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?

I had terrible unbearable hives after giving birth (obvs not suggesting similar circumstance for your husband)

The thing that helped me was dandelion root capsules. I would have tried pine tar soap but couldn’t get hold of any.

dandelion root won’t do any harm and perhaps worth a go over the weekend before his next dr appt?

My first thought on reading this is a liver issue. He needs to get some blood tests, either through the GP or have a look for a private liver function test online if you want the results faster. It can get serious very quickly.

A&E. Just go

Might be psoriasis...

I'd go to a pharmacy tomorrow that has a confidential treatment room so he can show the pharmacist the rash.

Failing that, a minor illnesses unit tomorrow. Not A&E.

I remember hearing a woman on the radio talking about this and it was her liver. I would call the Dr's first thing in the morning.

This sounds like a form of torture, poor bloke. I would hand him the dressing gown of doom in this case! I wouldn't go to A&E, the waiting times are horrific at the minute and the last thing he wants is to be sat around all day. Hopefully 111 might be able to give him an out of hours appointment with a GP this weekend, make sure he really explains how debilitating it is. I really hope he gets some answers soon, keep us updated.

If it WAS scabies, you’d surely have it too.
it is a mite, Demodex if I remember correctly, and foxes and dogs can duffer with it.

The mite burrows under the skin.
It looks pretty idiosyncratic, surely a GP would know if it was an arachnid!
Never had it, but have seen foxes and dogs with it.

It's happened to me twice actually. The first time we were living abroad in Panama and got some sort of water parasite. We couldn't sleep because we felt stuff crawling under our skin (thought it was mites) and during the day it was like our skin was on fire but I felt the most desperate at night tbh. Tried Permethrin (worked for an hour or so which allowed to go to sleep) and even Ivermectin but only Albendazol worked. I was in agony for weeks until sb mentioned it was very common and all locals knew to take Albendazol for it.
The second time I decided I was too fat so should make "smarter" choices... That meant replacing sugar with milk. Pure agony for months and weight went up! Then I saw a professional and started this diet with loads of whey in it...! More agony plus more weight like even breathing made me fat. I couldn't sleep at night because my feet were so itchy and my skin was super dry. Finally (after many exams, tests and what not) and, purely by accident, I realised dairy was the culprit but it took forever to figure out what the problem was because I'd drink milk (really just a wee bit in my coffee) in the morning and feel sick in the evening or the next day. I found out by accident when I decided to stop drinking coffee so just had a big glass of milk - thought I was going to die! Stopped the dairy and was fine after a week or so -no more itch.

You can get pine tar soap from Amazon. They sell the American one 'Grandpa Soap'. Ebay sells cheaper alternatives from Bulgaria.

Would he let you take a picture ?

Could it be an allergy/ intolerance to something that has developed out of the blue. I only suggest this as I developed an itchy rash on my body and sores in my mouth. Despite seeing a specialist privately as I was in so much discomfort, I eventually worked out, by a process of elimination, that it was something in tap water, affecting me.
Has the GP suggested allergy testing?

Infuriates me so many saying they had similar and their GP was no use. Happened to me too. Itchy, cracked skin on my ankle joint. GP kept prescribing me an ointment that just made it worse and worse until it was a weeping, open sore and I could barely walk. Eventually referred me to a vascular consultant - no use. Finally referred me to a dermatologist (hallelujah) who diagnosed discoid eczema in 2 minutes flat and gave me the correct treatment. Cleared up quite quickly, although that ankle now has a large patch of broken veins and is thinner than the other one.

OP your husband needs to see a dermatologist urgently. Can you afford to go private? He must be suffering dreadfully.

My mum has bad eczema. She is sometimes prescribed very strong antihistamines which knock her out st night and break the itch scratch cycle.

Whilst it doesnt sound like hiur husband haz eczema as I know it, maybe he could benefit from prescription antihistamines.

I would second this, OP. If none of the topicals are helping and you've tried antihistamines, definitely get his liver checked out. I had something called "cholestasis of pregnancy", which is a condition that causes full body itching that often begins with the hands and feet. I needed to take an oral drug (ursodiol) to address it. Your DH's symptoms don't sound like an exact match, but I do know that liver malfunction can cause incurable itching.

Book an appointment with a dermatologist. Honestly sometimes GPs can be so annoying... Dont let it getting worse. Good luck x

Hi issue. I'm not a doctor, but this sounds identical to what my husband had a couple of months ago. Even down to the feeling of parts of him being on fire. Tried everything, including scabies cream. Only after going for private blood tests it was discovered he had developed diabetes. He's on meds now and changed diet and the itching stopped within days. Only clues would be that he was overweight and liked sweet foods. Is your husband similar?

First time posting but having read your post I wanted to pass on a relative had something sounding similar and was diagnosed with a skin complaint called pityriasis rosea. If you Google it you can look at images and maybe see if it compares. It did take a few months to clear up and lots of different treatments tried to tackle it. It came on from nowhere and never reoccurred once healed but was really difficult to live with at its worst. Good luck in finding an answer as it sounds really miserable for him and for you seeing him struggle.

If you can afford it I would go and see a dermatologist privately.

Excellent post! When I had the same problem I had to rule out diabetes too. I'm glad you mentioned it.

I’d go to A&E. As others have said, it could be liver or also skin failure (my sone had that as a teenager).

I had similar symptoms to your husband. Was also diagnosed with eczema but didn’t respond to creams/steroids/antihistamines. I pushed for a referral to dermatology in the end as I was adamant it wasn’t eczema because I was itchy even where I didn’t have marks on the skin. Turns out it was eczema and a super overactive immune system and the only thing that worked for me was immunosuppressant injections (and amitriptyline for the itch).

I think he needs to request and push for a referral to dermatology. My GP was also reluctant but in the end it was the only thing that helped. Has the gp done any baseline bloods to check liver function etc… as this is also worth pushing imo.

When my skin was at its worst Epsom salts for sensitive and eczema prone skin and dermacool moisturiser used to provide some temporary relief if that’s any help

I've rtft but my first thought was liver. Keep us updated op, even if it's not he needs to get to the cause of the issue.

Could be any number of things but does it coincide with a vaccine? Severe itching has been reported after the covid jab.

Sounds awful for your husband OP. A bit random but does your husband have fillings? I saw a documentary about mercury poisoning from fillings causing itching like a phantom parasite. Hope your husband can get some help and relief soon!

I'm surprised the steroid cream isn't helping at all as that usually at the very least calms the burning in most skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, allergies, hives etc.

I also think he needs a Dermatology referral. However I know waiting times are long at the moment (although will vary by area). One thing you could do is send good quality photos to GP, maybe via econsult, and ask them to submit an advice and guidance or triage request. This means the GP will send the photos along with a brief description of the problem and should get some interim advice back from a Dermatologist even if they feel your DH needs to be seen.