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Itchy, burning welts = insanity

03 May 2003 by AL

So Ive spent the last week with a curious, itchy skin allergy that has pushed me to the limits of sanity. At first I thought it was a new washing detergent that my skin didnt like. (washing detergents are very aggressive for your skin) But it seemed that I got these “hives” also when I used my skin lotion. My legs and butt were breaking out in what looked like big red misquito bites - they multiplied each day and itched like crazy. I tried everything - eating healthier, taking calcium, no alcohol or coffee, no skin creams, washed my clothes again and again in “skin-friendly” detergent - everything. It seems that the detergent switch helped a lot but it somehow stuck around and got even worse. I finally broke down and went to the dermatologist who prescribed me anti-histamines. I was leery of them but overjoyed to get some relief and to finally get some work done. Ive never taken anti-histamines and the next 24 hours was spent in a dizzy, dazed stupor. I was flying high - all the side effects hit me like brick upside the head. I stopped taking them to think straight again and the hives came back one day later. Now Im on a half-dose (5mg) which seems to still make me dizzy but at least not dazed.

Needless to say, Im still searching for a solution as to what has caused this. Ive been reading everything I can get my hands on and what Ive discovered is that our world is extremely toxic. Our food, detergents, soaps, lotions, carpets, walls, clothes and everything else which comes into contact with our bodies contains some chemical or unnatural substance which has the potential to make us sick. When you really examine what you use, eat and come into contact with everyday, its really scarey. No wonder cancer is so widespread.

Who out there has had a cross-allergy (two substances which in combination, cause allergies), a skin allergy, or any other skin sickness from environmental factors? Do you suggest any books or methods?

52 comments so far (Post a Comment)

03 May 2003 | evan said...

How appropriate - I watched Safe just last night. For relief, try apple cider vinegar externally.

03 May 2003 | kev said...

i've randomly had my hands get red and puffy a number of times - with seemingly nothing in common among the circumstances. Once was with flowers and every other time has just been random. I kind of narrowed it down to trying not to touch things a lot of other people have touched.. like railings at museums or display items in a store. Sometimes it happens with these things and somtimes it doesnt. I'm still searching for the magic substance that inflicts itself on me, but no luck so far. Having insurance might help, but i wouldnt know. anyway, i just stay away from those types of things as much as i can. not a very good answer, im afraid.

03 May 2003 | mike said...

if you suspect its a reaction to detergent and you've washed your clothes already some of the irritant may still be on your sheets. make sure to wash your sheets again too.

03 May 2003 | Brad Lauster said...

Is it possible that you just have poison oak? ...or depending on where you live, poision ivy?

If so, I suggest washing everying that may have come into contact with the oil from the plant using Tecnu. That stuff is magical! It'll stop the breakouts, but you're stuck with the "hives" until they run their course.

04 May 2003 | Fredclef said...

Okay, it seems as though you could be allergic to everything in the World that your skin comes into contact with, or it could be as simple as your body is mutating, for a lack of better explaination, or stress. One approach is to cut out using soap, lotion, deodorants, shampoos and the like for 24-36 hours to see if its one of those. If there is a change, you can narrow it down from there. One of my favorites is an old southern african-american home remedy, put a banana on the back of your neck and a potato cut in half underneath your armpit overnight to see if that helps. The last is probably the one that I would say it is, you are probably developing some form of Eczema (God, I hope I spelled that right) or its stress- finish the work you are currently doing and go on a vacation (holiday.) Hopefully, I helped, if not, what do I know- its 2a.m. and I can't sleep because I am itching myself and I don't know why.

04 May 2003 | alisha said...

these are great tips - thanks. I especially like the potato under the the armpit trick. Ill be sleeping with vegetables tonight - I wonder what my husband will say. The vinigar one makes a lot of sense to me. Tecnu also sounds good, but wouldnt poison oak make me break out only in the spots it touched?

Honestly Im starting to feel like Sol Rosenberg when asking for help from doctors or pharmasists. "I have these awful bumps all over my ass and lights. They itch and theyre silly-lookin..."

