Gah! I think I have Fifth Disease!

[wendibird22]

Update: So 4 days later I'm doing much better. The rash went away completely by Saturday (3 days after first appearance) and the joint pain is much improved. My wrists, ankles and knees no longer hurt. My fingers are still stiff and my knuckles a bit swollen. Still can get my rings on past the 2nd knuckle. I'm wearing a ring I'd normally wear on my middle finger as a wedding ring because it kills me not to wear my band and engagement ring but it would take the jaws of life to get those things on. I had been taking standard dosage of ibuprofen round the clock since Thursday to deal with the joint pain and achiness but haven't needed it today. Kids and DH are still symptom free.

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Ok this is s total WTF moment. I think I have Fifth Disease. Yesterday I noticed a lacy looking rash on my inside forearms while I was at swim lessons with the girls. It was hotter than blazes there (inside pool) and thought maybe it was heat rash. It got better back in my ACd home but was still noticeable and a bit on my legs too. This morning it is very noticeable on my arms and legs and now I also have some joint pain. My fingers feel stiff, wrists ache when flexed, and my knees ache when squatting down. I never had a slapped cheek rash or a fever or cold symptoms. Neither kid has any symptoms but I've been taking them to swim lessons for two weeks now so lots of kids and therefore germs around.

Is there anything else it could be? My legs almost look sunburned the rash is so noticeable.

ETA my arms and legs aren't itchy but get an occasional prickly feeling.
Oh and I'm 13 days into a gluten challenge but its definitely not the rash associated with celiac.

[Momit]

I don't know what else it could be, but when DS had Fifth Disease the slapped cheek rash was by far his most noticeable symptom. He felt kind of run down, and was freezing cold during his swimming lesson which doesn't normally happen. But I thought the red rash on the cheeks was the signature for Fifth. I do know that we were cautioned to stay away from pregnant women because there is the possibility of miscarriage if a pregnant woman contracts Fifth.

[mom2binsd]

When DD had it, mostly just the rash, not slapped cheek or other symptoms, a bit of a headache. The rash would come and go and get worse in the heat....and some people never do get the slapped cheek sign. I believe once the rash shows you are past the contagious stage, but if you were around a pregnant woman about a week ago you might want to contact her.

[wendibird22]

No pregnant women in my life, friends or coworkers, so I'm ok there. Definitely feeling arthritic in my fingers, wrists, and knees.

[pinkmomagain]

I remember a mom friend getting it quite a few years back and she did suffer from alot of joint pain. Hope it resolves quickly for u!

[wendibird22]

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Here's pics of my arm and upper thigh. The only places w/out a rash are my face, hands and feet. On my arms and legs it looks much more lacy because I have so much of it. On my torso and back it's much more dotty and dispersed.

[pb&j]

DH had it a few years ago, and had no rashes. His main symptom was terrible joint pain in his hands. We were afraid he had Lyme, and only tested for Fifth disease because a child in DS's class had it (DS did not). Sure enough, the test was positive. The pain resolved in a couple of weeks.

[wendibird22]

The rash has mostly gone away...it fades as the day goes on. The joint pain is ridiculous. My fingers are so swollen I've taken my rings off. When I wake up in the am my fingers are so stiff that I couldn't open a granola bar wrapper for DD1. It affects my wrists, knees and fingers the most but also the soles of my feet when I first get up. I walk like a 90yr old. Everything I read online says the joint pain can last 1-3wk. Egads that's a long time. I also happened on some forums were people have ended up with chronic arthritis. Praying that doesn't happen to me. I'll give it to a few more days before seeing my PCP. With the holiday it wasn't worth going in and getting a diagnosis.

How did I never have Fifth Disease as a kid? How come I'm the only one in my family with it and I don't know anyone I've come in contact with who has it? Bizzaro.

