Itchy

I know the friggin’ allergist said I’m not allergic to anything but my arms, hands, back, and chest itch and have been itching for days and months and it’s getting worse and today it has reached intolerable. I cannot stop scratching. It’s downright painful and I can’t reach all the spots on my back that itch.

And it’s distracting.

I’d say I was allergic to my detergent, but I can’t be since I’m not allergic to anything, right? Besides, what is there besides liquid Tide? I hang dry half my clothes.
It itches where my necklace is. It itches where my hair scarf is knotted at my neck. It itches where my bra touches my skin under my arms. My pantyline on my hips even itches.

I refuse to call a doctor. I’m tired of them. I’m considering dunking myself in a tub of ice cream or something.

tags: wellness

5 comments

1. on April 11, 2006 at 11:46 am

   Tamara said:

   Does the timeline correspond to the Topamax? I thought I remembered seeing that on the side effects list. I did a quick search and it wasn’t conclusive; some sites listed itching as a “rare” side effect and there were anecdotal reports.

   Hope you can get some relief, in any case!

2. on April 11, 2006 at 12:13 pm

   N. Mallory said:

   Well, I was already kind of itchy. At first I kind of thought it was Maine’s lesser humidity, but maybe it is the increase in topomax and the increase in effexor together. I should ask my mom to look those up. Hmmmm.

   Am now considering a bathtub full of lotion.

3. on April 11, 2006 at 12:14 pm

   Tamara said:

   Oh ok — I wasn’t sure of the timeline.

   I hope you can find relief. Have you Googled treatments? THe tub of ice cream sounds c-c-c-cold!

4. on April 12, 2006 at 1:26 am

   KC said:

   I had a reaction very similar to yours, which was not classified as an allergy (not by my allergist, anyway). It was simple, galloping contact dermatitis–something to which my mom is susceptible, so I think it runs in the family. If you’ve been using or around a lot of cleaning products lately, it might have triggered something.

   If it doesn’t go away and your skin starts getting red and puffy, it’s a good idea to see a doctor–even your basic internal medicine person can take a look and write the scrip. I took minute doses of Medrol (methylprednisolone) which did the trick nicely (though I also had Zyrtec as a backup–basically high-powered Claritin). But I did have to get rid of a lotion that I had used literally for years previously with no ill effects. Both my docs said that sometimes happens–that out of the blue someone will react to something that has never bothered them before.

   Both stress and hormones are implicated, it seems. I’ve figured out the trigger for me–stress, my period, plus heat/sunlight/you name it. The thing that FINALLY scared me into going to the doctor was some joint swelling. The doc swore it wasn’t related, but it cleared right up with the Medrol. I figure that stress tends to trigger autoimmune responses in me which worsen and cascade if I don’t do somemthing about them.

   Anyway, with luck it’s just itching from all the cleaning dust. But on the off chance that it’s not, you might have gotten sensitized to something. It’s annoying, but fixable.

   Congrats on the “whole-house” makeover–I envy you!

5. on July 29, 2006 at 9:12 am

   Aeryn Honey said:

   Keep yourself free i mean to say try to avoid those skin tight clothes, avoid wearing nylon oanties instead of them try some cotton made, or others don’t wear innerwear if is not necessary

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