05 May 2003 | ouch! said...

Tecnu also sounds good, but wouldn't poison oak make me break out only in the spots it touched? No. You can spread it by scratching. I once had poison ivy that started on my arm and ended up covering 96% of my body. It was everywhere my hands had been. In my ears, on my scalp, even down there. If you ask me, it sounds like a food allergy to me - I had a reaction to octopus which was very similar.

05 May 2003 | alisha said...

I stopped taking the anti-histamines for a couple days and ended up getting it worse this morning. I looked like a lepar. The vinigar didnt help but a bath did - hmmm, maybe my skin is allergic to oxegen? So Ive been reading, and Ive decided to do a 3-day apple fast to see if detox helps my immune system nail this. 8-10 apples, 3-4 liters of water and a teaspoon of olive oil per day. The pectin leeches all toxins out of your blood.

do you think poison ivy or food poisoning can last 2 weeks?

05 May 2003 | ouch! said...

I don't remember my "systemic" poison ivy lasting that long - maybe two weeks at the most, with the symptoms lessoning daily.

It's definitely something that you are exposed to on a daily basis - if it has gotten worse again. Maybe you could post a photo of one of your bumps and we can all make our armchair assessments. Keep in mind as well that you may go 20 years without ever having a reaction to something and then the one day - instant allergy. I would get back on the anti-histamines if you can stand it.

Have you compared your symptoms with folliculitis (sp?)?

05 May 2003 | Frank said...

Wow, sounds like a blog entry

05 May 2003 | scratchy said...

fwiw (not much probably), a related story...

A few years ago I realized that on treks home from the gym in cold weather that by the time I made it home that my legs were damn itchy...I had a look and discovered the red welts of hives. They'd go away after I warmed up, but considering I hadn't had an allergic reaction to anything since I was about 4yrs old, I was a bit concerned.

I did some research on various medical sites, and discovered that you can get hives from pretty much anything, cold included. And specific to the cold triggered hives, it was common for the reaction to not begin until your 20's, and could last for as little as a couple months or as long as a decade.

Anyways, I think that it was actually the combination of cold and synthetic fibers rubbing against the skin for an extended period of time, because neither caused the hives by themselves.

06 May 2003 | alisha said...

Wow, sounds like a blog entry
---
sorry, I know its nasty of me, but Im running out of resources. I wont do it again.

06 May 2003 | Don Schenck said...

Funny ... of all the things that I could be allergic to and get hives, only one: Ivory soap.

How queer is that?

23 Jun 2003 | Sue said...

It's June 22nd - has your issue cleared up? My husband suffered (literally) from identical symptoms. Let me know if you're still looking for relief.

15 Jul 2003 | robin said...

My best friends daughter had hives for9 months
finally the Dr's discovered an antibodie in her blood
and once they new that they were able to treat it
and now she is fine, what might have caused it is
a virus and then it got into her blood stream and she
reacted in getting hives. The treatment caused the
hives to never return anyway it's something to think about.
hope you get better

29 Jul 2003 | Diane said...

I feel my 'hives' were triggered by effexor and made worse by zoloft (antidepressants) which I discovered once I went off them several months ago. I still have occasional breakouts but nothing like I suffered with these past couple of days. I woke up with itchy welts all over my scalp yesterday morning that gradually went away early afternoon until I worked up a sweat doing yard work - the welts came back. In the evening welts broke out on my inner thighs but by bedtime I was fine. This morning, my itchy, bumpy scalp woke me up. After about an hour I scratched an itch on my lip and now, several hours later, my lips are swolen and itchy as well as my wrists, hands and fingers. I have the occasional welt pop up elsewhere on my body, including my back and legs (just one bump here and there) but they disappear within a half hour. It is the swolen lips that bother me at this time because the swelling is spreading towards my eye.

I have found that hydrocortisone cream works wonders for relieving the itch but "After Bite" is awesome (keep it away from open wounds!)

14 Aug 2003 | Lind said...

My adult daughter has been to doctors in different specialities. NO help there. For one month she has what she describes as looking like welts. If she brushes up against anything at all, or someone touches her, she gets a red welt in that spot. Temporarily, the only thing that gives a little relief is the Alleve she takes - high doses.

