The Itchy answer
 

I like a few others on this forum, have been scratching, and itching. I had my 6 month follow up today, with my PCP, and told him about it. I showed him the pink spot under my arm, in my pit, and so forth. I told him I have been an itchy girl with dry skin, but this is silly. now behind my ears is itchy, and the skin can crack open. He said "its yeast" very common in the increase of heat, and where skin may have a chance to stay moist. I do normally have dry skin itch, but this goes way beyond that. He gave me an anti yeast cream, and said it would be dramatically better in 3 to 5 days.

Has anyone else been told its yeast? I am looking forward to not diggin in my pit in the middle of the night. He said it was nothing I did wrong, or anything my diet kicked off. its just one of those things, and he is seeing a large increase in the amount of yeast patients this year. must be a seasonal or regional thing.

he said some of the over the counter yeast products may help, like lotromin, or things like that, if someone cant afford the MD visit.

Whew. I feel relieved that this can be over with.

I have found that Lamisil is the best...fastest working too.

One thing that may upset your skin is residue from detergents when you wash your clothes. Once the skin gets irritated, then the fungus moves into the tiny cracks and sets up shop. The skin always has fungus on it. Always. But most of the time it does not set up shop.

We double rinse all our clothes. And do not use fabric softeners either. Try this experiment... do a second rinse on a load and watch how much soap comes out into the tub! You will be amazed. In fact we cut back on the Tide also to avoid this.

Also make sure the soap you use to bathe with is mild. I use Dove unscented and it does not leave a soap residue behind and keeps the skin from being defatted. Strong detergent type soaps can remove the protective layers on the skin, and leave little spots for fungus to enter.

The double rinse thing really cuts down on skin problems and works very well for us.

I have itchy skin, too. The worst place right now is on my left hand on top of my thumb.

I seem to itch all over at night when I'm trying to fall asleep. It goes from my hand to my arm to my leg....then my back then my neck then starts all over again on my hand.

I think I finally fall asleep from exhaustion! :rolleyes:

I've tried everything. Unscented lotions, cheap lotions, expensive lotions. I have a pharmacy of lotions in my bathroom closet! Nothing seems to help.

My Dad used to complain of the exact same kind of itching. We used to buy Eucerin lotion by the gallon because he claimed that was the only thing that helped. I admit....I got aggravated at times when he'd constantly complain about the itch. Karma is at work here.......I'm getting my payback twofold!! :o

great tips! thanks.

I do have a big boy washer in the house with a skin care rinse. I cut back to half detergent long ago. We use one of those softener balls in the dryer. works like a charm.

I only use bar soap, the liquid stuff has sodium lauryl sulfates in it. They use that stuff to degrease garage floors. Makes great lather, but strips the protective layers off your hair and skin. I use sulfate free shampoo as well.

I am a lotion junky. I need to drink more water, I know that, but my skin has been dry dry dry for years. I think that helped trap some of that stuff, and it got stuck.

Nice to know I am not alone in my scratchy universe. :grouphug:

Sometimes we seek clean by scrubbing our skin and drying it with towels, cleaning our clothes to the nth degree, fabric softener, dryer sheets, etc. But I find less is best, dry tiny cracks are tough, but the big stuff is manageable. I try to never to disturb (pick pimples, bug bites, scabs, etc) the integrity of my skin. It's there for a reason. Detergent makers want to sell more detergent. We can use less than they say. Fine dry cracks are harder though.

The skin is the largest organ in the body. We need to take good care of it.

Another factor:

Our skin is renewed using fatty acids from our diet. Primarily the Omega-3 fatty acid alpha linolenic acid from Flax oil, and some other sources, like canola oil, walnuts. You have to actively seek out ALA sources. Some "smart" foods now have flax in them.
Some breads ( I am using a flat bread now with flax)
some cereals (will list on the labels or front of box)
Smart Balance products like peanut butter, and mayo have Omega-3 s in them.

If we do not consume enough Omega-3 (and not fish oil which is an end stage product of ALA intake), we cannot renew our skin.

Adequate intake of ALA is important for maintaining our mucus membranes, and skin. Including the lining of the stomach which is dependent on this nutrient.
Testing over the years for ADHD and other neuro problems has shown that in USA we consume far more omega-6's than 3's. Up to 1:25 omega-3 to 6. Optimum levels should be 1:1 up to 1:5.
I have an EFA thread here on this subject:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=6092

If you have deep calluses on your feet, they will change with this dietary change. That is only one example.
My son's acne cleared up with only 1 flax oil a day. I also removed transfats, back then, and now that is being done for us by the government restrictions on it. Today we have infant formula with DHA added, and even pet foods that use this technology. (this was not true 10 yrs ago) So if you'd do it for your dog or cat, you need to do it for yourself too!

Does ALA stand for Alpha Lipoic Acid or Alpha Linolenic Acid? Is there a difference in the two? Should I be taking both? Thanks! :)

My dad has always been itchy. He has those bamboo back scratchers EVERYWHERE around their house. The solution for him has been Purpose bar soap. It's OTC, but I'm not sure if its in the medication or soap section of the store. His back is the worst so he uses a back sponge on a long handle, lathers it up real thick, applies it all over his back and lets it sit and soak on his back as soon as he gets in the shower. Then he rinses his back as the last thing before turning off the water.

