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Itchy skin (pruritus) - worried

Posted , 6 users are following.

itchy1983
itchy1983

Hi, I'm a 32 year old caucasion male, 5'11". 2 years ago I went to the doctor complaining of fatigue etc and he did some blood tests, which showed low vitamin D and some abnormal LFT's. I was sent for a liver ultrasound which confirmed fatty liver.

2 years later, I'm trying to lose weight. At the start of November I was 17st5lb, now I'm 16st3lb so weight loss is going well. I've switched from eating lots of processed food to eating more wholegrains, nuts (walnuts and almonds), lean chicken and have switched from dairy milk to Soya. My calorie intake is usually around 1400/day.

However, over the last 2 weeks I've developed generalised itching. I've ignored it for a while, but over the last week I've been very worried about it. There is no rash and it's not concentrated on any particular body part. I've tried antihistamines and moisturising to no avail.

I have a doctor's appointment tonight as I'm extremely worried about it being my liver again, particularly Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (which seems to have an itch as the first symptom).

Does it sound like PBC? Or could it be an allergy to Soy or something? (From today I've switched to Almond milk).

Any advice greatly appreciated!

Thanks

1 like, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • wilmatm
    wilmatm itchy1983

    Posted

    Hi itchy. When i was first diagnosed about 14? Years ago my first symptoms were fatigue painful bones tendons etc. itching was way worse with every pregnancy. 

    The first piece of advice my specialist gave me was avoid soy at all cost as its very hard for the liver/body to process

    Look up coffee enema's and liver disease also.  

    If its PBC once you are on medication it generally stops it in its tracks and you will die of old age before liver disease in this case. 

    Hope fully its something easily fixed. 

    Good luck

    Wilma. 

    • delma04
      delma04 wilmatm

      Posted

      hi wilmatm , do u have liver cirrhosis ? u diagnosed 14 yrs.ago? because im worried , i have fatty liver , my biopsy is good , my ultra sound is good too .. im having MRI on dec.9 .. because my billirubin is high .. im jaundice .. but my biopsy is fine .. im so worried 
    • wilmatm
      wilmatm delma04

      Posted

      Hi Delma. I have what is called Primary Biliary Cirhosis for at least 14 years now. 

      I am only stage 2 thank goodness and since being on my medication have only progressed one stage in 14 plus years. 

      My Drs also think it could be a crossover to fatty liver disease but the antibodies are positive for the PBC. 

      How are you feeling?  Are you feeling unwell?, do you have pain/ discomfort?, 

      I really feel for you as there is nothing worse than not knowing. Our minds can be terribly cruel at times. 

      I guess there is nothing you can really do till you know the results of all your tests. 

      I know a lot of people will cringe at this but really the coffee enemas really do help and are fairly simple to do. They help with pain and inflamation and cleansing of the liver. Do your self a favour and look up liver disease and coffee enemas. 

      Sorry cant help you more but i will listen to your concerns and worries. 

      Hope the MRI goes well. 

      Best of luck. 

      Wilma. 

    • wilmatm
      wilmatm delma04

      Posted

      Hi Delma just read about a condition called Gilberts syndrome. Chech it out online. 
    • delma04
      delma04 wilmatm

      Posted

      hi wilma .. thank you 4 ur reply .. sori im not speak well in english .. smile i will let u know the result of my MRI .. Again Thank u so much ..

      God bless u always 

      Delma.

  • chrissy78668
    chrissy78668 itchy1983

    Posted

    Hi I have the same itchy problem on the upper body I have non alcoholic cirrhosis and I'm told it's because of cirrhosis...talk to your dr and see what he says Chrissy 
    • chrissy78668
      chrissy78668 delma04

      Posted

      Hi Delma I had a biopsy in 2013 so 18 moths now....mine is pretty bad all my liver is affected unfortunatly non alcoholic cirrhosis has the same affect as alcoholic cirrhosis!!!! My best option now is to have gastric bypass it won't cure the cirrhosis but it will hold it back a while a daunting thought!!! Regards Chrissy 

       

    • delma04
      delma04 chrissy78668

      Posted

      hi chrissy .. thank u 4 ur reply ..

      always take care .. God bless u .. 

      hugs u ..

      Delma.

    • wilmatm
      wilmatm chrissy78668

      Posted

      Hi Chrissy. I had the by pass but i want to caution you on something very important. 

      Once you have had your bypass you will no longer be able to make your own vit b 12. You will need frequent b shots. 

      You will need to take calcium citrate and vitd D for the your bones. 

      Having that surgery left me lactose intolerant and unable to eat much in the way of wheat. 

      But the very worst problem is i have the smelliest bowel motions i have ever smelt and i was a nurse for many years lol. Not to mention the very explosive bowel motions at times. 

      So in saying that i have since been told i should have had the sleeve as you still have small amount of gastric acid which converts some vit and minerals our body needs. As far as i know it will have yhe same effect too. 

      Dont wish to scare you but would really advise you to look into the pro's and cons of both surgeries. 

      All the best

      Wilma. 

  • itchy1983
    itchy1983

    Posted

    Hi and thanks for the replies. 

    I have cut out the soy since yesterday morning and I think the itching is slightly better today, will see how it goes over the next few days. 

    Couldn't make it to the docs today as got stuck in traffic 😞, had to rearrange for Tuesday. 

    I don't think its cirrhosis, as I have none of the other symptoms (pale stools, jaundice, abdominal pain etc) but I will arrange to get my bloods checked on Tue. 

    Coffee enema - will look into it, however I'm not a big fan of alternative treatments if I'm honest, thanks though 😊 

  • an2727
    an2727 itchy1983

    Posted

    I have fatty liver or maybe worse. i get outbreaks in the scalp area which itch. 

    eating a plum thats not fully ripe( sour like lemon) made the itch go away every time within 10 minutes!. i eat two plums and it goes away for a day  but the.itch returns if i eat sugary and fatty food...if i stick to juicing and drinking  fresh lemon in water with light salt free or low salt boiled veggies for meals...i stay fine . but this plum thing really works for me so far. hope it may work for some of you too. 

    maybe it has very high vitamin C or Vit C   (or something )in the plum that is also easily taken up  by our body to defend and heal the body fast.

    Amit

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