Itches and twitches

[cjsmith]

My shins itch. It started several days ago, invisibly, and now it is a rash that looks like I've attacked the skin with sandpaper. I know I sure would LIKE to attack the skin with sandpaper. In fact, how about those wire brushes you can attach to a power drill?

It quiets briefly with Caladryl or Sarna, and is only slightly improved by Benadryl. Wearing clothing is torture. Concentrating on anything is difficult... anything but sandpaper, that is. I could think of sandpaper all day. Bliss! Sadly, I do not earn a paycheck by loving contemplation of sandpaper.

The only thing worse than having such a rash on one's shins is also having an affectionate cat (or three). All you cat people pictured it instantly, didn't you? You know EXACTLY what those furballs are continually trying to do. I should note that cat fur sticks to Sarna, but Caladryl sticks to cat fur.

EDIT: Enough with the doctor comments, people. Would you believe I almost wrote in the original post, before anyone said anything that anyone ordering me to see a doctor would be summarily unfriended for insulting my intelligence? I know it's a caring thing and not meant as an insult, but enough already. If I were a better writer you'd all be laughing at the image of a Caladryl-covered cat instead. The humor in the situation was part of the point of making a post at all. Some day I'll be more skilled....

Comments

[jcgbigler.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I do not earn a paycheck by loving contemplation of sandpaper.

No, but you do get paid to poop (http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/994/593/400/poop.1.jpg).

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm glad they don't dock my pay when I need several minutes in there instead of one. :-)

[kimatha.livejournal.com]

Get thee to a dermatologist!

There's very little that's as excruciating as persistent itching.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Persistent severe nausea is really bad too, but it's a whole different kind of bad.

[shadopanther.livejournal.com]

On my worst itch ever, only 2 things helped: Gold Bond Anti-Itch creme & ice.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Interesting - I've never tried Gold Bond. Previously, Sarna has been my power weapon of choice, but this time it's not up to the task.

[platypus]

When I had scabies, I thought I was going to scratch my legs off. I couldn't sleep, the itching was so bad. I probably would have gone on another couple of weeks thinking it was mosquito bites, too, if I hadn't had a routine doctor's visit scheduled already. So I definitely recommend having someone have a look at it!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Wow - I don't have the "worse at night" bit common to scabies. That must have been AWFUL. Itching is annoying enough, but not being able to sleep because of it? Yikes!

[platypus]

The treatment is also lovely -- you have to coat every square inch of your skin, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet, in lotion, and sleep with it on, knowing that what you are actually doing is suffocating little bugs UNDER YOUR SKIN. Yum. And Ken had to do it too, because our level of contact made it likely that he'd contracted it. Fun times.

I agree that that's probably not what you have, but a stubborn rash is torture and the doc might have something that'll take care of it faster. Aveeno oatmeal lotion was all that helped me, and that not very much.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yep, and wash all the bedding and towels and clothing, too. No fun at all.

I haven't had scabies but I have had chiggers, another burrowing creature that lays eggs. The rash from that one tends to be very localized to where the critter got in. It looks like a mosquito bite unless you know you're in chigger country. Clear nail polish suffocates them. Lovely thought, huh?

[rfrench.livejournal.com]

My Dermatologist retired, but in his going-away letter he recommended the following people:

Elizabeth Abel, Grant Rd, (650) 938-6244
Todd Anhalt, Castro St, (650) 940-4460
Bernard Recht, Fremont Ave, (408) 736-0441

#2 appears to specialize in surgery. #1 and #3 are both professors at Stanford.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info.

[allanh.livejournal.com]

Has anything in your diet changed recently?

I can also recommend my dermatologist in San Mateo:

Tom Munyon, MD
215 North San Mateo Drive Suite 1,
San Mateo, CA 94401
(650)579-7277

Tom's a sweetiepie, and has cleared up a number of horrendous skin conditions for me in the past.

If you use him, tell him I referred you. :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yes, new vities, and I'm starting to suspect them despite the fact that this is a) almost completely unresponsive to antihistamine and b) localized. The timing is right.

I've got some doctor recommendations far closer to me than San Mateo, but thank you.

[allanh.livejournal.com]

I asked because I've found there are some foods which cause odd localized rashes on my upper thighs.

No changes in laundry detergent or fabric softener? (Just checking...)

