Thursday, August 20, 2015

Prone to Sunburn? Watch Out for Hell’s Itch! Ouch! Aargh!

Prone to Sunburn? Watch Out for Hell’s Itch! Ouch! Aargh!  


Prone to Sunburn? Watch Out for Hell’s Itch! Ouch! Aargh! Prone to sunburn, then you have to read this post. It may save you a hell of a lot of suffering. And believe me when I say I know what I mean.  I’m prone to sunburn. Naturally, I wear suntan lotion. A great deal of it. Sometimes, I do forget. Usually, when I do I don’t get sunburn because I wasn’t out in the sun that long. You know what I mean. If I walk to my mailbox to get the mail, I don’t put on suntan lotion. If I go sit in the backyard for some air to get some Vitamin D, I don’t wear any lotion. Why would I? Other times, I forget and then, I get the dreaded sunburn. Ouch! Ooh! Youza! I’m sure you know what I mean there too. You know the routine. You get sunburned. It hurts for a few days. It peels and then, that’s the end of it.
     Uh-Uh-Uh. Unfortunately, the last sunburn I received a few weeks ago wasn’t the usual sunburn and the effects of it are with me still nearly two months later. I’m talking about a sunburn that doesn’t hurt, barely peels, but results in a lasting, painful, itch that doesn’t seem to want to go away. I know. I’m dealing with it now. I made the mistake of mowing my property without wearing lotion or proper coverage. To avoid problems that first night and thereafter, I applied Gold Bond Skin lotion and everything seemed to go well. Then, one night after dinner, my two forearms which were sunburned began to itch relentlessly. I applied Gold Bond Skin lotion without respite. I applied Cortisone without letup. My skin felt as if angry red ants were trying to burrow their way out of my arms. My spouse suggested a cool shower, which I gladly took. I applied Aveeno Body Wash for Itchy, Dry skin with oatmeal. It felt good in the shower, but once I got out, the itch returned. I applied Coconut Oil to it and the maddening itch subsided. The oil worked wonders for a few days, but never truly got rid of all of the insane itch. I next tried applying cortisone cream again. It worked for a few days then stopped. 
I tried Cetaphil skin lotion, which worked for a couple of days and then, nada. Desperate, I searched online and found a few sites that mentioned this “Hell’s Itch” or as someone else nicknamed it, “Satan’s Red Ants.” It definitely feels like the monikers. Others out there endured this itch and tried numerous medicines and treatments to no avail. I, too tried them all. Some had relief with Aloe lotion. Others with Ocean Potion, which I could not find anywhere. Poor me. Others said they had luck with A&D ointment, which I just happened to have and it worked, (Thank god!) for about a week and then didn’t. I must admit it. I have a strange body in the way that medicines don’t always work on me as they should. I quickly found out that I had to use something different every couple of days to get the itch down to a tolerable level. I tried Benadryl spray but it didn't work at all.
 

 I even tried what others recommended: I took two Benadryl pills at bedtime, which helped me sleep. Unfortunately, for the first couple of nights, I woke up at 3 in the morning with the itch driving me nearly insane and desperate for a solution. Unlike some others, hot showers didn’t work for me. Cold compresses didn’t work either. The itch just worsened. The coconut oil seemed the best solution. Yesterday, I went back to applying the Cetaphil cream. Thing is, this sunburn is the weirdest, not only because of the itch, but because it made my skin so very dry, almost like sand paper. Yuck. I never had such terribly dry skin. Today, thanks to online shopping, I received my Ocean Potion, Aveeno Skin Cream for Sensitive, Itchy Skin to try and see what happens.  So far, I get by with using each one for a day or two and switch back to another. Truthfully, the best treatment that seems to work for me is applying coconut oil as often as I can before any itching starts. Don't let the itching start. As soon as you feel a twinge apply whatever works for you because once the itching begins, it is very difficult to get it down to a tolerable level. One good thing though: The itching means the sunburned skin is healing deep within, but does it have to itch so badly?
    Now, here’s the real rub. Whatever you do, while you have this sunburn, or this itch, don’t go outside in the sun without a cover-up. The itch will return with a vengeance you do not want to encounter. It’s terrible. I know. I made the dumb mistake of going outside for a quick run to fill the humming bird feeder and get the mail and then that night the itch returned. I could almost hear it snickering at me. Now, I will never, ever go outside without adequate coverage, and never again will I be so foolish to ever go outside without suntan lotion, even for the fifteen minutes to absorb some Vitamin D. If there is a hell, I’ve already been there. It’s called Hell’s Itch and I never want to see it again. If you are currently experiencing this, I feel your pain and hope you find what works for you. If you are over it, please let others know here what worked for you.

