itchy hand

[jbinthai]

Last night started an extremely itchy left hand that almost burns.  It woke me up several times.  It eased up once today for a very short time and has now started in again.  My hand is red from scratching.  My hand dos not shake. It almost feels like it burns.  What can I do about this?  Is it connected to a nerve?

[jbinthai]

I live in Thailand.  Where I live there is no poison ivy or sumac.  I saw the doctor and she said it looked like an allergic reaction, put me on some hadn lotion, Prednisolone twice a day and HydroOXYzine 10 mg  three times a day.  The lotion almost stops stops it from itching but it is still red ash.  She also gave me a short of Dema CMT. The meds haven't made the rash go away - just stopped most of the itching.

My husband and I went over everything from Friday that caused this to come on Friday night.  The only thing extra I did was do some gardening - pruned some plants and got rid of a plant that had white "ick" all over it.  My thinking now is that it might be a fungus from the dead plant. Is this a possibility?

[Arti Sharma, M.D.]

Hello,
A complete medical evaluation will be helpful in determining the cause and appropriate treatment for your condition. The most possible cause is poison ivy, oak or sumac; if you have recently been out in nature and have been touching unknown plants, it is possible that you may have developed an allergic reaction. It is also possible that you have contact dermatitis which has lead to an inflamed and itchy skin, which can be due to many different causes after contact with any allergen. Application of calamine lotion may provide relief. Take an oral antihistaminic for relief in symptoms. It is best to get it seen by a dermatologist. I hope it helps.
Best luck and kind regards!