Tuesday 5 October 2010

I Could Cry!





In fact as I type this, I am.....  I don't usually blog when I'm mad or upset... I tend to go make a cuppa tea and then write when I have a clearer head...


Today though, I need a distraction.




You may remember from one of my earlier blog posts, that when the arthritis came out of remission, I had a rash...


Well eventually it was diagnosed as Prurigo nodularis (PN) which can affect people with compromised immune systems.  One of the joys of having juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is that it is an autoimmune condition, where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's healthy organs and tissues as though they were foreign invaders.


I managed to get the rash under control with a topical steroid cream and helped the intensive itching with an antihistamine sedative...


With the PN, I was told it would come up every now and then in the form of little spots but to not scratch or pick as it reacts and then spreads.


Over the last year most days I've been able to cope with it but occasionally I do get days when I want to climb the walls. Its also a catch 22 situation because I am on Hydroxychloroquine which can cause rashes and itching.  I also get very itchy when I am hot, especially after I've just had a shower.  Sometimes I itch so much it makes my skin crawl and I just want to jump back in the shower.


Today is proving an especially hard day because I am having to sit on my hands to stop scratching... The itching is so intense!  I was also supposed to be going to aqua aerobics with a friend today, something I was really looking forward to because I've not been for a while and I miss the exercise.  Due to the itching, I don't want to aggravate it with chlorine so have cancelled...


I am seeing my GP later because I simply can't go on like this.  When the itching is this intense, I want to grab the nearest cheese grater and scratch!  I'm not sure if it is my Arthritis, PN or the Hydroxychloroquine that's making me itch so much but whichever it is, I want it to stop!!



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