What's going on? Any suggestions other then the usual? We're probably looking at something unusual.

Any serious ideas are most welcome.

Linda

20 Aug 2003 | Richard said...

I agree with the food idea, it happened to me. Try changing where you eat out, all of them. Mine turned out to be something to do with the way a grill was cleaned at a chain of fast food places. No more chicken burritos for me. There were other factors, but, that turned it into a three alarm itching rage, blisters, etc. I still eat the same things, just not at those places. I'm almost back to normal.

27 Aug 2003 | TYRONE KWONG said...

HAIR COLOR OR HAIR PERM MIGHT BE THE CAUSE.
RIGHT AFTER COLORING, WHEN I TOUCH MY SKIN,
IT WELT UP OR WHEN I USES THE TOWEL THAT I
DRY MY HAIR WITH ON MY BODY, ITCH OR WELTS ALSO
APPEAR.

28 Aug 2003 | Jerry G said...

Fire!

About 24 hours ago, I woke up at 3:00 A.M. because of an awesome itchy thing. I turned on the lights and saw these red itchy and nasty lookin bumps all over my body. I couldn't sleep. Then, in the morning, I took a shower and tried to wash off this infection. I washed the sheets too. Then, about an hour later, welts started breaking out on my face, bigtime. I called the hospital. A nurse told me to take Benadryl. It works temporarily for me, but as soon as the antihistame wears off, the welts pop up with revenge. Also, it seems that too much of that could give me a heart attack. My chest was hurting af I took three Benadryls. I have an idea how I contracted this healt condition. Al I know is that Tuesday I cut the lawn and there was alot of grass blowin everywhere. Then we cooked steaks and some left over chops on the grill. I could be from the chops, the grill, the grass, or stress. Im 33, and this has never happened before. I appreciate your site. I'll these suggestion... Thanks

01 Sep 2003 | Esther said...

amazing, I have the same thing the last 2-3 weeks and I break out on my upper thighs and buttocks can't figure it out. The week before this started my mouth swelled up once
It is a puzzle to me these welts are huge itchy monsters.
Have you gotten any relief

20 Sep 2003 | Chrissy said...

I've been suffering from hives for 3 weeks now. I thought it was a temporary reaction to some junk food I was eating, but I stopped eating that & I still continue to break out into hives each day, and they take 2-3 days to disappear completely. They have been on my back, arms, buttocks, legs, feet, and even my face on a few occasions.

It's really a mystery to me. I can't pinpoint it to any food, I'm not outdoors a lot, I'm not allergic to my pet, and my skin isn't known to be particularly sensitive, so I'm stumped. This started the same week that I bought a new mattress, but I have sincepurchased a hypoallergenic case for it & the hives still continue. I've washed my sheets & clothing, but each day, my skin wakes up with new welts & the sheets feel scratchy against my skin.

Do you think it's the mattress that's causing this?

26 Sep 2003 | itchyallover said...

It's 4 20 in the morning. I'm itch all over and my tongue is swollen. it's been like this for 5 weeks. I have no idea what the problem is. I am very itchy and sleepy.

28 Sep 2003 | Bonnie said...

I know this sounds crazy, but is it possible Benadryl "gel" can cause hives? Last summer I developed a rash in the trunk area each time I spent time in our swimming pool....only under the swimsuit on the stomach. I started being "itchy" at night and start using the Bendadryl gel in the middle of the night when I felt itchy. Not sure when the heat rash turned to hives, but the hives got worse and worse and I've now had them for 6 months. The meds I'm on from the allergist really helped, but have not gotten rid of. Just wondering if the hives could actually come from something in some of these meds??

08 Oct 2003 | TZStlouis said...

wow- I am also a hive/welt sufferer and Bonnie's post really hit home, from the standpoint that I had been taking over the counter sleep aids after Sept 11th incident, (THESE are just antihistamine!!)
ANYWAY- after taking pretty consistently for a few months, to help with nite time stress (worrying about the world, and safety, you all know what I mean here!)
I found that my welts and hives kicked in with extreme vengance- EVERYDAY I welt somewhere. sometimes it is my face (gigantic lips and jaw)- sometimes where an undergarmet has touched me- pantyline, waistline,
sometimes ANYWHERE for NO reason whatsoever.

