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How do I stop itching from grass?

Help me stop itching. I'm allergic to cats or water!

  • I regularly experience itching while at home, primarily on my shins, hips and lower back. I think I'm allergic to something in my water.I've long thought this was caused by soap as showers are when the itching is at it's worst, but after trial and error I've concluded that water is the cause. I've come to this conclusion by using a filter on my shower head which removes the problem after a few weeks. The problem is the showerhead with filter has caused many plumbing problems due to the reduced water pressure, so I'm back to the regular shower head. Is there another way to filter the water without causing plumbing problems, such as at the water heater itself?If not the water, could cats be the cause? Other factors: This has been ongoing since childhood, but in the past was just minor itching while showering. Now it is near constant itching while I'm at home. I don't itch while I'm outside of home. This is not something specific to current apartment (1 year in Hoboken) as I had the same problem in my last apartment (3 years in Queens). I have a history of cat allergies and took allergy shots a few years ago while living in the Queens apartment. I have allergies to nearly everything: cats, grass, pollen, trees, mold, and dust in the form of itchy eyes, sneezing, etc. I seem to have mostly outgrown these allergy symptoms by about age 30, which also corresponded to when I moved to NYC area from my past in PA, upstate NY, and rural NJ. I took the allergy shots in anticipation of moving in with the cats, but quit after 6 months because of 2 bad reactions and feeling sick from the shots (stomach pains). I am living with cats for the first time in my current apartment. While in my old apartment I would visit my girlfriend who owns the cats, but they weren't at my apartment. I only saw them about 1-2 days a week while I lived in Queens apartment. I have hardwood floors. The cats aren't allowed in the bedroom or bathroom. I generally keep windows closed and use AC in the summer. I use a good filter on the furnace. I have 2 Airocide filters in the apartment.

  • Answer:

    Seconding possible dehydration and adding: are you showering in hot ( not warm, but hot) water? That dries out my skin and makes me crazy itchy post-shower.

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This is a dumb question, but could it be dehydration? I sometimes get terrible itching all over my lower body, especially so in the winter when it's very dry out. Lotion only helps somewhat, but it really goes away if I pay attention to hydration.

schroedinger

As I said before, with atopic dermatits you don't always get a rash! My shins can itch like mad, but there's no rash. "Itching may start even before the rash appears. Atopic dermatitis is often called the "itch that rashes" because the itching starts, and then the skin rash follows as a result of scratching." - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001856/

geeky

If I understand, you are allergic to cats and you just started living with cats again? And you pretty much roll around with them? And you stopped taking shots because you had a bad reaction, i.e. hypersensitivity? And you're not taking an H1 antihistamine like Zyrtec or an H2 antihistamine like Zantac? You're taking nothing? It's the cats. And a "doctor, it hurts when I do this" situation.

rhizome

Came in to suggest that you use body lotion after you get out of the shower. Showering in hot water, especially in winter, can really dry out your skin.

gumtree

I do always shower with hot water. There is warm, and there is hot. Every dermatologist on earth will tell someone with eczema/hives to avoid hot water at all costs, and shower with tepid to warm water. I will presume you already aggressively moisturise and have some low level cortisone cream for spot itching etc.

smoke

I don't have problems with dehydration or dry skin that I know of but I'm willing to try to drink more water. This time of year, in New York/NJ/anywhere really cold, everyone* has problems with dehydration and dry skin. Definitely try to drink more water, and get some serious lotion, and put it on after every shower and possibly before bed as well. It's dry and cold outside, and dry and hot inside, and it's almost impossible to drink enough water to keep up with all that dryness. I would try this for a few days before you start worrying about more complicated problems/fixes. It definitely could be something else, but this is extremely likely to be the answer, and super easy to deal with. * My 32 year old ex-girlfriend who "didn't believe in dry skin" for the first 31 years of her life was convinced of its existence by the weather here. It's that bad.

dizziest

I wonder if these filters are changing the ph of your water. Is your water exceptionally hard or soft to start with? I bet you can buy a water testing kit for not very much to find out; you could even test with/without the filter to see what changes if the filters aren't telling you what they remove. Allergy-wise, I seem to have some kind of threshold; once I'm reacting to something frequent in my environment(ragweed, I'm looking at you) I react to everything else (say, a random kitty I meet) much more strongly. Is it possible the constant kitty exposure is keeping your immune system ready to attack any possible insult? If so you might try to limit your exposure some (e.g. change clothes right after a kitty lap session). Does the problem go away when you take an antihistamine that normally controls your allergies? And lastly, many people have issues with sodium lauryl sulfate. I personally only have a reaction to toothpaste with it, so I don't really know if harder/softer water can change how strong the reaction is for people with skin issues; but maybe it's actually a combo of your unfiltered tap water and your soap that are causing the issue.

nat

Dry skin and itch are not uncommon, even for non-allergic individuals, but it does sound like the cat allergens are exacerbating the issue. Any breakage in the skin barrier (even minor ones that you mightn't realise, such as from using soap (especially with high pH) and/or hot water) allow allergens from the environment to gain access to and be sensed by the immune cells in your skin. Maintaining the barrier (such as through moisturising) will help prevent the itch response. Look for creams that are good for eczema (e.g. Aveeno). They are made for the sole purpose of maintaining barrier without causing undue irritation. Also: You can still get barrier breach even when well hydrated.

kisch mokusch

Oh there are so many moisturisers, I'm kind of aghast you aren't moisturizing. Get thee to the chemist.

smoke

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