     Prone to sunburn? Always wear suntan lotion, or proper coverage. Otherwise, you may encounter the itch from hell and trust me it is way worse than the worst sunburn you can imagine. I know. I had the worst sunburn that hurt so badly that I wanted to die. This itch is worse than that. If you’re so unlucky that you do get sunburn and with it the resulting Itch, there are a couple of things you can try. You can search for solutions on the internet, as I did and see what works for you. You can try the things that I’ve mentioned here that may or may not work for you. You can go to your doctor or emergency room and get something stronger to help stop the itch. Or you can suffer with it. I wouldn’t recommend the last option, but, hey, maybe you have the patience of a saint and the hide of a rhino and the heart of a Lion. I don’t. Whatever you choose, be reassured that you are not alone. Others have, are, or will also encounter “Hell’s Itch”. I hope you never do. It is definitely hell. How about you? Have you ever encountered “Hell’s Itch”? If so, what worked for you? What didn’t? How did you deal with it?
Want to learn more about the Hell's Itch as the aftermath of sunburn? Check out this fellow blogger's take on it: http://lowgravityascents.com/2013/06/05/the-worst-sunburn-aftermath-ever/   or you can try searching for "sunburn and itching like crazy" and view all the results....or...


Read more: What causes this particular type of sunburn itch? http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dermatology/What-causes-this-particular-type-of-sunburn-itch/show/1301105   

Curing the Sunburn Itch From HELL   by John Curry: http://goarticles.com/article/Curing-the-Sunburn-Itch-From-HELL/6828954/


              

Update: Nothing worked for me to get rid of this itch. Nothing. Hence, I made the dreaded trip to my doctor's office. Shockingly, he was very familiar with it. His brother had it once. Also, while in college, a mutual acquaintance had this itch. It was so bad that this student committed suicide from the itch. It seems, according to my doctor, there is only one way to treat this was with oral steroids, which I didn't want to do. Instead, I applied my topical cortisone to the itch. Three months later, the itch is slowly diminishing without the oral steroids. Hopefully, this means I'm in the clear. We'll see. If you ever get this itch, you're not alone. There are a number of things you can try as attested above. However, what may work for one may not work for you. Experiment and see what works for you. I wish you well on the road to healing and finding what works for you.
UPDATE 10/5/17: The dreaded itch returns from time to time whether I was out in the sun or not. ARRGH!  I use my prescription cortisone cream when that happens. I visited with my dermatologist recently. The physician educated in disorders of the skin never heard of it. that is scary. Here is another article I discovered about it. Hope your itch goes away and never comes back.

Whitest man's burden: For an unlucky few, sunburn means a debilitating itch torture:

     That’s it for now. Until next time, I wish you well. Have a great day, a great week and a great month. May all your dreams come true. Be safe. Be happy. Show compassion. Be kind to one another, especially those without a voice. Love one another. Don't follow the crowd. Go against the flow. And no matter what, don't ever share your personal information just because one asks for it, even it's your doctor's office that is asking.

    Regards,

    S.J. Francis
    Advocate for the underdog, and cat, et al.
 
   In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family."  Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.

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And now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2015 by S.J. Francis.
Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and are meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.

7 comments:

  1. Hey, I know how you feel. Honestly, I've had hell's itch one other time in my life. And that was as a kid. I vaguely remember how it felt too.
    Last Thursday I went swimming. Took my shirt off because I had some sunblock. So I used sunblock once, dried off about an hour later, re applied. I was there for about 5 hours total. So of course, I got carried away, lost track of time, and forgot to keep re applying.
    Came home, noticed my face was burned, no big deal. Started messing around, shirt slipped up a little, and the girlfriend said "uh, babe,lift your shirt again" so I did. My stomach was burned. (First time in my life by the way) She told me to turn around and show her my back. Yep. Burned. ALL over. Man I was regretting life right about then. Because I knew withing 48-72 hours, I'd be in for it.
    48 hours rolled by, and "IT" started. I started counting my blessings and repeatedly yelling at myself for being such an idiot. This time around, I did some research on this damn thing. So I never applied ANYTHING to my back when this itch started. Still haven't. (I'm peeling now, thank God) When the hell's itch kicked in at about 2 pm, I was in such discomfort it wasn't even funny. I couldn't do ANYTHING. Nothing could begin to keep my mind off the itch. I knew not to scratch it so I was using the sides of my index fingers to rub the spot. If you've ever had this shit, it is damn near IMPOSSIBLE to not scratch it. You HAVE to do something to it. People who think it's just an "itch" need to reconsider. This isn't just an itch. This will make you cry and honestly make you go completely insane. It is the worst experience I've ever had in my life. Luckily for me the intense part of it only lasted about 15-20 hours. Then it started subsiding. Still itched like crazy, but definitely NOT the intense pain/sharp shooting itch type.
    But all in all, I found a solution myself. Showers did not work for me, they just set me on fire (not literally) . Benadryl didnt help me at all either. BUT peppermint oil (NOT diluted) helped. But here's the best way I was able to cope with this shit. Put a decently loose shirt on. And repeatedly move your shoulders up and down. It will "scratch" your back without pissing off your nerve endings that cause that intense itch. It's worth a try. And it's literally the easiest to do. But the hardest to do, is to NOT scratch it. It's literally impossible.
    My conclusion is simply this. Wear sunblock if you absolutely have to go without a shirt. If you get hell's itch, it's probably because you're burning too easily or not meant to tan that well. Who cares how tan you are. It's better to be pale as hell, than to ever have hell's itch. From now on, I'm keeping my shirt on outside. Forget the sunblock. I won't expose myself anymore. Lesson learned

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment and help with this. Let's hope it eventually stops. Mine is better, but returns intermittently. Running cold water on it helps a bit. I always wear sunscreen on the burn no matter how long I'm outside now. Otherwise, any bit of sun causes it to begin itching again. Hope you get over your bout soon.

