Hey everyone,
So I am new to the forum, my name is Rachel and I am 22 I was diagnosed 4 years ago when I first got to college. So you will have to bear with me during this long story but I want to give as much information as possible. When I was first diagnosed they started me on Prednisone and Pentasa right away. The Pentasa was making my hair fall out pretty badly, so after about 6 months I told my GI I needed off ASAP. Next up was Remicade. This was actually doing pretty well for me, but I decided to switch to Humira because it was more convenient for me to do the shots myself. I am originally from Pittsburgh but I was at school in Philadelphia and coordinating hospital time for infusions was just too hard. So from the beginning of my diagnosis I was going to the bathroom TOO much. By the time I was on Remicade transitioning into Humira I wasn't going enough. I also tried Miralax simultaneously which seemed to help keep me regular but that didn't last too long. So now I am doing the Humira, and I really can't complain because I only have the occasional flare up. After moving back to Pittsburgh and getting a new job I have been having more flare ups, but I am going to attribute that to stress/changes and hope it goes away soon.
But, there is this mysterious itching that I have that none of my doctors can figure out. I have seen two GI doctors, my GP, and two dermatologists. I have an appointment with an allergist at the end of July. It is usually always in the morning, especially after I shower, especially especially after I shave my legs: I have this EXTREME itching on my legs and sometimes arms. The strangest part is there is no rash, no bumps or anything. I try not to touch it which usually helps it go away in about 20 minutes. There was a period where it would even wake me up in the middle of the night. I have noticed that heat seems to make it worse, but it isn't the only cause. I have tried everything from cutting out dairy and gluten, to changing laundry detergents, soaps, and lotions. It's happened every place I have traveled to, so I am thinking it isn't environmental. It comes and goes in waves, and there is absolutely no consistency to it. The dermatologist prescribed me some steroidal lotions but they didn't really do anything so I stopped using them. I was also taking Hydroxizine at night and Allegra twice a day to lower my histamines but that didn't seem to have much effect.
I really hope I am not the only person who is going through this and someone else has some insight. I have no idea if it is related to my Crohn's or not, but I feel like I am out of options!:sign0085:
So I am new to the forum, my name is Rachel and I am 22 I was diagnosed 4 years ago when I first got to college. So you will have to bear with me during this long story but I want to give as much information as possible. When I was first diagnosed they started me on Prednisone and Pentasa right away. The Pentasa was making my hair fall out pretty badly, so after about 6 months I told my GI I needed off ASAP. Next up was Remicade. This was actually doing pretty well for me, but I decided to switch to Humira because it was more convenient for me to do the shots myself. I am originally from Pittsburgh but I was at school in Philadelphia and coordinating hospital time for infusions was just too hard. So from the beginning of my diagnosis I was going to the bathroom TOO much. By the time I was on Remicade transitioning into Humira I wasn't going enough. I also tried Miralax simultaneously which seemed to help keep me regular but that didn't last too long. So now I am doing the Humira, and I really can't complain because I only have the occasional flare up. After moving back to Pittsburgh and getting a new job I have been having more flare ups, but I am going to attribute that to stress/changes and hope it goes away soon.
But, there is this mysterious itching that I have that none of my doctors can figure out. I have seen two GI doctors, my GP, and two dermatologists. I have an appointment with an allergist at the end of July. It is usually always in the morning, especially after I shower, especially especially after I shave my legs: I have this EXTREME itching on my legs and sometimes arms. The strangest part is there is no rash, no bumps or anything. I try not to touch it which usually helps it go away in about 20 minutes. There was a period where it would even wake me up in the middle of the night. I have noticed that heat seems to make it worse, but it isn't the only cause. I have tried everything from cutting out dairy and gluten, to changing laundry detergents, soaps, and lotions. It's happened every place I have traveled to, so I am thinking it isn't environmental. It comes and goes in waves, and there is absolutely no consistency to it. The dermatologist prescribed me some steroidal lotions but they didn't really do anything so I stopped using them. I was also taking Hydroxizine at night and Allegra twice a day to lower my histamines but that didn't seem to have much effect.
I really hope I am not the only person who is going through this and someone else has some insight. I have no idea if it is related to my Crohn's or not, but I feel like I am out of options!:sign0085: