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Itchy Legs after showering or swimming
I have been experiencing extremely painful itching in the legs, which starts about 10-15 minutes after getting out of the shower and will last about 15-30 minutes. It started out by happening occasionally but now it occurs after every shower and has started happening after getting out of the swimming pool. The itching is getting more intense and I'm afraid that it will continue to just get worse and last longer. Water is the only thing so far that triggers this. This is not a topical or dry skin itch, it's like my nerve endings are going wild inside my legs. Nothing seems to relieve the itch, it just has to "run it's course". I've tried different lotions, not using soap, not shaving my legs, warm water, cold water, not drying off, change the floor rugs.... nothing makes a differnce. I found where this problem had been discussed on this forum a few years ago but no one seems to be able to find a solution. Is there anyone out there that has found a solution to this every painful, unexplained problem?
Wow, I am not crazy!! Although I don't wish this itching on my worst enemy, I am glad to find I am not the only one. I have not met anyone else with this issue before, and I cried when I read all the posts last week. I have had this since I was about 9 or 10. I am 39 now. Like many of you I was told by doctors that 1. It was all in my head (I think mentally thinking about it makes it worse but I don't believe is the cause) 2. I have too much histamine in my body and given hydroxyzine (didn't work at all and horrible dry mouth) 3. It is dry skin (don't think so!) Although in my younger days I actually considered suicide as an option, I have pretty much learned to deal with it over the years. It is mostly my legs, but sometimes my arms and chest. It sometimes waxes and wanes, and I could never make a connection to why. I don't ever swim. Mornings are worse so i always shower at night. Shaving makes it itch worse immediately after, but I have found that keeping shaved at least once a week helps in the long term. I have lived in both MI and AZ, have used softened and hard water. Also happens when I swim, but I've been able to be in a hot tub. Because of that I found out that HOT showers work best for me, and if we run out of hot water and it turns lukewarm I will start itching terribly before I am even out of shower sometimes. Putting loose pant soon after patting dry helps a lot, I think because of the slight contact helps to appease the itch. If that it not enough I will rub everywhere as gently as I can while curled up in a ball on the couch until it passes, usually within 30 min or so. After reading a few comments (yes I sat for hours and read them ALL) about circulation (worse after sitting around, better after activity) I have been paying attention and it does seem to itch less if I am moderately active right before shower. I had never made the connection before. I do seem to have lowered circulation (arms and legs fall asleep easy) and tend to have low blood pressure at doctors, I wonder if that is the connection?
Thanks! I tried what someone posted here -get the room warm and shower with hot water, pat dry,lotion immediately and dress quickly. My itching was front thighs and legs,scratching made it worse due to release of histamine. I tried antihistamine which reduced the time and severity,but that gave me dry mouth. My itching started when I started taking a calcium channel blocker. No itching after my shower today. I pray I have found a non-drug solution.
Was your itching ever diagnosed? I have suffered with sever itching on the bottoms of my legs, from my knees down to my ankles, several minutes after showering, lasting for about fifteen minutes or so. It is so severe that I have taken two hair brushes, one in each hand, just to scratch my legs.
It feels as though a thousand red ants are biting the bottom of my legs. Does this sound familiar to you?
BP
It feels as though a thousand red ants are biting the bottom of my legs. Does this sound familiar to you?
BP
There are not enough minutes in the day left nor enough characters for this post left to even begin to get into my whole story. Suffice it to say, I, too, have battled itching like a mad-man. For years. And years. In various places, head to toe. This past year was... thee MOST ABSOLUTE WORST!!! But I am better, much much much much better.
I stumbled upon the source, tried some remedies (from drs. and internet alike), doubted everyone including myself, pretended to be normal, itched like mad, decided I and internet sufferers were right (not the drs), looked/searched for "cures", researched every thing and every angle possible, tried some things (I'll tell you in a minute), had terrible reactions or new strange symptoms which created doubt.... and this irritating cycle continued for MONTHS! Excruciating months... like at least 5-12 months (depends on where you start counting) until I recognized the cycle (even with all it's twists and turns and "no, this [fill in symptom here] can't be related" type thoughts) and realized I've suffered some form of it for YEARS! For cripes sake, it's been years.... want to know what it is?
Fungus... please listen to me. I know the suffering and I'd never wish it on my worst enemy. It sounds stupid, I know. There's every reason in the world why you would not be plagued by a fungus... you're meticulously clean, you don't workout, you take precautions in and around moist, humid environments like public showers at the gym, campground, hotel, so on and so forth. I know this (hence my doubt in every round of this multiple round cycle). I can go on and on with a gazillion related, though seemingly unrelated, symptoms which can be alleviated for a while in various ways or explained away as "normal". If you need to know them feel free to reply to this and I'll list them. But I'd rather get to the part you want and need most... a remedy or better yet a cure.
