twice (finally using a silver filling versus the white amalgam kind) and the swelling has since stopped. I just looked at my gums though and they are turning white in places!

Went to doc this fall (Sept) about my mouth being yellow (roof of mouth is a bright yellow; sides of insides of cheeks also appears yellow). Doc said it was nothing to worry about, and said that the yellowness maybe meant I had GERD especially since I have the ulcers in the back of my throat. She prescribed me a Zantac (an H2 protein inhibitor or something), which GAVE me acid reflux. She also told me to take Zyrtec (an allergy med) every day, which made things worse, as I developed an impossibly thick post nasal drip, which irritated the hell out of my throat. The ulcers stopped bleeding after I stopped all of the meds. My allergies have been better since forgoing Zyrtec, and I actually had withdrawal type symptoms when stopping Zyrtec!

Went to the doc at the start of January because I have what I believe is sebhorreic derm on my face (as my t-zone keeps flaking) and/or I have rosacea. My skin is extremely red and I am developing spider vessels on my nose and under my eyes (and sometimes they just look like petechiae). Strangely, on my bright red nose, there is a spot that appears to be losing pigmentation -- it is white and strangely very smooth (no deep pores like the rest of my nose...).

Additionally, at that same appointment, I was there to show my doc that I have yellow skin around my nose and under my eyelids/above my eyes. The CNP who I saw told me that I must have "olive skin tone so my skin turned sallow because it's winter" -- I definitely do not have olive skin. I am Irish/German in heritage so my skin is generally very pink! I cannot tan and I burn easily, so I do not have yellow undertones. She also just said my skin was flaking because it is winter. Yes, my skin does dry out more in the winter, but not to the point where it looks like my eyebrows have dandruff...SO, that doctor visit was a waste of time.

I am so frustrated. I don't understand why my skin is yellow. My TSH wasn't that bad (it was 2.83 on my labs on 2/5; before that on 11/30 it was 1.7. My dosage has since been increased to 25 mcg -- was taking 12.5 mcg before that), so I can't imagine it is my thyroid. But who knows. I don't remember my skin yellowing when my TSH was at its highest (5.6), and I know that dry skin, etc. though can be thyroid related. I don't eat a lot of things high in betacarotene nor do I use retinoid creams, so I don't think its from Vitamin A deposits in the skin.

My labs apparently show nothing abnormal for my liver, according to the endo I just saw. The results follow below. (Note: I did not fast for it). My calcium is a bit high, but it's always been near the end of the range.

IRON, TOTAL: 114 (range 40-175 mcg/dL)
BILIRUBIN, DIRECT:	0.1 (range < OR = 0.2 mg/dL) 
CHOLESTEROL, TOTAL:	194 (range 125-200 mg/dL )	
GGT	19 (3-40 U/L)
LD	127 (100-200 U/L )
PHOSPHATE (AS PHOSPHORUS): 2.6 (2.5-4.5 mg/dL)
TRIGLYCERIDES	73 (<150 mg/dL)	
URIC ACID	2.8 (2.5-7.0 mg/dL )

GLUCOSE	77 (65-99 mg/dL)

UREA NITROGEN (BUN)	9 (7-25 mg/dL)	
CREATININE:	0.67 (0.50-1.10 mg/dL) 
SODIUM	138 (135-146 mmol/L)	
POTASSIUM	4.4 (3.5-5.3 mmol/L) 
CHLORIDE	101 (98-110 mmol/L)	
CARBON DIOXIDE	24 (19-30 mmol/L)
CALCIUM	10.2 (8.6-10.2 mg/dL) 
PROTEIN, TOTAL	7.8 (6.1-8.1 g/dL)
ALBUMIN	5.0 (3.6-5.1 g/dL)
GLOBULIN	2.8 (1.9-3.7 g/dL (calc))
ALBUMIN/GLOBULIN RATIO	1.8 (1.0-2.5 (calc) )
BILIRUBIN, TOTAL	0.4 (0.2-1.2 mg/dL) 
ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE	44 (33-115 U/L)
AST	17 (10-30 U/L)
ALT	11 (6-40 U/L)

TSH	2.83 mIU/L 
Reference Range

> or = 20 Years 0.40-4.50

The CNP tested for Total T4 and Total T3, so the numbers aren't accurate because I'm on BC, so I'm not including those here.


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