They would start very small and within an hour be the size of a softball, and continue until they grew to be the size of a dinnerplate! and would last for more than 10 hours, sometimes 2 days until they were resolved...

And ALWAYS where a purse strap has laid on my arm, or if I lay my arm across the edge of a counter, where the counter line creased my arm...
It got pretty unreal- missed work (which I NEVER do)-
I did the new laundry soap thing, I changed body soaps, shampoos, alll the stuff...

I started drinking lemon juice in purified water to help detox me from the inside out (1 part juice to 10 parts water) - I just made this my "drink" - and whenever I wanted anything to drink, this is what I drank.

I also got OFFFFF coffee. Coffee was ONE BIG culprit that really seemed to oversensitize my body to stress. And as my coffee intake had increased, so had my welting incidents.

My take on all of this is that I am a very sensitive person, physically and emotionally, and when I am stressed -
(and since 9-11 I have allowed myself to be very stressed with world concerns and my job has been incredibly stressful)

I found that ANY stimulus which increases my sensitivities had to be CUT out....
this one thing (NO COFFEE) has made a HUGE difference.

I hope this helps some of you- I know it has made a great difference for me.

Check out Dr Stoll's website for more info on what he says about this, too
Check out topics related to welting and hives and STRESS MANAGEMENT
- one gal says "The things that have helped and continue to help me are Skilled Relaxation, Massages, Exercise, and in my
case, magnesium glycinate supplements. When I
started to use magnesium, I was able to get off of
antihistamines completely. I would recommend that
you read in the archives all you can about magnesium
and also do an Internet search on magnesium
deficiency and read up on it to see if this could also be
something that you would benefit from."

http://askwaltstollmd.com/wwwboard/wwwboard.html

Good luck to alll of us!!

10 Oct 2003 | lovey said...

Wow. I didn't realize just how many people suffer from this. My 4 year old broke out today. She has it on her arms, butt and thighs. The poor thing. They itch her but she doesn't complain of anything else. I have asked her questions trying to figure out if there is any thing bothering her or if she has tried anything new at pre-school. She cannot think of anything but I did get her water paints yesterday. She of course painted immediately and this morning she was broke out. I wonder if that can be the cause. I have been putting itching cream on her and I gave her some antihistamine. I hope that it helps.

13 Oct 2003 | jane said...

I've had the incredible burning itch with welts and hives all over my body for about a year now.(corticosteroids for asthma have no effect at all. ) The interesting thing is that they always appear in the same spots, regardless of anything else. They drive me crazy, but no one else seems to understand . I believe they are related, in my case, to grief, frustration and anger. But knowing the probable cause, still does not make them go away. Any ideas??????

13 Oct 2003 | Morris said...

It seems that this hives, welts, itchy, bothersome stuff has a varied affect on many different people, including me. About 9 or 10 months ago. My my ankles began to itch when I got out of the shower. I figured maybe the water and or soap caused it.

Weeks or a month after that my skin beagn itch on my hands and arms at any time of the day. Soon after that I started developing welts after I scratched, usually my arms and legs. Now anywhere on my body is a target for this annoying itchy, welt , hive thing.

Dr. gave me samples of Zertex. It works but the next day after I ran out of samples the itch, welt, hive thing came back and hit me like I stole something.

First a sting, that feels like a mosquito bit. Then I'd scracth. Next one, two, three, four small bumps or more would be in that area. Finally the welts would show up exactly where I'd scratched. After about an 1/2hr the itch and the welts go away. Sometimes a bump would appear out of nowhere and itch. But after resisting to scratch, it would fade away in 15 minutes or so.

The process I've described will happen in two or three different areas on my body at the same time or in one single place. But, as soon as one itch goes away here comes another minutes, or hours later. I have no rest unless I am taking Zertrex. This is Wild!!!

