So, on my side, maybe at the bottom of my ribcage or thereabouts, I will get an itch every so often. It tends to be very persistent, and never seems to move or anything like normal itches do (you ever notice that? You scratch at an itch, and it feels like you now have an itch in a slightly different place?) Moreover, the skin never appears dry or damaged or enflamed. It doesn’t really hurt, it’s just kind of annoying.
Not really looking for medical advice, just curious if anybody knows what kinds of things might cause such a weird itch.
Of course, it’ll be decades from now and have nothing to do with the itch, but…
More seriously: I’m really just guessing here, but I’d say it’s something to do with the central nervous system and/or the spinal nerves (is the spine “central” or not? I can’t remember).
I will have occasional bouts of itchiness on one foot - at bedtime when I’m relaxing and getting drowsy. Either on the ankle, or the top of the foot. I’ll claw at it and get only moments of relief. The only thing that stops it is to run it under the hottest water I can stand, which for whatever reason short-circuits the itching sensation.
In my case, I have strong reason to believe it’s a manifestation of my Restless Legs Syndrome, which is a central nervous system problem. Hence my speculation that yours is also neurological.
I’ll be interested to hear others’ theories as well.
I think you may have dry skin. This is the season for that. Taking long showers regularly will move you in this direction. Sometimes rubbing some petroleum jelly on the site will alleviate the itch temporarily. When all else fails, I have found the forcing myself to ignore the itch will tend to make it disappear. I consider it a challenge at these times. It works for me.
Is the itching right on the surface like most itches, or beneath the surface? I’ve been having a recurring itch for about 20 years. It’s slightly higher than yours, but it seems to be coming from beneath the surface, like within my ribs or outside of my left lung.