Here's what made the most difference in the quickest amount of time - IODINE. Don't run out to get some just yet... keep reading. There're other things you should try, too:
(oh, and I generally purchase these items from Amazon.com though some can be picked up at the local supermarket)
As for the Iodine, I love to know what I'm getting into so I research everything. There's a lot out there on iodine and the types that work best. Here's what I've found lugol's 5% solution (check amazon.com or health food type store) works best on skin with generic Betadine a close second. You also need to get it INTO your body, ingest it. There are pills and you can also ingest the lugol's type (not Betadine, I don't think anyway and I would not ever try it) but the easiest to go down and oddly enough the best working for overall effect is called nascent iodine. It's a little bit pricey compared to the lugol's but it's all I'll use at this point for ingesting. Please research how much to start with and move up to and all that on the internet. Google it. There are lots of sites and anything with Dr. Brownstein or Dr. Sircus (I think that's his name) are very very very good.
Be prepared. There may be die off symptoms... hopefully not if you take it slow. And adding the iodine on the skin (the itchy parts, obviously) should help A LOT. It took me months to realize that. The skin might burn at first and the iodine will turn dark, like black or blackish purple-y. When it does... do a victory dance. It's killing the crap out of the fungus, whichever type of fungus it may be. Iodine is not picky, it'll kill the bad stuff and not the good. Also, the "bad stuff" can be fungal, viral, bacterial... again iodine is not picky... and it will not create any resistant type "bugs". It always works. However, MORE IS NOT BETTER. Just, please, go slow. Otherwise, you risk crazy die off symptoms, doubting yourself, stopping the progress, and creating a crazy cycle (sound familiar) like me.
Iodine, selenium, and magnesium are the most important, so says the majority of what I've read. Selenium can be taken in the form of a pill or capsule. So could magnesium for that matter. But I just learned something better... Magnesium Chloride is better than the magnesium oxide you find in most supplements. You would probably have to order it. Its also called magnesium oil or you can buy the flakes (and I've heard you can make the "oil" out of the flakes + water). It's not really oil but it feels oily. The idea is to use a spray bottle - spray it on, massage it it. It's that easy. I am not a scientist or nutritionist or whatever so I don't want to go into why we need it and why it works other than to say that our bodies NEED it badly and are generally very deficient. Seriously, it's easy to look up. But it works.
Also, there are a multitude of other natural anti-fungals and some not so natural (like chlorine in the pool and sometimes water that you shower in). They will all work but how well or how fast depends on how bad you've got it. I started out with just about each and every type - oil of oregano being the first. It's very powerful, caused strange die off symptoms and scared me so much I thought I was deathly allergic to it. Garlic, fresh, eaten, crushed and taped to body parts, added to olive oil and rubbed on - you name it. It's powerful too and, yes, I thought I was allergic to it also given my reaction. The list goes on white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, various combos of herbs stuffed in little capsules and sold by various companies as "candida" cleansers. But Iodine, by far, has been the best. I've since gone on to add a few of these others after realizing the iodine was really getting somewhere.
I'm still working my way through it all. It's been a lot of trial and error. But I AM WINNING! I will be your biggest cheerleader and answer any questions but I'm not a professional, just a fellow former 'itcher' who has learned a lot about a subject (fungus) that I never wanted to know about and that doctors don't take as seriously as they should. The best advice I can give you if you do give any of these things a try is this... itching and/or burning becomes a good thing if it happens after using one or many of these treatment methods. Even magnesium oil can sting/itch when it comes in contact with "problem" skin. Anymore, I welcome it (ok, I will also welcome the day it doesn't itch because it will mean that the skin is healthy/ has less toxins).
Ok, well, that's my take on this subject. So, if you've run out of possibilities or aren't making progress with what you're doing currently... start with iodine and go from there. BTW... it's not just good for fungus. We all need iodine for our thyroids, sexual organs, and basically every cell in our bodies... so even if you "know for sure" your itchiness is not caused by a fungus it's still ok to try and who knows, it might just do the trick.
I stumbled upon the source, tried some remedies (from drs. and internet alike), doubted everyone including myself, pretended to be normal, itched like mad, decided I and internet sufferers were right (not the drs), looked/searched for "cures", researched every thing and every angle possible, tried some things (I'll tell you in a minute), had terrible reactions or new strange symptoms which created doubt.... and this irritating cycle continued for MONTHS! Excruciating months... like at least 5-12 months (depends on where you start counting) until I recognized the cycle (even with all it's twists and turns and "no, this [fill in symptom here] can't be related" type thoughts) and realized I've suffered some form of it for YEARS! For cripes sake, it's been years.... want to know what it is?
Fungus... please listen to me. I know the suffering and I'd never wish it on my worst enemy. It sounds stupid, I know. There's every reason in the world why you would not be plagued by a fungus... you're meticulously clean, you don't workout, you take precautions in and around moist, humid environments like public showers at the gym, campground, hotel, so on and so forth. I know this (hence my doubt in every round of this multiple round cycle). I can go on and on with a gazillion related, though seemingly unrelated, symptoms which can be alleviated for a while in various ways or explained away as "normal". If you need to know them feel free to reply to this and I'll list them. But I'd rather get to the part you want and need most... a remedy or better yet a cure.
