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Four weeks after my first child was born, in the middle of the night, I awoke with a very profound itching over my entire body. About a week later, after this having happened for so long, I realized it wasn't going to stop. It was every night at the exact same time. My husband suggested Benadryl, and I finally tried it, and it helped. I went to a doctor who said, take this steroid, and these antihistamines and GUARANTEED it will be over in a week. Steroids only seemed to make it worse, and after 10 days, I still was not better. Since then I have seen several doctors looking for an answer. I know that it looks and sounds a lot like dermatographism, but since that is usually ideopathic, I'm trying to find the source. I have had my gall bladder checked, my liver, my kidneys, my stomach (we did find ulcers, which are gone now after a lot of antibiotics), everything we could possibly think of. I made them run every test in the book, everything is clean. I have never had healthy problems before, and I was 20 y/o on onset of symtpoms. I have not had my thyroid checked yet though...which I know I should. Finally a doctor says that my only hope is to go to an allergist. I told him that somebody with skin that reacts to everything cannot get a skin scratch test, but he said they would do something. The allergist said it didn't matter. And after doing the scratch test said I am allergic to everything but the following: apples, bananas, vaseline, and crisco. Also, I was the MOST reactive person that she has ever tested. Then my own serum was injected under my skin, and a test of saline scratched beside it. I know this was to see if it was my body attacking myself...however, one was injected, one was scratched. I don't react to things injected, only to things scratched. My eosinophils are very elevated. No cancer traces, or traces of any kind of parasite were found in my blood...didn't know they could check with blood, but they did. I was told to stay on a strict diet of only one serving of each allergen a day, which sucks, but I'm doing my best, and for the most part I have accomplished that. But she said I would be over this in about 3 months tops. It has been six...a totall of 2 years and 8 months. And since I started taking Zyrtec and feeling better, a new wierd bumpy itchy rash has started on my legs...and the Zyrtec is becomming more ineffective, just like every antihistamine before it, and I am coupling with benadryl. The only other things I have noticed are bowel upset at times (soft stool, gas), some stomach upset from time to time....and I do notice a lot of stuffiness at times as well. I had never had allergy symptoms before in my life.
So my question to you is this: Do I just assume the doctor was right, and I am allergic to the world...or do you think this is more like some kind of autoimmune. I am literally at my wits end here. Although antihistamines help mostly, not always, and not fully. I need help! I have seen 5 doctors to date. It is not psychological, forgot to put that up there as well. And it is not scabies... I am the only one that I know of with this severe itching and welting. Oh, and no hives show up until my skin is touched, and I do have skin-writing...but I thought dermatographia only itches after touching, not before. So, if you can think of anything else that I could try, or have any ideas for what it could be, please help me! |
