To think this may need more urgent attention now?? Medical issue

[Issue33]

DH is worrying me a bit. He's had a skin issue now for around 2 months. It's like his skin is on fire and it's getting worse. It's itchy all over, he said feels like things crawling over him and he has cracked and scabbed skin in large patches on his arms, legs, tummy and back.

He's been to the doctors twice who keep saying it's eczema (I've got eczema and it looks absolutely nothing like it but I appreciate I'm no doctor!).

He's tried steroid creams, steroid tablets, antibiotics... Nothing is touching it.

He's so miserable tonight, says he feels like he's burning everywhere (he doesn't have a temp though I checked).

Would I be unreasonable to suggest he gets this looked at more urgently now? Maybe even A&E? 111?! Anything! Or do we trust the GP that it's "just" eczema?

Could you go to a walk in centre?

I have skin like this but just in my ears. They said it was dermatitis. Getting it wet makes it worse. I was prescribed Clotrimazole cream which didn't help so I added to it hydrocortisone cream. I have to apply it continually throughout the day to get on top of it but it keeps coming back. It's an absolute nightmare. How he copes with it all over his body, I just don't know. He has my sympathy.

if he waits for a referral to dermatology it may take ages. I would book an urgent private referral if you can afford it. Some doctors were doing initial consultations online if you wanted - why don’t you see if that’s a possibility. Unfortunately I don’t think anything will be possible until Tuesday though.

I doubt A&E will do anything other than tell him to go back to the GP, as they won't deem it an emergency. However I do feel for him as it sounds horrendous. I think he needs to basically demand a dermatology referral from his GP next week. He's tried lots of options in primary care and it's not working, so he clearly needs a specialist.

I've definitely heard liver type issues with this. I'm so sorry for all of you suffering, it must be horrendous.

Have you compared it to any rash photos online?

www.healthline.com/health/itching

I would cut out any soap, just water and get Epaderm from the chemist, or oilatum or similar. Even if it's not directly skin related, these can't do any harm. There's also a baby product , I think it's Child's Farm Baby moisturiser, which is excellent for eczema. My dad has chronic eczema so I notice these things. Just cotton clothes too.

I think the feeling of having things crawling all over him is symptomatic of something specific?? Not a Dr but I'm sure I've read it somewhere.

I also thought about liver function tests when I read this. I had cholestasis during pregnancy and the itch was unbearable. I highly recommend eurax lotion. It is the absolute best thing for itching, I think it is usually used for scabies.

I would try asking for an urgent same-day GP appt if your surgery do them. People don't like to take them worried they're not "bad enough" but at our surgery you can use them for things like nasty tonsillitis, cystitis, shingles etc. Anything where you're in significant distress or time critical for starting treatment.

My daughter has gluten intolerance (non cieliac) though they say she might have coeliac.

It causes horrendous rashes which are symmetrical and start on the back of the legs normally. She gets bad digestive cramps too. She's had it since birth but they've been trying to treat it as eczema for 7 years! My daughter diagnosed hers by searching on line. Dr has since confirmed...🙄

Only thing that helps her is avoiding gluten.

Could your DH has a similar digestion-related autoimmune prob? He needs to see a dermatologist for diagnosis. Emolients help with heat and itching - a cool bath with bicarbonate of soda will also help cool it down.

Good luck x

Oh and instead of using his nails to scratch himself, he could try using a soft baby hairbrush. This is less likely to break the skin.

Can you show a photo of it? Not that anyone here is an expert but it may ring a bell with someone what it actually is

Definitely sounds like liver salts coming through the skin - horrendously itchy. Back to the GP. Is he jaundiced at all? Odd coloured poo? Yellowing to the whites of his eyes?

I’d get on the phone to the GP on Monday, ask for bloods and a dermatologist referral. If you can afford to pay for a private appointment I would as waits on the NHS are long for most things post pandemic

I had very similar years ago, OP. That felt like things crawling over me. I was absolutely covered in it. I ended up going to A&E and they said it was severe urticaria. I'd tried a cool shower, but they said that baths and showers are the worst thing you can do for it. They gave me some steroids and a massive dose of antihistamines and kept me in for bit; I slept for about 24 hours but the treatment certainly knocked it on the head. I then had similar when DC1 was born, when I was given penicillin - it turns out I'm badly allergic to it. Has your DH been in contact with any possible allergen? Though my urticaria was "non specific" - i.e. came completely out of the blue...

If it is that bad that he can’t sleep or shower he should go to hospital- that’s what Urgent Care is for. He could also try Pine Tar soap (Amazon/eBay) that helped me with really itchy skin during pregnancy.

I also had scabies, btw, and it wasn't a patch on urticaria for itching and rash.

Could it be shingles??

Or psoriasis?

I was just about to say he needs his liver checked when I saw this.

I feel for your DH, this must be really unpleasant for him, but this is NOT an out of hours issue, so don't waste 111's time and certainely not A&E.

He has been assessed by a doctor and there is nothing urgent or life threatening. He needs to manage pain with OTC pain relief, manage itching with the steriod creams provided and OTC antihistamines, and call his GP first thing on Tuesday morning. Then when he see's/talks to the GP he needs to push for further investigations and possibly a referral if the GP has run out of investigations that they can do themselves.

I think if it's that bad, and with the GP unavailable, he should go to A&E. He is saying he cannot make it til his next appointment and can't shower for the pain. That warrants A&E.

Ask the GP for a referral to a consultant and then pay to see someone, if you possibly can afford it. Initial private consultations outside London are usually around £150.

I have been having similar skin issues and the GP referred me after about a month, when they couldn’t work out what it was, after prescribing antibiotics and antihistamines that didn’t work. I have private insurance and it’s still a 1-2 month wait for an appointment. They told me it would be 40 weeks on NHS, so don’t mess around, if you can afford to go private. Get him to push the GP, in my experience they’ll fob you off if they can.

(I’m aware that for a lot of people, £150 is totally beyond reach, but sometimes people could afford it but don’t look into it because they think initial consultations cost lots more than that.)

In what world would this be an accident or an emergency?
Your husband needs to go back to his gp and ask to be referred to a dermatologist. In the meantime, go to a pharmacist, tell them what medications have been tried and ask for their recommendations