Reporting in !

Welcome back Shebob,

Lovely to hear from you, but sad to hear of all your troubles. Before I had PMR I suffered dreadful itching, just all over, as though I had bugs crawling round under my skin (urrgggh, makes me itch remembering it). I'm a strictly 'chemical' girl. Give me a tablet of any description for any ailment and I'm happy. I had no time for 'alternative' stuff. However, after a similar visit to yours to a dermatologist (at considerable expense, money that would have been better spent on new shoes and handbag!) I decided to try an acupuncturist. I was determined that it wouldn't work, laid on her table with a frown of 'Huh, its all mumbo jumbo' but I have to admit that after 3 sessions the itching finally subsided. It started up again about 7 months later and this time I had just 1 session. Have you ever tried it? Doesn't work for everyone, just wanted to share my experience.

Take care.

Lizzie Ellen

i get bad attacks of urticara from time to time, and take up to four loratadine antihistamine tablets a day to stop the itching, and a top up of two loratadine tablets all the time, i itch at times a lot but the two antihistamines stops it flaring into the rash.

are you taking antihistamines? i find i cannot cope without them, they keep me sane. margaret e.

Hi Lizzie Ellen and M Edwards,

Lizzie Ellen thanks for your input. I may try acupuncture as the homeopathic tabs aren`t working.

M Edwards yes I`m on an antihistamine. I`ve had loratedine, cetirizine, neoclarytin, hydroxyzine and the latest prescribed by the dermatologist- Rupatadine, supposed to be the latest thing. None of them help. I`m convinced it`s my gallbladder, there`s sludge in it according to an ultrasound scan . But they don`t do anything about it till you explode.

Lizzie Ellen the depressing thing is no-one takes this dreadful constant itching seriously though according to some forums people have committed suicide over it. Feel abit like that myself after yet another sleepless scratching night !! Now to find an acupuncturist.

Shebob :oops:

You have my sympathy Shebob. The itching came out of nowhere and drove me to the brink of madness - but when I said to people how awful it made me feel, they looked at me as if I was already mad :? I went to an acupuncturist that had been recommended to me by my gym, not one of the one's on the High Street. I spoke to her at length about her qualifications etc. as I wasn't going to have needles stuck in me by a quack :lol: She was brilliant, shame you don't live near me, I'd highly recommend her. There is an Association of Acurpuncturists I think, so you might get a recommendation from there. I went by the theory that the only thing I had to lose was money!! The other thing I did was to change everything I used on my body ie: shamoo, conditioner, shower gel, washing powder, softener and washing up liquid to perfume free. I use Simple for personal care (£1 a bottle in the £ shop!!) and cheap non-bio, non frangranced washing powder etc. It took about a month for it to calm down, but such a relief. I do hope you find a solution soon, I do know how awful it is and yet it just seems like a simple inconvenience to others doesn't it? Take care and let me know how it goes (by the way, you don't feel the needles at all, strange that!).

Best Wishes

Lizzie Ellen

Urticaria is horrid, Shebob, I've only had it once or twice but for quite brief periods - it just upped and went. No rhyme or reason to it. Husband has it at the moment and is being prescibed prednisolone! :shock: It seems to have helped him a bit but attempts to find what he is possibly allergic to don't seem to have been taken up by the hospital. Apparently it's quite difficult but I should have thought there were some more obvious things to try!! I've tried eliminating all the artificial smelly things from his life,and have discovered alcohol apparently increases the blood flow to the skin so can aggravate it. Sad,

My skin is terribly thin and dry at the moment - I'm not sure whether that's PMR or the steroids but it certainly would make itchiness far worse I'm sure. I use lots of body butter but again I think one has to be quite sure it's a good one. Tried one from the pound shop and it was rubbish.

A lot of white stuff coming down at the moment, just had a big online food order so feeling rather smug! But quite a lot of online presents I've ordered seem to be stuck in a snow drift somewhere...... :snowball: :snowball:

Keep warm everybody - I'm wearing two of everything, probably be three by tomorrow, Pam

The only thing I can add to this is that I always had itchy skin ubtil we had a water softener fitted

We first had one fitted nearly 30 years ago after moving somewhere where the water was really hard I never use any perfumed products Unperfumed soap ,shower cream deoderent( only Boots seem to do it now ) Fairy Liquid and Fairy washing liquid After I shower I always use moisture lotion When my skin feels really dry I use Elizabeth Arden body lotion but about £23 a tube ( unless I get it on ebay ) !!

I am so sorry I cant be any real help and with all the other stressful problems you have you must be at the end of your tether or is it the stress causing it I used to get mild exema always at the back of my neck when I was stressed but eventually grew out of it Your Dermatologist sounds a disgrace !!