You might also try Aveeno...I've had better luck with it than Sarna. Something about that oatmeal emulsion...

[wooddragon.livejournal.com]

Huh, I was suspicious of the swimming as a cause...

Heh heh, cat with Caladryl. Your legs covered in cat fur...

what to do to make it stop itching (for a while)

[moriamerri.livejournal.com]

I have WAY WAY too much experience with this sort of stuff, including the distracting/obsessive nature of itchiness.

Let's assume for a moment that your rash is anything like the ones I get (which is likely, I think):

Here is what helps for immediate relief:
Get very hot water sprayed on the itchy bits.
Best way is with a shower with a flexible arm-thingie (like a cord-like thing), so that you can direct water exactly where you want.
Procedure: get in shower w/ warm water. Then get the water as hot as you can reasonably stand it (but don't burn yourself obviously) and direct it to itchy parts. NOTE: this will feel like scratching :) like WONDERFUL OMG. (When I was new to this, I worried that because it felt so good it would make itchies worse BUT IT DOES NOT. It is safe pleasure!) Anyway, keep that hot water on the itchie bits. If/when you overheat, change water temp to cold for a minute or so. Then back to hot. Continue at least till there is no itchieness left or ideally longer.
Depending on severity of the condition (and how long you had hot water sprayed at it) this will eliminate itchiness for different amounts of time -- might be half of a day or more or less. For bad conditions, I have been known to take 3 half-hour showers a day. Quite inconvenient, but better than feeling itchy all day.
Many more details available on request.

Oh-- and the other thing that actually WORKS for me is to take Chinese herbs formulated for me by my very smart acupunturist. That makes the whole condition go away, in about 2 to 4 days. I just take showers in the meantime. And do a few things to try to prevent the situation. Many more details available on request.

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

Yes, the first thing someone says to me is "have you seen the doctor?"...I usually give a bah-humbug, since the docs never know what to do. I broke out regularly in itchless body hives last year for the first time in my life...and my hands and feet itched incessantly, but WITHOUT rash. The dermatologist I saw, a jovial man of about 80, just poo-poohed me when I thought it was a cause and effect of my year-ago flu and Zithromax antibiotics. The dermagraphics lasted at least six months.

So I feel for you. And I won't tell you to go see the doc.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I usually give a bah-humbug, since the docs never know what to do.

I hear ya. I have simultaneously very little faith in modern medicine AND a certainty that some things really should get checked out. I have some majorly annoying sh*t they can't even diagnose much less cure, but you never know, it MIGHT be something they can fix that won't cure itself. And you never know, they MIGHT not charge you $400 just to say "take Benadryl".

I'm also smart enough to look up my symptoms and see whether and when I need to call a doctor. I mean, I'm not a total idiot. I just seem to attract people who think I'm a total idiot... or who are panicky about even tiny symptoms... or something.

(As it turns out, information I found says "Many rashes last a while and get better on their own. It is therefore not unreasonable to treat symptoms like itchy and/or dry skin for a few days to see whether the condition gets milder and goes away. [...] If these measures do not help, or if the rash persists or becomes more widespread, a visit to a general physician or dermatologist is advisable." I'm getting up to that point and will go see a doctor if needed.)

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

don't be too mad at your friends. I don't think it's so much smart/dumb as "used to going to the doctor"/"not used to going to the doctor." You've got a chronic condition, so you're probably quite used to thinking to going to the doctor as a normal thing. Going to the doctor for me is a major project including finding a doctor to go to, every single time, because I pretty much don't have to go to the doctor but once per city I live in. (I move a lot, too.) So I really don't go unless I'm in fear of imminent death or, sometimes, unless somebody bugs me to do it. I'm not a total idiot! It's just... not something I'm used to thinking of as an alternative.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm not HUGELY mad. Thanks for the datapoint. It's an interesting change of perspective. (I'm a little like you in some ways -- I go to my FOOT doctor all the @#$!ing time, but skin? A skin doc? A general physician? Never had one!)

[jtidwell.livejournal.com]

One winter, the skin on my lower legs suddenly got really dry. They've been that way every winter since then; guess I'm just getting older. :-) The simple solution? Keri lotion on wet skin, every time I take a shower -- cheap, non-prescription, effective. YMMV, of course, but haven't you been spending more time in chlorinated pool water lately?