Here's what made the most difference in the quickest amount of time - IODINE. Don't run out to get some just yet... keep reading. There're other things you should try, too:
(oh, and I generally purchase these items from Amazon.com though some can be picked up at the local supermarket)
As for the Iodine, I love to know what I'm getting into so I research everything. There's a lot out there on iodine and the types that work best. Here's what I've found lugol's 5% solution (check amazon.com or health food type store) works best on skin with generic Betadine a close second. You also need to get it INTO your body, ingest it. There are pills and you can also ingest the lugol's type (not Betadine, I don't think anyway and I would not ever try it) but the easiest to go down and oddly enough the best working for overall effect is called nascent iodine. It's a little bit pricey compared to the lugol's but it's all I'll use at this point for ingesting. Please research how much to start with and move up to and all that on the internet. Google it. There are lots of sites and anything with Dr. Brownstein or Dr. Sircus (I think that's his name) are very very very good.
Be prepared. There may be die off symptoms... hopefully not if you take it slow. And adding the iodine on the skin (the itchy parts, obviously) should help A LOT. It took me months to realize that. The skin might burn at first and the iodine will turn dark, like black or blackish purple-y. When it does... do a victory dance. It's killing the crap out of the fungus, whichever type of fungus it may be. Iodine is not picky, it'll kill the bad stuff and not the good. Also, the "bad stuff" can be fungal, viral, bacterial... again iodine is not picky... and it will not create any resistant type "bugs". It always works. However, MORE IS NOT BETTER. Just, please, go slow. Otherwise, you risk crazy die off symptoms, doubting yourself, stopping the progress, and creating a crazy cycle (sound familiar) like me.
Iodine, selenium, and magnesium are the most important, so says the majority of what I've read. Selenium can be taken in the form of a pill or capsule. So could magnesium for that matter. But I just learned something better... Magnesium Chloride is better than the magnesium oxide you find in most supplements. You would probably have to order it. Its also called magnesium oil or you can buy the flakes (and I've heard you can make the "oil" out of the flakes + water). It's not really oil but it feels oily. The idea is to use a spray bottle - spray it on, massage it it. It's that easy. I am not a scientist or nutritionist or whatever so I don't want to go into why we need it and why it works other than to say that our bodies NEED it badly and are generally very deficient. Seriously, it's easy to look up. But it works.
Also, there are a multitude of other natural anti-fungals and some not so natural (like chlorine in the pool and sometimes water that you shower in). They will all work but how well or how fast depends on how bad you've got it. I started out with just about each and every type - oil of oregano being the first. It's very powerful, caused strange die off symptoms and scared me so much I thought I was deathly allergic to it. Garlic, fresh, eaten, crushed and taped to body parts, added to olive oil and rubbed on - you name it. It's powerful too and, yes, I thought I was allergic to it also given my reaction. The list goes on white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, various combos of herbs stuffed in little capsules and sold by various companies as "candida" cleansers. But Iodine, by far, has been the best. I've since gone on to add a few of these others after realizing the iodine was really getting somewhere.
I'm still working my way through it all. It's been a lot of trial and error. But I AM WINNING! I will be your biggest cheerleader and answer any questions but I'm not a professional, just a fellow former 'itcher' who has learned a lot about a subject (fungus) that I never wanted to know about and that doctors don't take as seriously as they should. The best advice I can give you if you do give any of these things a try is this... itching and/or burning becomes a good thing if it happens after using one or many of these treatment methods. Even magnesium oil can sting/itch when it comes in contact with "problem" skin. Anymore, I welcome it (ok, I will also welcome the day it doesn't itch because it will mean that the skin is healthy/ has less toxins).
Ok, well, that's my take on this subject. So, if you've run out of possibilities or aren't making progress with what you're doing currently... start with iodine and go from there. BTW... it's not just good for fungus. We all need iodine for our thyroids, sexual organs, and basically every cell in our bodies... so even if you "know for sure" your itchiness is not caused by a fungus it's still ok to try and who knows, it might just do the trick.
I have had this for 30 years now and the only thing that really ever helped was tanning. However, 3 years ago I developed Rosacea and was told to stop tanning because it makes that condition worse. In addition, my Dr. put me on 100 mg of Doxycycline to help with the Rosacea inflammation. The weird thing is I stopped itching but never really knew why. A few weeks ago I ran out of Doxycycline and stopped taking it and the itching returned. I'm back on it now and the itching is gone. I take Doxycycline 100 mg per day.
Many people are sensitive to the chemicals used in personal care products, especially scented ones. Some are also sensitive to the fragrance or residue left in towels by laundry products. Try a sensitive skin detergent with an extra rinse cycle and "free" dryer sheets, and try different bath/shower products.
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