1. Community
  2. Skin and nails
  3. Dermatology

My 88-year-old mother itches all over despite my applying E45 cream to her entire body every night. What can be causing this?

Posted , 3 users are following.

wingbel
wingbel

I am her sole carer. She has vascular dementia and an ovarian tumour and has recently had a transfusion of blood (one unit). The itch has become so severe that she scratches until she bleeds. Her back and feet are now particularly bad. She cannot get to sleep at night and becomes tearful at the intensity of the condition. Our GPs have tried amending some of her drugs but now seem to be at a loss.

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    A common sneaky cause of itching is Liver problems smile
  • mrsmop
    mrsmop

    Posted

    I was itching everywhere because of the skin condition that I have. My GPs gave me Hydroxyzine which is a sedating antihistamine which helps with itching. My itching is now under control but partly to do with taking steroids along with the Hydroxyzine. I started with 10mgs at night but then went onto the 25mgs at night for quite a long time, maybe a year.

    The problem with itching, is that it also keeps you awake and being without sleep adds to the problem. The Hydroxyzine knocked me out!

    My GP told me that Hydroxyzine is an old-fashioned antihistamine. Good luck wingbel

  • minnie1964
    minnie1964

    Posted

    dont know if this could instantly help with your moms health issues...... but please check out the silk worm

    miracle enzymes called SERRAPEPTASE or even better still SERRANOL. Lots of testimonials for lots of different conditions. i have been on SERRANOL since last summer for various health problems, and its amazing. look it up online, hope this can help with your moms ovarian tumor and also vascular problems, the skin problem is probably connected to the vascular restrictions (serrapeptase will help to de-gunk the little plaques that build up in the arteries/veins etc. As long as she is not on blood thinners she can take these little enzyme pills

    good luck

  • pmailkeey
    pmailkeey

    Posted

    IMO your GP is your first port of call. Our GP says they' don't do 'skin' any more leaving this to District Nurses - try giving them a call for an opinion / options. They'll be based most likely at your nearest hospital.

    E45 is unlikely to help and I can't rule out it making it worse.

    Disappointing on the GP front. Considering the 'inconvenience'/pain etc. give the GP a deadline to sort it out (choose a deadline you feel is 'acceptable' to your mother, considering the discomfort she's in - whether you set a deadline of 2 hours or a few days). When you reach that deadline, take her in to A+E. You are allowed to vary that deadline without telling the GP, any time you want.

    Best of luck - but you just have to hammer away at the NHS.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.