An Itch You Can't Scratch

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

Man, I love hot water. If it weren’t for hot water, I wouldn’t get up in the morning.

Get it really hot and stand under it for a long time, and when I get out, my fricking feet itch like a son uvva bitch. All over. Bright red. And It’s an itch that can’t be scratched. The best you can do is rub them with a towel or something rough and wait for it to go away. Damn.

When I come indoors from very cold weather, the same thing happens, but this is the front of my legs. Hell, sometimes my whole legs itch like HELL. And it’s an itch you can’t scratch. (It’s worst when wearing bluejeans, for some reason). Does this stuff bother anyone else? (I won’t bring up testicles - those are a whole 'nother story).

#2

Nickrz, I cannot resist replying to this message.

If you are having medical problems, SEE YOUR DOCTOR. Do not rely on posts from “doctors” on this board. See a certified dermatologist.

And have a nice day. :smiley:

SanibelMan
“A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority. There is but little virtue in the action of masses of men.”
– Henry David Thoreau

#3

Maybe you should shower more often.

#4

Nickrz, don’t listen to that madman, real men don’t need doctors!

Actually I tend to get itchy when I’m hot also, maybe some sort of over-stimulation of the nerve endings getting to much blood. It’s probably just due to heat so don’t put the shower water so damned hot and take off your coat right away when you come inside and it should be OK.

#5

This is absolutely no help to you, sorry.

Once I had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic, and the first sympton was the inside of my teeth itching.

Try scratching that bastard!

#6

I run faily often, and if it’s cold outside, my legs start itching like crazy. I believe in one of cecil’s threads (don’t feel like looking for it) he suggested that tickling may be a premature version of pain, maybe this is also.

All this science, I don’t understand. It’s just my job 5 days a week-- Rocketman

#7

I have a dry scalp, and when that sumbitch itches, it’s really annoying. I have to decide wiether to ignore it, or scratch and look like I have lice.

I usually go into the bathroom and scratch like a mad bastard.

Now, about itchy testicles…those are the freakin’ worst. You can’t ignore that.

You say “cheesy” like that’s a BAD thing.

#8

It sounds like dry skin. Have you tried a moisturizing soap? When I shave my legs,they always itch the next day.

#9

Nickrz, you sound like my husband. He gets itchy after showering, but he also gets itchy after contact with any water. Doesn’t matter whether it’s fresh or salt, tap or chlorinated pool water. Sweat makes him itchy, too.

Since I don’t have testicles, well, I can’t comment on how bad that kind of itch is. But a, well, “feminine itch” (how’s that for a euphemism?) can be pretty darned bad. The worst part is that women cannot scratch in public. Never never ever.

#10

Oh comeon, doesn’t anyone else feel that this thread should be transfered to GQ?

#11

I get the same type of itch on my hands and feet after showering.
But I dont dare use hand lotion as it removes the armor plating and after one night at work my hands will be a bloody mess.
Re: Itchy testicles,just remember the scene in cheech and chongs “Next Movie” where cheech is wearing a straitjacket and locked in the padded room.

Peace
t lion

#12

the seven year itch?
and the itching testicles will take the cake.

Unforgiven

#13

I’m gonna do a little bit of guesswork here.

No charge.

If these all sound obvious, I apologize.

If your local water has a lot of minerals in it naturally . . . or is heavily treated at the plant, you might be sensitive to either the minerals or the chemicals. You could look into a water softener and/or a filter; they sell 'em to fit on shower heads.

You might be allergic to the soap you’re using; try switching to another brand, maybe one that touts itself as being for sensitive skin.

And ditto for your jeans; that sounds suspiciously like you’re not getting all the detergent out. Try cutting down on the amount of washing powder you use when you do your laundry, and throw in an extra rinse. if you see lots of soapy water in that extra rinse water, that should tell you something right there.

Consider that your towels might be full of detergent as well so that when you dry off you might well be rubbing detergent residue into your skin.

And finally, might be some organism like “athlete’s foot” or some other such crud in your tub or shower or shower curtain and some Lysol action might help.
Whatever you use, that’s a DILUTE solution; don’t be like the guy I know that tried to clean the mildew off his window sills with straight bleach. (I now assume that guys just don’t know about these things.)

your humble TubaDiva

“Life isn’t what should be, it’s what is.”-- Lenny Bruce

#14

It has to be dry skin. My legs feel like that after coming in from the cold too, and lotion helps, but it has to be GOOD lotion. I use the fragrance-free Lubriderm. Moisturizing soap is a good idea too.