18 Oct 2003 | chrissy said...

Hi, I posted on here before after suffering for almost 2 months with hives. They came on very suddenly, and each day, I would wake up to a whole new batch all over my body. I eliminated every possible allergen, bought new sheets, a mattress cover, etc., and it turns out that I've been getting bitten by bedbugs each night! My doctors were attributing all of my symptoms to stress all these weeks, when in fact I've been getting eaten alive in my own home! The docs were ready to test me for lupus & cancer!

I'd advise all of you with similar symptoms to check your mattress, boxspring & baseboard late at night...you may notice tiny brown bugs there, and these may be the culprit for you, too.

27 Oct 2003 | jared said...

Hello all, I too suffer from hives. For like 4 months now, When I wake up early for anything about an hour after waking up I will get hives on my legs and butt. They go away after an hour or two but it's still really annoying. It usually happens when it's cold in the morning but i'm not sure if that's it. Any comments?

02 Nov 2003 | sandra said...

hello there. i can't believe there are other people like me out there. i never had allergies until jan 2 2001 when i woke up and i had hives/welts all over my body. i went to the doc's asap he didn't do anything but tell me to take benadrel. which makes me sleepy. then i have had hives/welts almost every day. i had allergy tests done. basically he said it was dust mites. but the weird thing is that it usually only happens in certain spots like my stomach, butt, thights,wrists,feet and knees. i only has happened to my face twice. i acutally find in some cases, when i wear thight things around those areas thats usually were the hive takes place. i'm accutally thinking that it is a circulation problem but haven't been able to find anything about it.i take reactine it doesnt' make me sleepy. if i take it as soon as i feel any itchyness it won't turn into a welt if i wait 10 minutes that's it welt here it comes.

03 Nov 2003 | tanya said...

I'm so glad I found this site and hope somebody has advice for me. I've been suffering from itchy palms, scalp, and hives. It started six weeks ago with very itchy palms. A week later I started with a horribly itchy scalp, red itchy skin around my right eye and behind both ears, and "bumps" in my neck.(swollen lymph nodes??) Currently, I still suffer from the itchy palms and swollen lymph nodes. But now I also get hives/welts that appear on and off during the day and night. My skin will be a bright red where the welts appear. The welts/hives don't last long at any given time, but they always comeback. So far my legs are the only spot where I haven't had a problem yet. I haven't started anything new that I'm aware of and wish I had some clue as to whether it's a food allergy or something coming in contact with my skin or maybe even something else. I need some direction. I have to say that my hands have been the most irritating part of this promlem. I am a great sleeper and this has managed to keep me awake. Help! Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

04 Nov 2003 | Osoyoos B.C. said...

12 Nov 2003 | Kim said...

Hi, I too have suffered for years with these hives...I have noted to watch diet and stress and all that stuff...and guess what...it is DRY SKIN...cring out to be moisterized....It hits me when ever the heaters come on, or the humidity in the air is low...I take cool showers and don't dry but use good old baby oil after the shower...lots of lotion without purfumes and colors...at night we toss and turn on sheets and night clothes that pull all our natural mositure out of out skin so really lather it on befor bedtime....Hot showers befor bed or bathes really trigger it off. I feel that the apperence of the hives on the areas where we tend to sit and where our clothes fit tight, is where we see the most of the hives come up...just carry a ton of lotion with ya and lather up all the time...hope it helps some of you as it did me...and my Dr also agreed that it was called "winter Itch"..but can happen in low humidity areas...peace..love and naked rabbits...Kim

