Anyone want to join an Itchy and Scratchy club?

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Wondered if anyone with psoriasis or eczema or other skin stuff wanted a whingers support thread?
after having a bad night - awake til gone 3 with the bad itchies and sore joints today am feeling a little irrational fragile.
Anyone else?

slight update.
Saw the gp today. She was happy to give me the anti-bios and wanted to know what else I've found helped. Hopefully the anti-bios will clear up the guttate side cos she said that I'm too spotty over too wide an area for creams.

For my scalp she turned to her pharmaceutical book cos i've tried steroids and dovonex and nothing shifts it and we discussed options.

So am going to try good old fashioned dithranol. Apparently it comes in a gel form for the scalp now (mixed in with salicylic acid). Pharmacy have to special order it. Bit wary cos it stains clothing and non-psoriatic skin purplish. So am slightly concerned about what colour hair may end up. If you see a blonde walking about with purple roots, please dont snigger! its going to be a bugger to apply as it is very very irritating to non-psoriatic skin. dh will have to do it. But if it works then that will be fab!

misspudding - hope you had a better night last night.

Good luck with the scalp treatment OYBBK. I get by on a special shampoo, plus Betacap when things really flare up (steriod in liquid form for the scalp). Still hate the hairdresser and avoid it if my skin isn't good.

As a child I used to be put to bed with oven gloves tied on with ribbons to stop me scratching. I remember being really sad about it.

oven gloves

betacap has been one of my main thingies. shame its stopped being effective at moment
a slight caution though - I ended up with steroid induced cataracts and had to have cataract surgery in both eyes last year.

How do antibiotics work on the guttate psoriasis? I might ask GP about it. I was told that the scalp skin is as tough as old boots and stuff like betacap can be used for as long as you want without thinning etc. However, although it does stop any itching it does not seem to help scalyness.

marigold cream made up by a medicinal herbalist works everytime. But don't get it much these days unless I eat bananas, bread or cheese.

eczema though not psoriasis - i took chinese herbs which fettled it - don't get it much these days

lazymum - often guttate psoriasis is bought on by a strep infection (I read somewhere that up to 80% of cases are caused by strep).

My dermatologist told me that if I get a throat infection and guttate appears then if I take antibs promptly it can stop the guttate. last time I tried this - caught it within a week of it appearing and two weeks later the spots had gone. GP I saw today seemed slightly sceptical but fortunately he had put it on my notes.

Interesting that you were told that about betacap - I was told 4 weeks use only with it, then switch to dovonex for 4 weeks.

rebelmum - interesting you say that, for a little while I was having some success with 'blonde' solid shampoo from lush. Its got chamomile and marigold in it. Used it with their 'marilyn' conditioner. Not helping at the moment though!
Also used to use kamillosan - had some left over from breastfeeding. Was very effective for a bit.

(btw, not sure what fettled it means does it mean it did work or didnt it?)

It worked for me in that I went from having broken, sore skin from eczema pretty much constantly, which was aggravated by gluten and dairy. Now I have it maybe 4 or 5 times a year and it's usually because I've eaten too much of the wrong thing. I goes withing a day if I get a flare up and it isn't as itchy or sore, symptoms are much much milder. I took chinese herbs and they took affect within 2 weeks.

Goodness - it sounds much better now

chemists phoned up - they can't get the scalp solution - apparently there is a manufacturing problem and they dont know when or if they'll be able to get it.
Was really hopeful

Hi Itchy and Scratchy group. OYBK, thanks I had a better night, but yesterday evening got some of these blisters, it's disgusting and I am so fed up with it. I htink maybe, we should all move to a sunny place!

Absolutely! do you think we could get sponsorship to buy an MN island?

OYBK - that's terrible about the cataracts - can I ask how it's related to the steroid use? Was it by using it around the eye area, or related to use elsewhere on your body.

With the betacap, I generally try to only use it for a couple of weeks before weaning myself off. It's tough though.

I had psc cataracts, steroids are a big cause and my surgeon thinks thats what caused them (they are also known as steroid induced cataracts) . I've used topical steroids on and off since I was a young kid, some of them pretty strong and have had to use them all over at some time or other. Its a real bugger as I'm in my mid thirties and now my vision is quite ropey. Being young and short sighted doesnt mix well with cataract surgery.

It is hard, cos steroids do tend to work in the short term. I'm sure that generally this doesnt happen. Perhaps worth getting regular eye checks and making sure they know what medication you are on is sensible?

That's interesting OYBBK. I've also used steroid creams throughout my life, and at times all over. Now I inhale them for asthma too!! I wear glasses so I get my eyes checked regularly anyway, but the biggest problem I have with my eyes is they easily get irritated and infected - partly because of eczema on the surrounding skin, and partly I think because of my general sneezy, allergic, rhinitis, itchy eye tendencies!

Pidge - you don't have it easy!

So how is everyone today?
My scalp is being annoying and I'm back on to meds for the associated arthritis but the gazillions of spots are looking less red and spotty - I think its calming down Am very very happy!! Had a full nights sleep to - actually fell asleep on sofa and had to be dragged up by dh. Hooray!

Please can I join in too??
Skin on hands/wrists driving me flippin' NUTS.
All blistered/weeping/itchy and I'm FED UP

Nice to know I'm not the only one, though. In RL I feel like a freak

Can I join in? Have eczema on fingers and eyelids

Wake myself up scratching at night - can't wear my wedding ring - can't wear eye makeup. It's rubbish and unless you have it no-one understands how it consumes you all day every day!

Keep mine bearable with Aveeno and Medihoney cream - no fabric softener or nice smelly anything.

Just had an extremely stressful week and various other patches have popped up and I am fighting the urge to scratch.

Loving having a thread where I can have a good moan about it

Of course you can both join in Am sorry though that you are having a miserable time of it.

I can so associate with the FED UP sentiment and the how it consumes you all day. It is so miserable being constantly uncomfortable and being aware of people looking. Yesterday I was close to tears cos I thought 'every flipping autumn its the same bloody cycle and I just want it fixed. and it didnt even properly clear this summer'

This is a good thread to moan in

I really feel for you all with eczema - I don't think people realise the full distress that it can cause and I know they can be pretty dismissive.

OYBBK - I just have the classic atopic collection of stuff. Mostly it's under control! I'm just resigned to being a wheezy, sneezy, itchy character. Though there are times when it's bad when I get utterly miserable with the eczema. It's been awful during this pregnancy - absolutely out of control until I saw my ace dermatology nurse a month ago. It'll be interesting to see how my skin reacts to the change in hormones when this baby pops out in a week or two ... hope it doesn't go bonkers again.

I agree I think people have no idea how debilitating and depressing a skin condition can be ...

So how is everyone doing then?

bit of a bump

my psoriasis is flaring badly again and my trunk is stinging with it.

Not good to have a v. flakey scalp on a first aid course I discovered today

Just found these products while on holiday in the Highlands.
The cream is gorgeous and really moisturises. It is completely fragrance free and didn't cause any reaction on my sore skin.
The soap is also free of fragrance and is really nice to use.
Thought other people in the itchy/scratchy club might like to hear of them too

Going through a nice skin phase, even my face is nearly skin coloured