#15

I gotta agree with Tuba Diva, you might have hard water. We have hard water here, and it makes my entire body itch like crazy. I never had that problem when I lived in a town with soft water. It might be a good idea to look into a filter/water softener.

Also, your water might just be too hot. Hot water strips oils from you skin, and your legs and feet don’t have very many oils to begin with.

And moisturize, moisturize, moisterize.

#16

All of the above, plus…

You might try starting out w/ more tepid water and working up to really hot. I have a nasty little thing called Renaud’s Syndrome, not helped one damned bit by smoking, that affects my hands and feet. Basically, it’s a circulation thing.

If I start out in very hot water, it’s a little like putting too much heat on near frostbitten flesh. Oh, the hot water gets the ol’ blood pumpin’ but just a bit too fast. Red, itchy, yep, the whole thing…

First: ASK A DOC! but just as a general rule, use a good hypoallergencic moisturizer as soon as you blot off from the shower. There are bunches that are scent-free. Your skin will thank you for it. Hey, it’s the largest organ in your bod and keeps Nickerz and the environment neatly separated.

As far as the testicular itching…you’re on your own, there. (Guys…help this poor soul out.) Sounds like you might want to try some less harsh soap (for you and your clothes–and fabric softeners are AWFUL for this!) or maybe a small water softener system.

Good luck! Life is too short to spend it itching madly and miserably.

Veb

#17

  1. Over-dilated blood vessels cause pain. In the head (post-ice cream for those lucky enough not to have migraines) this results in throbbing pain; in the feet, this results in a burning itch. Cold will stop the itch quicker than anything else. Rubbing only serves to prolong the itch, since it stimulates blood vessels to dilate.

  2. The shins are a very common place for the dread skin condition xerosis to show itself.

A good moisturizer should help with this. Lanolin is good, unless you have a wool allergy; & the greasier, the better. The non-greasy formulas usually wear off in a few hours. Hard water usually makes this worse; consider a water softener.

  1. What Veb said regarding that other itch…

  2. Veb is also correct about Raynaud’s phenomenon causing an unusual sensitivity to hot & cold. I got the impression, however, that this itch was more troublesome at the end/after the shower & was more due to unusually hot water than to being particularly sensitive to the heat. If hands or feet turn white/blue with exposure to mild cold and red on rewarming, do see your doctor. Raynaud’s can be just a mild annoyance, or a symptom of a serious, whole-body illness.

Or, Nickrz could have decreased sensation in his feet so that he is actually scalding his feet mildly with every shower & not realizing it. This is a major problem for people with diabetes.

There is a gray zone between annoying minor physical symptoms & serious “medical” problems. This sounds more like the former, but if common-sense home remedies don’t fix it, do go see your doctor for it. ::sigh::

Sue from El Paso
members.aol.com/majormd/index.html

#18

Ummmm…I’m reading the posts after mine, and I agree with all the advice.

I just want to say fro the record that my comment about them itchy testicles was not to be infered that I have jock itch 24/7.

It was simply a statement that it sucks when that happens, like getting your fingers slammed in a car door, or geting caught in your zipper.

Just don’t want anyone thinking I’m wondering around all day playing pocket pool.

Back to the OP…

You say “cheesy” like that’s a BAD thing.

#19

I have to hijack this thread…

sealemon88 said…“Just don’t want anyone thinking I’m wondering around all day playing pocket pool”

and there is something wrong with that?

okay…hijacking over, I could not resist

#20

If my feet get a little chilly, or if I go sans socks, they go into deep freeze mode, dump every bit of heat from their bottom surface, and gain a swollen itch. I can NOT walk on linoleum on a cold morning, I will suffer all day from it. I think it’s an allergy to lanolin, that’s what my doctor said. But no sort of antihistamines ever helped it. It’s something I’ve learned to live with.

–Tim

We are the children of the Eighties. We are not the first “lost generation” nor today’s lost generation; in fact, we think we know just where we stand - or are discovering it as we speak.