13 Nov 2003 | Harmony said...

Hey. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one! I am also sorry to hear that this horrible thing is happening to someone else. My hives started about 8 years ago, they are always along the lining of my jaw and upper neck. I have had a lot of experience with this since I have been dealing with it for so long. Basically this is what I know: Never use Panteen Pro-V or Coconut Suave - you will probably end up with major hives. Head and Shoulders seems to be the best shampoo to use(reaction wise) Try Jergens soap (but don't use it on the affected area) Only use water on the areas affected by the rash. Try to cut down on your milk, wheat, soy, eggs and fish intake. (You don't have to cut it out completely) - basically you need to figure out which item is causing your allergy. It could be several different things. Watch out for laundry detergents (try only washing your garments in water) also watch out for things that seem harmless like moisturizer - yes I said moisturizer! Most of them have ingredients that cause allergies in non-allergic people -so BE WARE. I have found some informaton on the subject that may be helpful. Some doctors in India are studying this right now and they have named the disorder Urticaria. It is some type of over exageration of the immune system! You are too healthy - start doing things that will weaken your immune system. For starters avoiding antibiotics if you have a cold. Don't think healthy when you eat, just eat what you are hungry for. Take tylenol when you don't feel well. I have noticed a decrease of the rash when taking certain pain killers. I hope this has been helpful. I will bring the link to the site on Urticaria when I get time.

13 Nov 2003 | Harmony said...

Here is the link I promised to the Urticaria website people should be made aware of this allergy problem, it effects more people than we all know!

http://www.aad.org/pamphlets/Urticaria.html

18 Nov 2003 | Kyle said...

Hey can anyone help me out...my gf has been very itchy on her arms and legs, and when she scratches she gets these red welts that look like misqutio bites? is this some alergic reaction? or what? can anyone help me.....thanks

24 Nov 2003 | lucy said...

i've been searching the web high and low for information about rashes just like those you all have described. for 3 months now, i've had a painful, burning rash on my palms, soles of my feet, and hives on the backs of my thighs and various other weird places.

i thought it was from handling something while i stocked at a store, but it's still here after 3 months, a trip to the ER, swollen lips and so forth.

i'm thinking it's autoimmune related, but my tests were all neg. i'm about to go nuts.

i can feel the pain and burning before i see the redness. on my palms and soles, it's tight and swollen and painful. on my thighs, etc, it's just a slightly itchy hive-like rash.

my family has a history of autoimmune diseases, but my lab was negative (ANA). HELP!

25 Nov 2003 | susan said...

Hi I have it all too! It started out with itchy palms then itchy ears. then just hives all over my body, but in segments. my arms then later switch to my stomach... and so on. I did go to the emergencys room when it went to my scalp. Bumps all over pretty scarey! I tried everthing, predisone , benadrly, allergra, one thing seem to help is cimedine, a gas medicine for heart burn, you can get it over the counter, it works on certain people the doc said, I could not live with out that, But my wonder drug for me is Zyrtec, it is a antihistamine,take one before I go to bed works good for about 24hrs, but then I need it again then, going on 5 months now, have been tested for everything that I could be allergic to. Just the typical stuff grass, dust, and mold. hopefully this will go away. Also blood test all came back neg. I feel like I have lupus???? They say sometimes it is hard to detect. I also have raynauds(cold hands that turn purple the slighest bit of cold) anyone like this? any cure?

25 Nov 2003 | susan said...

Hi I have it all too! It started out with itchy palms then itchy ears. then just hives all over my body, but in segments. my arms then later switch to my stomach... and so on. I did go to the emergencys room when it went to my scalp. Bumps all over pretty scarey! I tried everthing, predisone , benadrly, allergra, one thing seem to help is cimedine, a gas medicine for heart burn, you can get it over the counter, it works on certain people the doc said, I could not live with out that, But my wonder drug for me is Zyrtec, it is a antihistamine,take one before I go to bed works good for about 24hrs, but then I need it again then, going on 5 months now, have been tested for everything that I could be allergic to. Just the typical stuff grass, dust, and mold. hopefully this will go away. Also blood test all came back neg. I feel like I have lupus???? They say sometimes it is hard to detect. I also have raynauds(cold hands that turn purple the slighest bit of cold) anyone like this? any cure?

25 Nov 2003 | susan said...

peolpe try cimetidine,over the counter gas medicine, for heartburn.it does help the itchyness,and the hives, but you will need a antihistamine. Since our bodys are making too much histamine. I found it work for me, your not tired on it.But I am now on Zyrtec it helps out great, but it is not the cure

25 Nov 2003 | Al said...

Holy smokes...........I'm not alone then.