[Melbel]

I have read that the Fifth's disease virus (HPV) may lay dormant, until the immune system is compromised (similar to Chicken Pox). Chronic bacterial infections such as Lyme Disease tend to compromise the immune system. Considering your joint pain and symptoms previously posted here on the BBB, it is worth considering as part of the differential diagnosis (possibly the root cause):

http://lymeisreal.blogspot.com/2009/10/beware-of-lyme-and-fifths-disease.html

Lacy rashes have been associated with chronic Lyme Disease: https://sites.google.com/site/marylandlyme/rashes--photos

Many people with Lyme also have HPV as a co-infection.

[TwinFoxes]

I have read that the Fifth's disease virus (HPV) may lay dormant, until the immune system is compromised (similar to Chicken Pox). Chronic bacterial infections such as Lyme Disease tend to compromise the immune system. Considering your joint pain and symptoms previously posted here on the BBB, it is worth considering as part of the differential diagnosis (possibly the root cause):

http://lymeisreal.blogspot.com/2009/10/beware-of-lyme-and-fifths-disease.html

Lacy rashes have been associated with chronic Lyme Disease: https://sites.google.com/site/marylandlyme/rashes--photos

Many people with Lyme also have HPV as a co-infection.

HPV isn't fifth disease. Parvovirus 19 is fifth disease.
http://www.cdc.gov/parvovirusb19/fifth-disease.html

ETA: not saying the rest of your post isn't valid! But HPV might confuse folks. DDs were exposed to fifth disease, that's why I knew the name. :) luckily they never got it.

[Melbel]

HPV isn't fifth disease. Parvovirus 19 is fifth disease.
http://www.cdc.gov/parvovirusb19/fifth-disease.html

ETA: not saying the rest of your post isn't valid! But HPV might confuse folks. DDs were exposed to fifth disease, that's why I knew the name. :) luckily they never got it.

Thanks for clarifying. A complete typo/pre-coffee brain fog moment. :)

[wendibird22]

Thanks for that info Melbel. The thought had crossed my mind. If I go to my PCP this week it is certainly something I will discuss with her. It does seem odd to me, like I said, that no one else seems to be impacted and that it is awfully coincidental that it happened a week and a half into a gluten challenge. I did give up the gluten challenge that day. Other symptoms had already returned and it just wasn't worth it to me to continue for another 10wks in order to do a blood test that I had already tested negative to in Nov 2011. Maybe I have celiac and maybe I don't but it doesn't matter as a GF diet clearly is needed for me to feel my best.

[pinkmomagain]

Interesting, Wendibird. why were you doing a gluten challenge to retest for celiac? If the blood test was neg, were you planning to do a biopsy?

I have been gluten free 2 + yrs. Prior, a biopsy revealed I was negative for celiac, but clearly I am gluten sensitive due to a relief in symptoms with gluten elimination. Just wondering what was going on for you to retest?

[wendibird22]

Interesting, Wendibird. why were you doing a gluten challenge to retest for celiac? If the blood test was neg, were you planning to do a biopsy?

I have been gluten free 2 + yrs. Prior, a biopsy revealed I was negative for celiac, but clearly I am gluten sensitive due to a relief in symptoms with gluten elimination. Just wondering what was going on for you to retest?

Well, in a nutshell, self doubt. I had been accidentally glutened by a hotel restaurant mis-serving me back in Feb and really didn't have much of a reaction and expected such given I had been GF for over a year at that point. And yet I would have what I thought was reactions when consuming home cooked GF meals with only the likelihood of minor cross contamination of a shared kitchen. So I asked my PCP if I should do a gluten challenge and she agreed and said if I did it she would retest me for celiac. The university of Chicago celiac center recommends 1 serving of gluten for 12 wks is needed for accurate serology. When my PCP tested me back in 2011 she would not refer me for biopsy because of negative serology even though there are seronegative celiacs who have positive biopsy. A NCGI diagnosis is fine but I guess I just wanted confirmation somehow that GF was worth it. Given that mouth sores, fatigue, and major heartburn returned I decided I don't need any more proof. I'm hoping that our new pediatrician will be willing to genetic test my DDs for celiac. My PCP also won't do that for me.

[wendibird22]

Update in first thread.