Several years ago, I started having strange problems with my body. Mainly, I would get unexplained blisters or rashes on my skin and on occasion, my hip joints would start hurting.

My first outbreak came shortly after a trip to Cedar Point (amusement park). I developed a rash on the calves of my legs. Since we had visited the water park while there, I attributed it to a lot of chlorine in the water. When it reoccurred a couple of months later, I suspected that something else was wrong. A visit to my doctor got me a referral to a dermatologist.

The dermatologist reviewed the meds that I was on and questioned me about changes in diet, soap, fabric softeners, etc in order to determine if there was an environmental factor. After I had answered all of his questions, he suggest that perhaps my skin was sensitive and needed special care.

He suggested that, while I was using a non-allergenic soap when I bathed, perhaps the water in the shower was too hot. The water, he suggested, should be lukewarm and I should apply baby oil to my skin. A lukewarm shower falls into the same category as lukewarm soup; if I have to, I’ll do it. And so the lukewarm showers began. Along with the lukewarm showers came the change to Borax laundry detergent. After a few days, my skin cleared. Wonderful!

Then, about six weeks later, it happened again. Only this time, it was a rash under my watch band. Assuming that my watch band was too tight, I loosened it and left it off my wrist until the rash had cleared.. A week later, the rash was gone and I went back to wearing my watch, though not as tight as before.

I read that sometimes nuts can cause strange allergies, so I quit eating cashews. Sure enough, no skin problems. Simple solution.

With high gas prices and a need for meaningful exercise, I purchased a 15 speed mountain bike and decided to ride it to the local grocery store (meijers) which was about 3 mile away. The trips were not record breaking by any sense of the word, but they did afford me some exercise none the less.

My pace was leisurely and confined to the sidewalks. I felt that leisurely was appropriate since I was on the sidewalk. Riding on the highway did not appeal to me because there were way too many road hazards to avoid. And while riding on the sidewalk had it’s own set of hazards, at least I didn’t have to deal with truck traffic.

Then, one morning, as I was getting in the car to headed for work, I bumped my right knee on the steering wheel. “Ouch”, my right hip hurt. But from lightly bumping the steering wheel? Perhaps it was from riding my bike last weekend. So, biking to the grocery store was put on the shelf.

The final straw came when I started having problems with my private parts. For some unexplained reason, every now and then, my private parts would develop hives and then a water blister a few days later. Sensing that something was wrong, my wife went in for a Ph check. When the tests came back negative, the doctor suggested that we use “Astroglide”. While the stuff was on the pricy side, I decided to give it a try.

A few weeks went by with no problems. So far so good. But then came the day when I had another outbreak.

Frustrated, I called the doctor for an appointment. After giving me the usual exam, I explained to him my symptoms. When I got the “deer in the headlights” look, I knew I was on my own for this one.

A woman that I work with had suggested that perhaps I was having a reaction to my meds. I had long ago reviewed the side effects of my blood pressure meds, my cholesterol meds and my blood thinner. None of the side effects matched my symptoms. But I did have another med; my antibiotic, Tetracycline!

I would, on occasion, take some Tetracycline for my Rosaceae, a facial skin disorder. The doctor, several years ago, gave me a prescription for Tetracycline for use on an as needed basis. When I asked the doctor about the side effects and reaction to other meds. he said that Tetracycline has been around since the 40s and was as harmless as aspirin.

So, when I would get a facial flare up, about every six weeks or so, I would take my Tetracycline twice a day for a week. This would clear up my outbreak.

On a whim, I decide to check out the Internet for the particulars on Tetracycline. Low and behold, skin rashes, joint pain, blisters, hives, hairy tongue, Lupus like symptoms; doesn’t sound harmless to me. So, I quit taking it. And guess what? All of my problems disappeared.

While I could do a final test by taking the drug again and prove once and for all that the Tetracycline was the cause of my strange problems, what would be the point? I have been symptom free for 2 years. The problems have already been identified and documented so the best I could do would be to tell my doctor of the my findings. But, I doubt that he would believe my findings as it wasn’t done in a lab. After all, the dermatologist blew off the Tetracycline, and he, if anyone should have suspected Tetracycline as the cause to my problem. “Luke warm showers” Ya, right. Easy money!