I really hope you get relief soon

Mrs G

Methinks time for a different dermatologist! I certainly would be disputing his bill if you are paying yourself! My itching was wheat - eliminating that has reduced the itching to manageable levels with loratidine (2x10mg/day). It's not easy - you wouldn't believe what wheat appears in. However - I can eat spelt and kamut, it's just the highly manipulated, commercialised highly refined stuff that has to be avoided. Now I manage small amounts with just the odd itch. I also itch during the \"cosy moments\" - especially the ones a couple of hours after taking the steroids! They are far worse if I'm using the white non-enteric coated tablets to make up a dose so I'm working on alternating doses comprising 5s and 2.5s to see if that makes a difference. That is also something to bear in mind with a \"allergy\" type reaction - it could be the carrier in any tablets you are taking. The NHS gets its supplies from various places and you may not get the identical drug from the same supplier you had last time - less likely if you get \"brand\" name drugs (part of the row about the use of generics). It is possible to get stuff with different carriers if that is a problem - but it is worth thinking about what was going on at the time it started. But a dermatologist worth his salt should have been rather more helpful - even if it was just words! If you're paying him - stop doing so!!

hope it goes away soon,

EileenH

EileenH

typing one handed, fell over.

Some of our people have found that washing the dye off the enteric coated stopped both the itching and the upset.

And, yes its true, one male in a support group had a dreadful problem and it was all done to a change in 'maker'. Mind it took weeks to solve as nobody believed it. But along came a Lead Pharmacist in the hospital and bingo.

MrsK - do take less water with it next time! My daughter (the paramedic one) is also one-handed at present - she has bicipital tendonitis! Says its the most painful thing she's ever experienced.

I fully appreciate the concept of different coloured pills for different drugs for ease of recognition - but the crap they include in them as colouring and stuffing is unbelievable! Some of the colourings are the sort that are associated with hyperactivity in kids - now would that help the PMR stiffness, I wonder?

Enjoy Christmas - have you got your second lot of snow? It snowed here today - rather more than expected I suspect - and the rest of Italy has also had a visitation! We'll see what it is like tomorrow,

EileenH

You lot never cease to amaze me. There`s always someone to listen and try to suggest something to help. I`ve decided to try Lizzie Ellen`s acupuncturist idea . Then today, shivering for 40 minutes in the cold waiting for a bus to hospital to visit hubby (in hospital after bad side effects following Radiotherapy) I got talking to a lady who is an ex nurse. She was horrified that I hadn`t had a scratch test or blood tests. Anyway, I digress- she also has had ideopathic urticaria and has lupus and she recommended Reflexology. Said it worked wonders for her. So- I`d better start saving up, but first I`ll wash all my coated tablets and try cutting out wheat. Honestly, I`m not being facetious. If they said walk naked round the garden I`d do it I`m so desperate.

You`re all a great bunch of friends Shebob :lol:

Shebob

I hesitated to say this but perhaps it can help, the Harrogate one helped a friend when he came to the end of his tether.

Google the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Then you can choose a clinic near you.

I cannot tell you how much they charge, but I do know the Harrogate one worked for him. I gathered that they tested for everything known thing in one go - but if I remember rightly it took about two weeks. But as my memory is a bit vague on it - you could check it all out.

:snowball: Walk naked round the garden? I'd wait till it warms up a bit Shebob :snowball:

Lizzie xx

Thanks Mrs K, I did as you suggested and the nearest clinic is at Preston Royal Hospital (we`re in Cumbria) We`ve just come back from a two week stay at the Royal Preston where my husband was having radiotherapy. Then he ended up in the local hospital but luckily he`s been sent home today.

The only problem is that the clinic says you must be referred by your doctor. Not much chance of that- she says she hasn`t a magic wand- and only agreed to refer me to this specialist privately, who`s charging a lot for three minutes of his time.

We`ve got six inches of snow outside, perhaps I should go and roll in that , though Lizzie Ellen thinks I should wait till it`s warmer !! Shebob :lol:

Hello Shebob

You poor soul, You have my sympathies. Urticaria is hell.I had it for 10 months last year.Finally a friend of a friend told me about Cider Vinegar. You have to use the best cider Vinegar.

You take two Tablespoons in about 8 fluid ounces of Hot Water, add one heaped teaspoon of Manuka Honey, and one heaped Teaspoon of Black Molasses. Drink it after you have had your main meal of the day. (so it doesn't upset your stomach).

I was so desperate I would have tried anything to get rid of the itch. Well, after four days I realised I was more comfortable, and over the next month it gradually disapeared. I cant tell you what a relief it was.

It may not work for everyone, but it is worth a try.

Good Luck

Brenda.

Hi Brenda, Thanks for that. I`ll certainly give it a try- one things for sure it can`t do me any harm. I`m chemicalled up to the eyeballs with all the tablets and inhalers I have to take. Shebob :wink: