Why am I itching???????

[ny biker]

This just started a little while ago. I was sitting on the couch, watching TV. Wearing a cotton short-sleeved shirt with a scoop neck. My neck started to itch, so I scratched. Itched more, scratched more. Etc. Next thing I know, it starts to itch in front of and below my armpits and on my back, under the edges of my bra.

So I took off the shirt and bra and of course started scratching all over (stupid, I know). Then I took a piece of wet paper towel and sponged off the whole area, which helped a bit. Now I'm in my cotton pjs, trying hard to not scratch and make it worse again.

The skin all around the base of my neck is all red, as is the skin where it was itching under the bra. There are no hives, welts, rash, or anything like that.

I just took a Claritin.

What could cause this kind of allergic reaction? The shirt is several years old, the bra is a couple of months old. I use 7th Generation laundry detergent, but that wouldn't be the problem since my other clothes didn't cause itching in other areas.

Could this be a reaction to something internal, like a food I've eaten recently? Or is it more likely contact dermatitis?

I've had mystery allergic skin issues before (hive-like welts on various parts of my body) as well as rashes whose origins I never identified. Plus of course the identifiable issues like poison ivy and certain brands of deodorant.

I did put lotion on this morning on this areas, but it was two different kinds: Eucerin face lotion with non-chemical sunblock on my chest and neck and Complex 15 lotion around my armpits where I sometimes have dry skin/chafing issues.

Ugh I want the Claritin to kick in now!!!!!

update: red skin is spreading from neck down to the tops of my shoulders and up my back.

[Zen]

These are the classic symptoms of leprosy.

OK, not really. It could be anything. Were you in contact with some type of plant, perhaps? Think.

[SpinSpinSugar]

Sounds exactly like a food allergy to me. I had a similar type of reaction all of a sudden one day to soy milk which I had been drinking daily for a whole year. It takes about 45-60 min to show up after the offending food has been consumed. Never had a food allergy before in my life before and it took a loooong time and several frustrating trips to the DR. (who never did diagnose it correctly) to figure out what it was. (btw benadryl or allergy meds didn't work.. it takes about 24 hours to work it's way out of your system.) In the mean time, it feels like you're wearing an old-fashioned wool turtleneck swimsuit. Good luck figuring out the culprit, and don't exclude anything even if you've eaten it before with no previous reaction.

SpinSpinSugar

[7rider]

Prickly heat?
It's been very hot and sticky recently.

[PamNY]

Have you taken antibiotics, or any drug? My antibiotic reactions behaved that way. Good luck. Itching is so miserable, especially in summer.

[ny biker]

The rash is still spreading. Is now on the tops/insides of my thighs, the patch on my back is bigger, and is on the tops/insides of my arms. I'm also finding a few small hives.

I did go out for lunch today to a place I haven't been before, and had a crab cake sandwich and fries. But that was about 6 hours before this started.

I've been in the a/c all day long so I don't think heat is a problem. No new drugs today.

I will check the hours of the urgent care center tomorrow in case I need a prescription. Hoping this is not the case!!

Thanks, everyone.

[rubywagon]

The crab for lunch is setting off bells in my head. Have you had any problems with shellfish in the past? Although, my husband never had problems with it, and the last time he ate shrimp he had the same problem. I hope you get feeling better. That is miserable.

[ny biker]

Hmmm, I'm just remembering that it was almost exactly 2 years ago when I had the mystery hives. They were on my knuckles, knees, tops of my feet, and all around my hips/thighs/butt. Maybe my elbows too, I don't remember. I wound up going to Urgent Care after a few days because it just kept getting worse. The doctor gave me an Rx for steriods which cleared it up, although she wasn't able to say what caused it.

At the time I thought maybe I was allergic to blueberries, which I put on my waffles with breakfast in the summer. But after that rash cleared up I was able to eat blueberries again with no problems. Anyway it's that time of year again and I've been buying and eating blueberries for the past couple of weeks. I wonder if there's something about late June/early July blueberries that I'm allergic to, like a certain pesticide or other chemical used in some regions but not others.

