First post: Help required with sensitive skin

[Webmuppet]

Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed Type 1 LADA about 14 months ago but I’ve recently developed itchy skin and it’s driving me mad and messing up my sleep ! My GP has prescribed antihistamines, hydrocortisone and emollient creams but nothing seems to help. Research via other forums suggest that this might be related to my diabetes and my local hospital’s diabetic unit have said that I’ve got all the right medication. My blood sugars are normally under control (4 to 7, using Levermir, Novorapid and Metformin) although I’ve had a few readings as high as 9.
Has anyone got any helpful advice,
Thank-you
Nigel

 

[trophywench]

No, sorry. Have you done al the really obvious things like using a non-Bio washing powder, not using fabric softener and line drying clothes and household linen, not using any perfume or perfumed products (and this obviously also applies to anyone you happen to spend time very close to), vacuuming your house and mattress and upholstery within an inch of their lives, not using air freshener, not painting or papering.

 

[Webmuppet]

No, sorry. Have you done al the really obvious things like using a non-Bio washing powder, not using fabric softener and line drying clothes and household linen, not using any perfume or perfumed products (and this obviously also applies to anyone you happen to spend time very close to), vacuuming your house and mattress and upholstery within an inch of their lives, not using air freshener, not painting or papering.

Yes, all of the above, I’ve had eczema sporadically since I was a child so we’re very conscious of these things. It’s all very odd and is quite unlike my previous experiences of eczema + we’re using the same non-bio detergent as we’ve used for years - it’s quite maddening

 

[HOBIE]

Welcome Webmuppet. Straight away I thought of Hydration, Do you drink water during the day etc ? Its important

 

[Webmuppet]

Welcome Webmuppet. Straight away I thought of Hydration, Do you drink water during the day etc ? Its important

Thank-you for your response ......Yes, I’m very conscious of the need to keep hydrated

 

[HOBIE]

I don't know if people know but water is a good healer. As soon as you have a cold you start dehydrating. Your body needs so many ltrs a day. Not many of us drink enough (water )

 

[Contused]

I don't know if people know but water is a good healer. As soon as you have a cold you start dehydrating. Your body needs so many ltrs a day. Not many of us drink enough (water )

Hydrating, surely?

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

It's possible to develop allergies or sensitivities to products you've used without problems for years, so it might be worth changing your laundry detergent, just to be sure. To really be sure you could try washing everything with just bicarb of soda for a while - if that makes a difference it's your laundry detergent: if not then you need to try something else.

You could also have developed more allergies or sensitivities, so other things to consider might be whether your soap or any of the other products you normally use contain any kind of alcohol, lanolin, paraffin, or citric acid - they are common ingredients even in products which are unscented and/or supposed to be for people with sensitive skin. I'm allergic to all of them (as well as to all synthetic chemicals). If any of these have become a problem for you then the likelihood is that the cream you've been prescribed is making things worse, as it will almost certainly contain at least one of them. You could try organic aloe vera gel or organic shea butter instead, and see if that helps.

I'm assuming as you have eczema you don't have anything like feather duvets? - as they'd certainly make me itch. Have you recently bought anything like new sheets or new clothes which might have a chemical treatment (anything marked easy care or wrinkle free or non iron or anything of that sort)?

You might find other ideas about what could be causing the itching here: https://www.chemicalfree.co.uk/ - and alternative products to try here: https://www.healthy-house.co.uk/ and here: https://www.allergybestbuys.co.uk/

It doesn't sound like diabetes to me as yours is so well under control. My multiple chemical sensitivies predate my diabetes and are totally un-diabetes-related (except in so far as both they and my diabetes are caused by having an overactive immune system).

 

[mikeyB]

Itchy skin can happen when taking Metformin, but it is exceptionally rare - less than 0.01% of people taking Metformin are affected. I can’t advise you to stop it and see, but you might want to discuss this with your doctor to set up a trial.

As I said, it’s very rare, but somebody has to get it, and that might be you.