      Delete
  2. Hey, I know how you feel. Honestly, I've had hell's itch one other time in my life. And that was as a kid. I vaguely remember how it felt too.
    Last Thursday I went swimming. Took my shirt off because I had some sunblock. So I used sunblock once, dried off about an hour later, re applied. I was there for about 5 hours total. So of course, I got carried away, lost track of time, and forgot to keep re applying.
    Came home, noticed my face was burned, no big deal. Started messing around, shirt slipped up a little, and the girlfriend said "uh, babe,lift your shirt again" so I did. My stomach was burned. (First time in my life by the way) She told me to turn around and show her my back. Yep. Burned. ALL over. Man I was regretting life right about then. Because I knew withing 48-72 hours, I'd be in for it.
    48 hours rolled by, and "IT" started. I started counting my blessings and repeatedly yelling at myself for being such an idiot. This time around, I did some research on this damn thing. So I never applied ANYTHING to my back when this itch started. Still haven't. (I'm peeling now, thank God) When the hell's itch kicked in at about 2 pm, I was in such discomfort it wasn't even funny. I couldn't do ANYTHING. Nothing could begin to keep my mind off the itch. I knew not to scratch it so I was using the sides of my index fingers to rub the spot. If you've ever had this shit, it is damn near IMPOSSIBLE to not scratch it. You HAVE to do something to it. People who think it's just an "itch" need to reconsider. This isn't just an itch. This will make you cry and honestly make you go completely insane. It is the worst experience I've ever had in my life. Luckily for me the intense part of it only lasted about 15-20 hours. Then it started subsiding. Still itched like crazy, but definitely NOT the intense pain/sharp shooting itch type.
    But all in all, I found a solution myself. Showers did not work for me, they just set me on fire (not literally) . Benadryl didnt help me at all either. BUT peppermint oil (NOT diluted) helped. But here's the best way I was able to cope with this shit. Put a decently loose shirt on. And repeatedly move your shoulders up and down. It will "scratch" your back without pissing off your nerve endings that cause that intense itch. It's worth a try. And it's literally the easiest to do. But the hardest to do, is to NOT scratch it. It's literally impossible.
    My conclusion is simply this. Wear sunblock if you absolutely have to go without a shirt. If you get hell's itch, it's probably because you're burning too easily or not meant to tan that well. Who cares how tan you are. It's better to be pale as hell, than to ever have hell's itch. From now on, I'm keeping my shirt on outside. Forget the sunblock. I won't expose myself anymore. Lesson learned

    ReplyDelete
  3. I need to share my solution. I've been tru hell and back with tgis "issue". DO NOT shower. Try to not sweat. Stay calm in a/c (your car i.e.). And the solution for me is: lightly whip one o two egg whites (NOT the yolk). Apply it in the itching zones trying to cover very well the sunburned areas. Let it to dry in a cool fresh environment. Open a beer o an iced tea and relax for first 5 minutes and then enjoy the healing. It took me more than 30 years to discover, after trying expensive moisturizing creams, oily stuffs, honey, mud, starch, vinegar, even toothpaste, Jesus knows... In this pretty moment I'm near my Hell's Itch attack, but not nervous. If it doesnt work for you, try xylocaine/lidocaine in spray (the same used in dental services). Hope you to heal soon. Stay in the shade.

    If you want to tip me, bitcoins accepted!! Hahahahahaha:

    14s6UTcV28J1SePBmyv9Cg3p59VWQhgwsa

    Thank you in advance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Great tips you shared. I shall remember them. Mine is better, but returns intermittently. Running cold water on it helps a bit. I always wear sunscreen on the burn no matter how long I'm outside now. Otherwise, any bit of sun causes it to begin itching again. Hope you get over your bout soon.

      Delete
  4. I've had this for two months after a sunburn to my scalp. Only cortisone works and only after washing my hair in the shower. I am worried about using cortisone so long. How long did you use it? I am thankful to have cortisone because without it the itch would be impossible to bear. I hope you're better now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't hell's itch awful? Cortisone shouldn't be used for more than two weeks. Mine is better, but returns intermittently. Running cold water on it helps a bit. I always wear sunscreen on the burn no matter how long I'm outside now. Otherwise, any bit of sun causes it to begin itching again. Hope you get over your bout soon.

      Delete