I've had these "Hives" for several months now - on the lower torso only in the midrif area , legs and ankles and when I visited the Doc he told me it wasn't Hives or any Allergic reaction. He didn't know what it was though and prescribed "Elocom" cream (available only on prescription in Canada) - This cream is apparently a steroid cream and I must say it did the trick (rubbing it sparingly on the red patches) until a couple of weeks after the prescription ran out. Since then I've been putting up with it (It usually is at its worst in the evening hours and particurlay before retiring to bed). After showering in the morning I've got into the habit of smothering the areas with moisturizing cream which settles it down all day. When it flares up randomly after supper, I apply a little moisturizing cream and presto ! it goes away. until the next time. Of course I'm hoping that eventually it will go away on its own. Am I living in a dream world ? I'm sure that the Doc is a waste of time !

29 Nov 2003 | christy said...

My Goodness, I just can't believe all the complaints about this itch that is possibly going around. I first noticed my ankles itching something terrible at the movie theater about 4 weeks ago. The itch has went everywhere on my body including the sculp and down in my ears. When I scratch the itch or if anything rubs the skin, my skin will turn red with a red welt minutes later after the skin has came contact with an object. The red welt is the shape of the object that touched my skin with several small pumps popping up and sometimes the itch feels like i have insulation all over me. And it is a burning itch. Some of my clothes feel scratchy to me now. The same clothes I have always worn. I believe I will make an appointment to see my family Dr. I have tried everything. Lotion seems to help calm down the itching some. But I know something is wrong and dry skin doesn't itch this bad and the effects after scratching is not caused by dry skin. Sometimes I get to thinking that maybe there may be a parasite on the skin involved. It's so ironic that I started this itching while sitting in a movie theater. I remember scratching my ankles through out the whole movie. If I can get an answer from the Dr as probable cause I will let you all know. All I know is the itching drives me crazy.

19 Dec 2003 | nICOLE said...

When you find out what it is tell me. About two weeks ago I was in the shower instantly started iching, scraching myself giving myself big welts all over my body. especially at night. I freaked thought it was scabies went to the doctor got linnadane and applied. I still have welts 6 days later. changed everything, washed everything and still have them. I think that it could be the change of weather, or maybe a major reaction to something I ate.

26 Dec 2003 | Ron Sylvestre said...

I have the same itchy burning spots on my hands and arms.It feels like a hot burn in one very tiny spot on my skin. It feels like it is getting hotter and hotter and I scratch like I,m going out of my mind because it feels so ithcy I can scratch so hard I break the skin and sometimes there are little bumps on the skin.I can stare at my skin and see nothing wrong on the surface but under my normal looking skin the size of a pin head I feel a burn getting stronger and stronger and I got to scratch to get relief from anxiety it causes me.It,s 5 am and I just finished haveing an attack I applyed this arthritis cream that really works a friend shared with me to relieve his itching. Anyone out there who has these sysmtems e-mail me and we can talk on the phone and I,ll share it with you. Ron

27 Dec 2003 | Linda said...

I'm browsing for related articles on itchy bumpy painful articles and I've come across this site. I'm having this rash problem. About three weeks ago I got hives (self diagnosed) on my lower legs and arms. They finally went away after a few days and all was well. Yesterday morning I developed a red sore bump under my right armpit. I figured it was from shaving. Now this morning I had a couple of spots that sort of itched but were sore upon touch. When I got up and looked in the mirror I have them all over my torso! Most are about the size of a pea. I also seem to have random itching on various parts of my body but no visible spots. I sure hope someone comes up with a diagnosis they can post. Doctors don't seem to want to do anything but treat the symptoms. Good luck to everyone!