[jtidwell.livejournal.com]

Oh, and the point of the message was: my shins and ankles ITCHED LIKE HELL before I tried moisturizing lotion. All better now!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. I've often had itchy dry skin in winter, although that's been a lot less noticeable since I moved to California. And yes, definitely chlorinated pool water -- many swimmers seem to put lotion on themselves after rinsing off from the pool!

[jtidwell.livejournal.com]

Try it -- can't hurt! Now that your skin's irritated, it may still take a few days to stop itching, but maybe this'll fix the root cause.

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

This is going to sound weird, and your cats are going to hate you, but put Vick Vapo-Rub on it. The menthol will deaden the itching and the petroleum jelly base will help with any dryness. It really does work.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Sarna's got menthol and moisturizer too. Maybe Vapo-Rub is stronger.

Cats are *hilarious* when they sniff that stuff. They back away twitching!

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

I wasn't familiar with Sarna.
Yeah--cats and Vicks are funny. About the only other substance that gets that reaction from them is bourbon.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Wow, haven't tried bourbon! I was amused that jackiecat likes chamomile tea -- she's nearly as happy with that as with catnip, oddly enough.

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

My cats run away from the smell of alcohol. Now, when I had pet rats???? They sucked it up. And there is very little as amusing as a rat drunk on two drops of sherry.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Okay, THAT made me burst out laughing!

Two words

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

Spinning wheel...

Re: Two words

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Nobody told them not to drink and "drive", huh? ;-)

Re: Two words

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

Yeah--they got wobbly and fall out, then try to get in again--and unfortunately, there's no way to take away their keys...

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

i think chamomile and catnip are closely related. i know that catnip has a chamomile-type effect on humans.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Judging from Jackie's behavior I find all of that easy to believe!

[airporter.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the warnings, but all I could see in my mind was a sticky cat.

(Words chosen carefully.)

*zen hugs* Only because I don't want to be sticky too!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Words chosen carefully.

Hahahaha! :-) :-) Yeah, Little Girl and Duchess were both wanting their Caladryl doses this morning. I fended them off and then Little Girl did the "I'm so hurt and disappointed" pose. Sigh. :-)

[psi-star-psi.livejournal.com]

Oh, now I can't resist. After the comment about bourbon and cats above, I am reminded that "Happiness is a tight pussy."

(That's number 16 (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=tight), in case it's an obscure regional usage. I never know, with all of the places I've lived.)

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

i'm glad someone recommended the hot water trick. i've used it many times, and it works great. not the best thing for dry skin, but moisturizing over damp skin will offset that.

I once went to my doc with a foot/leg that was swelling for no good reasons, and rashes in two different areas. her first words were "i really hate rashes, you know that?" i ♥ my doc for her honesty.

here's hoping it goes away quickly. Sam and Giles might have to take action if you keep caladryling your girls.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

My girls are caladryling THEMSELVES! I swear, Sam and Giles, I truly am trying to keep them off it!

Little Girl was soooooo confused and unhappy this morning when I butted her away, though. I have always welcomed her show of affection and now since last night I've not let her brush against my legs. I went over to make nice and she was all shy about even sniffing my fingers. Poor thing!

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

Meanie! Covering your cats with Caladryl! Meanie! Terrible meanie! I think the cats gave you the rash just to prove you are a meanie! ;)

Although, I have been known to take foil that has wrapped something and mold it to the cats back like a saddle to watch it shake it's butt trying to get it off ;)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I have been known to take foil that has wrapped something and mold it to the cats back like a saddle to watch it shake it's butt trying to get it off

*I'M* the meanie??? I've NEVER been known to drape string all over a cat to watch her shake it off, nor have I EVER EVER tickled the tips of a cat's ears, no never.

um. well.

hardly ever.

[jupiter29.livejournal.com]

EDIT: Enough with the doctor comments, people. Would you believe I almost wrote in the original post, before anyone said anything that anyone ordering me to see a doctor would be summarily unfriended for insulting my intelligence? I know it's a caring thing and not meant as an insult, but enough already. If I were a better writer you'd all be laughing at the image of a Caladryl-covered cat instead. The humor in the situation was part of the point of making a post at all. Some day I'll be more skilled....

If it makes you feel any better, I read this and did not care about you at all. ;)

Hope you're feeling better, though.