Itchy Help!!!

[mandygurl]

I have been suffering from chronic itchy skin which appears all over my body. My skin becomes so itchy that i'm constantly breaking the skin and scratching without consciously knowing. There is no rash before i scratch and the skin does not feel dry however afterwards the skin becomes red and bumpy which disappears quickly. I have been in and out of the doctors office with diagnoses of eczema and chronic dry skin. I've also been recently diagnosed with mrsa. I have been put on antihistamines with no improvement. I have been put on antidepressants to control the itch with little to no relief. I have also been prescribed topical steroid creams which have only increased the itch but does relieve some of the redness. I try to keep my skin moisturized however some of the time if i put anything on my skin it soon becomes so itchy that i have to wash it off. I try to use eucerin cream but have also tried many others prescribed by my doctor. This all began about 2 years ago. I have very mild symptoms during the summer that i don't need to take the antidepressants. However come winter the itch becomes so extreme that I lose half my nights sleep battling the itch and i am in pain do to my broken and damaged skin. I'm at my wits end and need help, is their anything i can do? What can be causing this much irritation?

[mandygurl]

Is it possible to be allergic to the staph bacteria (mrsa)? All these problems seemed to start just before i was diagnosed with mrsa.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It can be due to chronic urticaria. It is defined as urticaria that persists for longer than 6 weeks. In most of the cases of chronic urticaria, the underlying pathology is idiopathic i.e it is not linked to any cause. It is essential to rule out the presence of serious illnesses of which recurring hives can be a symptom. Examples are hepatitis, hyperthyroidism, lymphomas, collagen vascular diseases, and cancers of the rectum, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract.

I feel that you should find out the cause of your chronic urticaria by ruling out the various conditions causing it.

I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.