03 Jan 2004 | Cindy said...

I stayed over to help a friend that could not get out of bed from lower back pain. She had a very small dog that scratched my finger breaking the skin a little. It burned immediately and felt like a paper cut. The next day the cut was covered with small painful red bumps filled with fluid. I popped the bumps thinking it was like an ant bite and things really got bad. The bite or scratch happened during Thanksgiving and here it is now a new year. The painful red rash and itching and lesions have nearly deformed my entire hand. I am covered with thousands of small hard and painful bumps and my two fingers have nearly rotted off from the nail to the knuckles. I have tried everything and been to over 10 doctors, all blood tests have come back negative and cultures negative they wanted to call it hurpies then shingles then allergic reaction yet all tests say it isn't so. Everywhere the rash is also deadening the nerves and parts of my hand feel dead. I am suffering from a burn as bad as if I were in a fire and itching as if I have Poison oak but I do not. It is traveling up my arm and has past my wrist now. I cannot take much more. HELP HELP HELP PLEASE IS ANYONE OUT THERE AT ALL THAT CAN HELP? I have lost my job and my home now because of this and it has left me devastated. I am 52 yrs old and was making over $3,000. a week as a manager at Private Min Storage yet when I got bite they fired me for making friends with a customer and helping her. I want to just lay down and die I don't have any answers anymore. I am a mom and have a twelve year old and this has robbed us from our home, our job, we had no Christmas, nor and Thanksgiving, and now I am forced to exist barely on WELFARE and live on my oldest sons floor. What is going on GOD?

03 Jan 2004 | Cindy said...

I stayed over to help a friend that could not get out of bed from lower back pain. She had a very small dog that scratched my finger breaking the skin a little. It burned immediately and felt like a paper cut. The next day the cut was covered with small painful red bumps filled with fluid. I popped the bumps thinking it was like an ant bite and things really got bad. The bite or scratch happened during Thanksgiving and here it is now a new year. The painful red rash and itching and lesions have nearly deformed my entire hand. I am covered with thousands of small hard and painful bumps and my two fingers have nearly rotted off from the nail to the knuckles. I have tried everything and been to over 10 doctors, all blood tests have come back negative and cultures negative they wanted to call it hurpies then shingles then allergic reaction yet all tests say it isn't so. Everywhere the rash is also deadening the nerves and parts of my hand feel dead. I am suffering from a burn as bad as if I were in a fire and itching as if I have Poison oak but I do not. It is traveling up my arm and has past my wrist now. I cannot take much more. HELP HELP HELP PLEASE IS ANYONE OUT THERE AT ALL THAT CAN HELP? I have lost my job and my home now because of this and it has left me devastated. I am 52 yrs old and was making over $3,000. a week as a manager at Private-Mini Storage in Mobile Alabama yet when I got bite they fired me for making friends with a customer and helping her. I want to just lay down and die I don't have any answers anymore. I am a mom and have a twelve year old and this has robbed us from our home, our job, we had no Christmas, nor and Thanksgiving, and now I am forced to exist barely on WELFARE and live on my oldest sons floor. What is going on GOD?

12 Jan 2004 | Shadowmaiden said...

Do you know what I think? All of you people should go to a dermatologist, because I've never read such incredibly ridiculous and varying suggestions for the initial question asked. Unless you can absolutely pin down what caused your reaction, it is best to go to a doc, and first determine what kind of skin reactionit is- i.e. allergic, chemical, cholinergic, etc. Then you can start figuring out if it was a detergent, food, virus, or other.
Go to dermatlas.com and check out the photos there.

17 Jan 2004 | mae said...

i have suffered with hives in my scalp for several years now, they come and go, sometimes lasting for a few minutes up to several days. i finally broke down and went to an allergist when the hives traveled to other parts of my body, behind my ears, my back, buttocks etc etc. as it turns out i am severely allergic to most things in my surroundings. dust mites and molds are the absolute worst and your bed is filled with dust mites as they live and feed off the dead skin you slough off when you sleep. i have had to cover my mattress and boxspring with plastic covers, also my pillows, and my bed clothes have to be washed every week in boiling hot water to kill the dust mites that have made it into my bed since the last cleaning. i am also on mega doses of antihistimines, 180 mg of allegra and nasonex in the morning, singulair and zyrtec at night and benedryl in between if needed. this is a six week trial to see if these can eleviate the problem, if not then shots are the next thing recommended, this is just the second day for my treatment, i am still miserable but i know i am not alone in this as i have looked at these messages in the past, but it robs you of all quality of life, anything is better than this.

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31 Jan 2005 | compatelius said...

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