Or maybe not...

I'll probably never know. Anyway, I will not be eating any more blueberries for a while.

[sarahspins]

The rash is still spreading. Is now on the tops/insides of my thighs, the patch on my back is bigger, and is on the tops/insides of my arms. I'm also finding a few small hives.

This is how I react to certain food allergies.. strawberries and avocados are two big ones for me.. I'm already on a strong cocktail of allergy meds, but it doesn't do much to help the food stuff. I don't break out in a rash and hives immediately, but about an hour (and sometimes several hours) later.. sometimes it persists for several days, other times it's all over within a few hours.

This "type" of allergic reaction is quite a bit different than the stereotypical anaphylactic type... in most cases it's not life threatening, just very annoying.

My allergist's advice was "don't eat those if you don't want hives" but he didn't specifically advice me against it

I'd definitely suggest seeing an allergist.. even if their advice isn't much better than mine's was, at least they can do the testing to rule out the possibility of a life-threatening reaction.. and maybe give you better medication suggestions

[7rider]

I once got awful hives from fried clams. Never before and never since (but it was a long time before I'd eat clams again).
Perhaps a food reaction

[Crankin]

I get the same type of dermatographia reaction from just touching my skin a lot. Also, I can break out in hives from seemingly nothing. Doesn't happen very often, though.
Overall, though, I am a very allergic type person, despite the fact only a couple of specific things show up when I get tested. I developed a shellfish allergy in my mid thirties, after growing up eating tons of lobster and clams, shrimp. I can eat scallops, though. I also couldn't drink wine for about ten years (sulfites), but all of a sudden, that went away (I tested it one year at Passover, and when I didn't die from drinking the 4 cups of wine, I decided I was OK). The shellfish allergy is related to my allergy to IV contrast dye/iodine, which I found out about when I had a CT scan. I suspected I might had this, as my mom did, but they convinced me to have the dye. Within one minute my eyes swelled shut and I had a huge welt on my wrist.
I also am allergic to Thimerisol, the preservative that everyone thought caused autism... it used to be in contact lens solution and after like twelve years, my eyes started swelling up. Now, I can't get certain immunizations, because they have Thimerisol as a preservative.
Go to an allergist.

[ny biker]

Okay the rash is back, but on different parts of my body -- lower back, butt, more on my arms. And the Claritin hasn't worn off yet.

I guess I'll go to the urgent care clinic. I assumed they were closed last night but it turns out that they are now open 24/7. I'm really not looking forward to spending the day in the waiting room. Oh well.

[NbyNW]

Sorry to hear things haven't cleared up ... I've occasionally had something similar happen but was unable to figure out what seemed to be causing it.

Good luck at the clinic, and hope you feel better soon!

[malkin]

Itching is crazy making.
I hope you get rid of it soon.

[ny biker]

Well happily my regular doctor's office was open this morning and they were able to see me. I got an Rx for prednisone, and she also told me to take Zantac in addition to the Claritin. I also talked to my sister, who is both a nurse and has way more personal experience with allergies than anyone should ever have. She agreed with the drug regimen and mentioned a few other possible causes.

I'm adding to my "possible" list: granola with dried strawberries, blackberries and kiwis plus soy milk, which I had for dinner on Thursday night for the first time in a long time.

First thing Monday, I will call an allergist and hope to get an appointment in the not too distant future.

BTW I asked the doctor if there was any reason I would not be able to ride my bike tomorrow. She said no, except I'd be more comfortable if I stayed sedentary in the A/C. (She also looked at me like I was kinda crazy. ) But if the rash clears up enough by then I will be out there doing 40 miles of hills and testing my new saddle tomorrow morning. I can always cut the ride short if the itching gets bad.