Too Many Itches To Scratch

~ beetleypete

Some years ago, I wrote about being diagnosed with the incurable skin condition, Pityriasis Rosea.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pityriasis-rosea/

The cause is unknown, though some experts believe it is the legacy of a previous viral condition. It does go away after a while, but then it comes back when you least expect it.

In my case, I am unlucky. It is usually always present somewhere on my body, mostly on the front of my chest, or along the line of the spine in my back. It can become red and raised, and is always terribly itchy. For years now, I have taken an antihistamine tablet at least once a day, sometimes twice. That helps to control the worst of it, as well as liberal application of steroidal creams to the affected areas.

Regular readers will also know of my susceptibility to insect bites, especially mosquitioes and horseflies. I am unusually attractive to any biting insects, and spend the summer months having to use the strongest repellent sprays available, as well as wearing an impregnated wrist band that deters insects.

The sudden rise in temperatures has hit me on both levels this week. The rash has returned on my chest and back, and has also started to appear around my ankles and feet. Walking Ollie has resulted in numerous bites and stings, especially as it has been far too warm to even think about not wearing lightweight shirts and shorts.

So I have woken up this morning with an itch raging across my back and chest. Also on both ankles, and the instep of one foot. Add to that three large itchy mosqito bites on one arm, and I am more than a little agitated. The tablets and creams do not seem to be able to cope with this double-dose of irritation coursing through my body, and I am sitting typing this trying not to rub my back against a wall as I rake my chest with the sharpest fingernail I can find.

I definitely have far too many itches to scratch today.

75 thoughts on “Too Many Itches To Scratch”

  2. Ouch…I have suffered with skin ailments for a long time since my early teens luckily since I have lived here they seem to be under control and virtually non-eqistance…the warmth seems to keep them at bay where the cold in England just made them far worse 🙂

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  4. After Ollie, now ou too, Pete? Hey, i am feeling sorry for this, but maybe you two need a longer vacation far away from the aisles. With enough sun and a great tanning like people in Sicily you will forget all the issues. 😉 Michael

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    1. It comes and goes, Marina. It is more bearable in cooler weather, but I have to cope as best as I can.
      I do stuff to take my mind off it, mostly writing. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  7. If you can find, try Margosa (Neem) oil. Or boil margosa leaves and add to bath water. They are anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-scabis and natural pesticide. They smell bad but they are effective package against a lot of skin diseases or try a sulphur bath.

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    2. I just looked up that oil, and it says it is used as a pesticide, a cure for intestinal problems, and as a traditional treatment for Leprosy. But it is also widely used as an ingredient in skin care products, and as a treatment for skin irritations. I will investigate further. Thanks, Shaily.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  16. Growing up in Missouri, the price I had to pay every summer for spending much of my day out in the fields and woods was “super itchy” poison ivy. I had poison ivy in the usual spots on my body, but also around my eye and in a very private place. Additionally, I lived in mosquito heaven (heaven for them; hell for me). I have no such problems out here in Southern Nevada. Poison ivy is rare (maybe nonexistent) in this part of the state, and the only mosquitoes to be found around Las Vegas are at Clark County Wetlands Park on the other side of town. Anyway, I certainly sympathize with you, Pete. It must be especially frustrating to know that your skin condition is not something you can avoid or ever hope to see go away.

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  21. Itching is the worst! I recently stumbled on something that takes the itch out of mosquito bites for me. I have no idea why it works, but it does. I apply a thin coating of an antibiotic cream Neosporin.

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  23. I can empathise about the insect bites. There are things in my garden which bites me even when I’m covered up in long-sleeved tops and jeans. I never feel it when I’m being bitten but two days later these huge, maddeningly itchy lumps appear. They ignore Jon. Sorry about the Pityriasis Rosea which would be enough to contend with without adding insect bites to the mix.

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  25. Keep safe Pete. I hope you’ll find an effective cure for it. Some years ago, I used to have elevated skin rashes, they were small raised bumps. I was hospitalized because of it. Then the dermatologist tested me with different scents and smells, mostly food to know where it was coming from. I took steroids for a month which made me a little bloated. Now that I am getting old, I also get itchy at times but not always. My doctor prescribed Elica lotion which you have to apply thinly to the affected area. It’s from Canada. They say that when you have those skin itch when you’re getting older, it is pretty normal.

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  27. I can only empathise with you, Pete: it’s such a downer when you can’t enjoy the warm weather. I always seemed to attract the mozzies when we went on holiday to Fuerteventura as a family: on one occasion, we had to seek out a pharmacy for some relief. Oh, and I also suffered from heat rashes the only time I went to Africa with my then wife, so I didn’t feel much like socialising! I don’t think I’ll be going there again. Cheers, Jon.

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    1. I didn’t have a problem in hot countries overseas, except in Greece and Crete, where I was bitten so badly I almost had to come home a week early when the bites became infected and gave me a fever. I used to sit in the sea for most of the day, as the salt seawater seemed to help.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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