I just started getting the itchies after a shower. When we visited them last month, they had a white bar soap in the guest shower that I used and didn't get the itchies. My mom can't remember what it was, though. She's a retired dermitology RN and brought home samplers the drug reps left. She told me what she thought it was but after I bought it and started using it, I can tell its not what they had. Oh well....

Just thought a recommendation for Purpose soap might help someone.

Thank you so much for this suggestion! I don't think I've ever seen this soap before but I'm definitely going to look for it. I did a search and found it on a drugstore type site and the reviews on it were amazing....it actually helps itchy skin.

I'm going to the pharmacy tomorrow and will definitely be getting some of it. Thanks, again. :)

OMG !!! :eek: I woke up at 2am with my underarm ON FIRE! it itched, burned, and felt like someone hucked a fast ball at 100 mph directly into my armpit. its swollen, sore, and very red. The red has spread from the tiny area, and is now covering most of my pit, and ran downwards. I got up and washed off the cream he gave me. I made sure it was all gone, and spread some hydrocort cream on it. WOAH!, I am not going to keep using that stuff!

Looks like I will have to go back to the MD. crap crap crap. :mad:

Yes, Kitty...that abbreviation stands for both.

ALA= alpha lipoic acid

ALA= alpha linolenic acid omega-3
LA= linoleic acid omega-6

In the literature the fatty acids are almost always abbreviated since their names tend to be very long. EPA and DHA for example. ;)

What cream did your doctor give you?

I hope you don't have a cellulitis now!

Although I had a terrible reaction once to Secret deodorant. I will never use THAT again!

I had that same reaction to Dove deodorant. I really liked it, too.....it smelled so good.

When I know I'm home for the day and not planning to go out anywhere I don't even wear deodorant/anti-prespirant. I don't sweat much - even when hot - so I feel like I'm giving my body a break. I've heard that anti-prespirants are bad for you...and that you should only wear deodorant so your body can sweat naturally. Seems logical.

He gave me some Kuric cream, by Teva. Rx only stuff.

I have used Secret all my life, and havent changed soap, or detergent for laundry. It was this line about 3 inches long and about a 1/4 inch wide under my arm, in my pit, in the crack or skin fold. I had it under the other pit, but it went away on its own.

I just feel miserable today. I am going to call the MD in the AM. This is not an emergency, and there is no such thing as a walk in clinic in this state. I have suspected for a while now that copaxone is doing funky things to my skin, and making me one of the driest creatures on earth. I have had MS for a long time I figure, and never felt bad like this until I started taking DMDs to prevent relapses. It may just be time to give this up. I have my MRI on july 13, lets see what that visit brings.

Kuric= ketonazole aka Nizoral

This is antifungal only. No other actions.

Here is a patient info site for it... notice the sulfite warning...

http://www.drugs.com/cdi/kuric-cream.html

Hope it is better tomorrow.

I hope you find some relief REAL soon!

its alot better. Thanks

I am allergic to SULFA, but I wonder if that sulfite is too close for my body to tell the difference. I simply dont want to use that stuff. EVER!

Will call in the AM to find out what else I can try.

I think I have found the culprit for my itchiness.

When I woke up at 1 AM I remembered I hadn't taken my nightly dose of LDN or my HBP pill. I purchased the generic for my HBP medication (Diovan) on a Canadian pharmacy website so I'm taking Valsartan. I've been taking it for quite some time now.

After I took my Valsartan pill I started itching like crazy. Arms, hands, face, legs.....you name it - it itched! I looked up side effects for this drug and lo and behold itching was one of them. Psoriasis was also listed as a common side effect.

I might skip it tonight and see how things go. I know I can't just stop taking it so I'll have to ask my PCP for an rx for something else if this seems to be the problem.

I also have the yeaties problem in all areas of my body, it seems to have become a chronic issue. Diflucan became my best friend. Dry skin and the itchies are a pain in the tuckus!

I did stumble upon a great help. My derm and gyno both swear by it - the new vaseline intensive care healing lotion. For some strange reason it works to keep things pretty well controlled. My psoriasis has improved dramatically and the dry skin is kept at bay (for the most part). The walgreens generic version is also very good, the pharmacist told me it is made at the same factory but I cannot confirm if that is true. I now hae bottles upstairs and downstairs.

Perhaps it will help some of you, at least symptomatically.

My husband uses Aquaphor for this psoriasis.

His flared last year and the doctor gave him Dovonex cream which really worked well, with no side effects. (It is a Vit D derivative).

He controls any little flare now with Aquaphor. WalMart sells it in one pound jars for about $14.

went to the MD. He said I had an allergic reaction to the cream. The sulfites are so close to sulfa (which i am highly allergic to) that my body may not have been able to tell the difference, and over reacted. I cant imagine MY body over reacting. hahaha. So, he gave me Kenalog cream. it says right on it, DONT use on underarms! I called him back, and he told me that I am smart enough to know things that most of the public doesnt. We need to clear out the swelling, and over reaction, and the steriod cream is gonna be my choice, unless I want a medrol dose pack... um, I will take the cream for $200 alex.

I am clean, and put some on, lets see what a mess this can make. :rolleyes: