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Avatar universal

Itchy rash around eyes--help!

I posted this as a question for Happy Deb but I would appreciate help from anyone. My hubby (week 16 of a 48 Interferon TX)  has developed a very itchy rash around his eyes.The skin on his eyelids and under his eyes is so inflamed and raw (he rubs them in his sleep, and tries not to when awake but the itching is making him crazy). He has huge bags under his eyes, making him look 20 years older than he is. He's experienced a few other short term patches of rashes here and there which always quickly resolve on their own. This eye rash is making us crazed.
Can't get hold of the docs, have tried only an over the counter anti-puffiness cream, which soothed the rash a little but did not reduce the swelling. In another day or two his eyes will be swollen shut.
What has anyone out there done for this weird side effect? I jokingly told him once the TX was over he was going to have to have plastic surgery to look normnal again, I ma sure he's torn that tender under eye tissue a lot with the incessant scratching. (If this makes any difference, he is also a post liver transplant patient--13 months out, liver is doing great, .VL at 12 weeks was 5600, starting VL was 1 Million, genotype 1)
Thanks for ANY info on this.
14 Responses
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Avatar universal
hahaha..glad to know there's somebody else out there who is not as discriminating about their oral hygiene..I often will brush my teeth during the night (I was a dental assistant earlier in life, old habits die hard) and I have brushed with anything and everything in the medicine cabinet. Yep, to the Prep H and Yep to the Vagisil, also to my hubby's hair "creme", anitbiotic ointment, Desitin....I really should have kept that cabinet a little better under control.
And, yep, hubby did use Prep H on the puffy eyelids. It was 50/50 for that and the "manly eye cream" I paid a fortune for.  
Helpful - 0
1717054 tn?1316712653
your last post made me laugh out loud.   too funny....thanks for sharing.
This is all good to know as I am in my first week of treatment.  Now that you remind me I have heard that  prep H is great for  undereye puffiness, why not for the itch too, eh?
Be well, Glad to hear hubby is hanging in there.
Blessings!
Helpful - 0
1253246 tn?1332073310
I have also brushed my teeth with it also-but thats another story  LOL!!!!!
Actually I got up one morning and went into the bathroom and pulled it out instead of my toothpaste(its in the same kinda tube and wasnt paying attention)Started brushing and YUK!!!!!My husband rolled on the floor laughing!!!he got paid back some time later when he put GOLD BOND powder on jock itch!!!Put him on fire!!!I said Payback was _ _ ll !!!!! Then tried to ease the fire with Vagisil---too funny!!!!!  cindy
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1253246 tn?1332073310
This might sound off the wall and crazy but preparation H works very well around your eyes!!!It shrinks the blood vessels around your eyes and will take the itching out.I have used it MANY times!!! Like I said off the wall but it does work!!!!! cindy
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I got this comment thread in my email inbox this am....threw me for a loop as the original is 4 years old! I do hope that some of the advice you got was helpful. Hubby actually ended up doing 84 (yep, 84!) weeks of Inteferon/Riba and then relapsed by the 12th week pst tx. Anyhow, he's 5 years out from his transplant and 2-/12 years out from TX...his liver looks good and although he relapsed, well, it did calm down the HCV to the point he does not have to treat again for the forseeable future.
I DO remember the eye thing--the Benadryl really worked and then he did get some eye cream with caffeine in it...and actually, between those two things and just being patient, the rash went away. He grew some gorgeous eyelashes, I can tell you that! As aomeboty else said--cortisone around the eyes on a regualr basis..calming, but it thins the skin and you will have permanent droopiness.
All the best to you..I know what you are going though..keep posting and talking to the wonderful people on this board. They saved my hubby's sanity!
Liz
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
sorry to rehash this old thread,but i am experiencing the exact same symptoms.puffines under eyes,burning itching around eyes,some crusting on eyelids.ive tried the aquafor with no success.so i guess its on to a&d ointment.its just good to know this is not uncommon.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Again, thanks so much. This has calmed my hubby down a LOT, just knowing others are/have suffered from this. His mind is racing with the most bizzare thoughts--from fungus in the eyes to whatever other crazy thing he can think of. I have all along mainatained it was probably the Ribavirin...but hey, I'm just the wifey :)  The coordinator finally called about 8:30 last night and no, doctor did not want to see him, but told him to decrease the Ribivairin by 400 mgs a day. Hubby is a big guy (230+ lbs and wants to stay at the max dosage) so he was upset. I suggested he try the Benadryl (which he has never taken---itchiness was immediately relieved. He did wake up at 1 am needing more and I was right up with him as he cannot seem to open those stupid little packets..I will back at the store today and just buy a huge bottle of it.
What is A&D ointment?? I have never seen that. I assume it's OTC, so I will head out today to search for it. If hubby's eyes are not dry & scaly and if some of the inflammation can be relieved he will feel so much better (and can concentrate on some other side effect!!!)
Thank you all--keep the help coming....I will try anything!
Helpful - 0
120466 tn?1209991398
I had the same problem I used cornstarch.  It helpped and I now can use creams when it flares back up.

Hope this helps
Helpful - 0
218977 tn?1230697372
Through the process of elimination, I tried everythimg there was to be found. I could probably start a retail business with creams and ointments. I had the same exact symptoms as you have described. It became a Catch-22 whereby I would give a little sratch to satisfy the sensation and the eyelids and lower skin would remain inflammed. It wasn't until half way through the Prove 3 trial that I finally tried the time tested A&D ointment. What can I tell you other than the fact that it immediately brought it under control. The redness and inflammation is - GONE!
Best Wishes
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Avatar universal
I told my hubby if I posted this am I would have some answers for him this evening--he'll be impressed. So far his docs are really hands off--I mean REALLY. They are almost impossible to get to, you have to go through a nurse coordinator and I think it's her sworn duty to keep the doctors from these annoying patients!! I have no idea what the "standard" of tx is for this as his next clinic visit is not for almost 6 weeks and they will NOT let him in before that because "his labs are fine"--which is good news, but this swelling around the eyes is serious. (It's not IN his eyes at all, it's the skin around---I think I made that clear.) Anyhow, I did buy a cold pack that he can wrap around his whole head, to cool his eyes, and I don't dare put any kind of cream or anything else on the skin, but I feel so bad for him. The nurse is supposed to get in touch with a doctor today, but as of 5:30 she hadn't, and she doesn't work Fridays, so my guess is by Monday he will be esentially blind from the swelling.
Our GP doesn't even want to look at him, being both a post transplant and an Interferon patient, she's hesitant to treat for anything!!! Right now he's fighting off a systemic staph infection from an ingrown toenail, of all the dumb things. The podiatrist had to call his hep doc for the correct antibiotic--he had no idea what to put him on!
HappyDeb, I am really sorry you had to go off tx at 12 weeks....that is such a bummer, because 12 weeks is a loooong time on this ****. I was sweating the PCR at 12 weeks, but hubby was ok. (Probably because the coordinator had told me that he was going to be removed from tx..Why she told me that, I don't know--she makes me insane) He's considered a slow responder too, but he did get a 2 log drop and I am so hoping they don't torture him with 72 weeks. Right now it's 48 and nobody's saying anything different (but, hey, we'd be the last to know). If I get guutsy enough and mad enough tomorrow I will barrel up to the hospital where I know the doc on call will be hanging out all day and force him to DO something. They are all great guys once you actually get their attention! I have done this once before, for a prescription the nurse kept failing to get filled, and while it mortified my hubby, the doc was like "Oh, no problem" and wrote it out. (I did also take a big plate of cookies with me--I am not above bribery to get what I want so hubby can be comfortable).

Thanks again---anybody else have any suggestions, PLEASE don't hesitate to add your 2 cents worth. I have heard of the Preparation H thing which I know women use to take down swelling. The pharmacist said it would be ok, just don't use it a lot and don't get it in his eyes....and I do trust the pharmacist, but I just cannot see my sweet hubby slathered in PrepH...maybe tho, he's pretty miserable.

Liz50
Helpful - 0
173975 tn?1216257775
That sounds really serious!

i would get to a Dr. ASAP!  Don't fool arond with eyesight!

wyntre
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225275 tn?1276957893
I would be careful to put cortisone of any percentage around my eyes for long. But I am sure you feel the same way too. It amazes me that these Dr.s pull these prognoses out of thier hat. I feel they all are guessing too, that they really don't know which one we have, so they throw the dart and give it a name and prescribe the same thing for all. Thats why I really can't say 100% that they are totally right on with every prognoses they give. I had a Dr.s nurse tell me that their is no data on any rash with the tx. of interf. and riba. I was sitting there with my mouth open and was like what !!!!!!!! I did not even get into it with him, because of all of us that educate ourselves, the Drs. are getting alittle challanged and don't like it one bit ,so they make out like you have no idea what your talking about and it;s them that has the diploma in medicine not us. It is als hard to find a good Derm. Dr. too. If you know of one, make an appt. I went to one that, when I told her I was on tx. And told her what I was on and what my Hep. Dr. said about aborting the tx. She didn't even check me out , she went in her office and called my Hep. Dr. and then came back and said it is in the best interest to me to stop tx. and she gave me 10 days of predgnsome and a hydrocortisone cream DAH !!! that's thier staple tx. SO I feel that she did not even diognose me and gave me the staple tx. and spoke to my Dr. that said that I was a slow responder anyway so tell her that you said that it is best to stop tx. too, so that she will get that message from both of us. I feel like I was just another statistic and not even heard in my fight to try to stay on tx. for Hep. So I will try again in a few months with a respected Dr. I did my homework this time and I will keep my fingers crossed.
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Avatar universal
I have that too.  Scaly itchy red patch around my left eye only.  I went to the doctor.  He took a quick look, said it was Auto - Immune Psoriasis - gave me a prescription for .5% hydrocortisone and that was it.

The Cortisone cream works....kind of.  But I'm afraid to use it very often...

That's my input!
Helpful - 0
225275 tn?1276957893
That's how it all began with me. I had red patchiness on the top and alittle on the bottom of my eye. I first thought that I had pink eye ,then it became worse around 2 wks. later. I woke up one morning and the folds of my skin on my stomach , arms and legs were inflammed, and I had a hive like rash on my back. But it all happened in the eye area first for me, now that I got it under control on my body ( but not 100%) It is starting aroun d my eyes again. My lids are red and swollen and under my eyes the same. They are getting itchy again.My internist gave me a powder to drink for my itchness, he says that it goes through the system better, it is called cholystreome Or something like that. I am at work and don't have it right in front of me. Also my ears around them are itchy too, .How about your husband ? I had to stop tx. at 12 wks. because of the rash and because at 12 wks. I went from 6.8 mil. VL> to 4.3 and my Dr. labeled me a slow responder and took me off tx. If it wasn't for the rash, I would have stood on tx. and went to 72 wks. I am so determined to rid of this virus from my body. I have a Dr.s appt on Jan. 29th with a top Hep. Dr. at the university of miami. Hope all goes well with your Hubby. Oh yeah, I am considering plastic surgery after I get to SVR> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                              Happy Deb :)
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