so very itchy!

[annarayne]

back in may, i apparently caught a virus that caused me to break out in hives ALL over my body.. there was hardly a spot missed! i swelled up everywhere (even my tongue), itched horribly! and it caused a whole world of problems that lasted well over a month. they said "viral" because they didn't know what it was.. i was in and out of the hospital..
anyway, its been quite a while, although i'm still having a lot of red spots on my skin and it's itchy. it looks more like random rashes then hives.. definately they aren't hives (not like what i saw back in may).. my doctor had told me that because of the break out, my skin would be hyper sensitive for a few months afterwards.. well, my skin is still hyper sensitive! after i come out of the shower... i'm red all over, and it takes hours for it to go away. it's like my skin has a rash.. even just scratching a tiny bit will result in a rash-like thing... then it itches more! and sometimes it just goes red for no reason at all.. i get it mostly on my arms and neck.. which is noticeable unless i want to suffocate myself every day with a turtle neck..
what can i do for this?? is there any sort of otc cream that really works well? sometimes at night all i'm doing is itching and i can't sleep because it itches so bad.. it's very annoying..

[jhmitch]

Hi annarayne!

Originally Posted by annarayne

my doctor had told me that because of the break out, my skin would be hyper sensitive for a few months afterwards.. well, my skin is still hyper sensitive! after i come out of the shower... i'm red all over, and it takes hours for it to go away. it's like my skin has a rash.. of otc cream that really works well? sometimes at night all i'm doing is itching and i can't sleep because it itches so bad.. it's very annoying..

I'm sorry you have to go through this crazy itching! A pharmacist suggested I try Aveeno Anti-Itch Cream when I began itching with hives and it really has helped. This cream contains Calamine lotion and comes in a small tube.

The other thing that has helped me is that when I went to see an allergist (still don't know the results of the blood tests he ordered), he prescribed Allegra and hydroxyzine - a night-time antihistamine syrup to stop itching and encourage sleep. These medications plus the use of a Aveeno Anti-Itch Cream has helped a great deal to settle things down.

If your skin doesn't itch less with the cream & OTC antihistamines, then it might be wise to see either an allergist or a dermatologist for a prescription medication.

Best wishes.

[annarayne]

i can't see any doctors right now, but when i move back home that's a possibility. i have anti itch medicine.. although, i don't want to waste it now in case i get another reaction. i have had random hives since, but nothing really bad.. just a few spots here and there. i'll check out that aveeno anti-itch cream.. so far aveeno seems to be really good for almost everything! haha.. they seem to be ontop of their game eh. (off topic) anyway, thanks for the suggestion. hopefully it works!

[CheerAngel]

The cause of the hives could be anything from an infection to an autoimmune disease if your hives are chronic. If they are acute, it's most likely due to allergies.

Do you take warm/hot shower? If you do, that's the reason you will be red all over with the rash. Heat is a mast cell degranulator, which also means heat causes the body to release mast cells which in turn releases histamines (the chemical that cause you to be itchy n cause the hives) and other chemicals. Mast cells are body's specialized white blood cells that helps fight infection.

There's a cream that you might want to try other than those steroid ones. Cromolyn cream is made using one of the cromolyn preparations (Gastrocrom, Nasalcrom). To make the cream with Nasalcrom, mix 1 part Nasalcrom with 3 parts lotion or cream - enough of each to make approx. 60mL; mix well and
then add 1/4 tsp glycerine. Test it on a small area to make sure that you don't have a reaction to it. Cromolyn is a mast cell stabilizer and it works by preventing any degranulation in the first place.

You can take benedryl to help you sleep and also the itch at night too. Btw, are you on any medications daily? Do you go back to your doctor for follow ups? Feel better!

[annarayne]

i am on daily meds. well, at times, but every night i take aless, which is a birth control. if i start to break out (acne wise) which isnt often anymore, i use minocin but its been a month since i've used any.
i only saw my doctor once after the hives stopped. because of this, my skin rashing a lot.. i do take warm showers, but not dying hot..i used to but since this i know my skin is too sensitive for that. my skin has a tinge of pink/red almost all the time, then almost anything can cause it to rash up..
i can't see my doctor for another few months because i'm not at home.. so seeing a doctor right now is nearly impossible.
thanks for the advice! i'll see what i can do