Itching all over and freaking out :(

[justina]

I have been ok lately, some small health worries as usual but nothing really big for months...
Now all of a sudden I am itching all over! It has actually been going on for months, but it started in just a few places (scalp and armpits) so I didn't think much of it, thought it was dry skin...
Now since 3-4 days I have the same kind of itching but all over my body. There are no visible signs on the skin, just this itching from top to toe.

Of course I am panicking, my first thought was liver cancer, but now I am more concerned about lymphoma. I have been googling a lot (I know I know I know I should not do it) and I found some blogs written by people with lymphoma and the itching seems to be exactly the same...

I know it can also be dry skin or a lack of iron that causes the itching, so I use a lot of cremes to keep my skin moist, and I take iron tablets. I will do so for a week or so, to see if it gets better, and if it doesn't, then I'll see a doctor and I will be able to exclude these two causes if he/she suggests them...

I am extremely worried and of course I have checked my body temperature: it's a little bit higher than normal (another lymphoma symptom:scared15:!), yesterday it was 37.5-37.9 and this morning 37.5.

I want to tell you also that this all started after me reading a newspaper article about a young woman who is dying from cancer. It made me start thinking a lot about cancer (my big Fear) again and so when the itching started I was already thinking about cancer and immediately had the diagnosis ready...

So I am aware that my mind may not be at the top of lucidity, but at the same time the itching is very very real and impossible not to think of, usually when I worry about symptoms they are a little bit more vague, like some aching somewhere. This itching is so real and it freaks me out.

[imissnotworrying]

I have been ok lately, some small health worries as usual but nothing really big for months...
Now all of a sudden I am itching all over! It has actually been going on for months, but it started in just a few places (scalp and armpits) so I didn't think much of it, thought it was dry skin...
Now since 3-4 days I have the same kind of itching but all over my body. There are no visible signs on the skin, just this itching from top to toe.

Of course I am panicking, my first thought was liver cancer, but now I am more concerned about lymphoma. I have been googling a lot (I know I know I know I should not do it) and I found some blogs written by people with lymphoma and the itching seems to be exactly the same...

I know it can also be dry skin or a lack of iron that causes the itching, so I use a lot of cremes to keep my skin moist, and I take iron tablets. I will do so for a week or so, to see if it gets better, and if it doesn't, then I'll see a doctor and I will be able to exclude these two causes if he/she suggests them...

I am extremely worried and of course I have checked my body temperature: it's a little bit higher than normal (another lymphoma symptom:scared15:!), yesterday it was 37.5-37.9 and this morning 37.5.

I want to tell you also that this all started after me reading a newspaper article about a young woman who is dying from cancer. It made me start thinking a lot about cancer (my big Fear) again and so when the itching started I was already thinking about cancer and immediately had the diagnosis ready...

So I am aware that my mind may not be at the top of lucidity, but at the same time the itching is very very real and impossible not to think of, usually when I worry about symptoms they are a little bit more vague, like some aching somewhere. This itching is so real and it freaks me out.

has this a while ago, it happened after i was very stressed and it was all over as you describe, you'll find other posts on the board from members who've had it too, it seems to be a very common bodily reaction to anxiety/stress as the immune system goes into overdrive and itching occurs. if you eat dairy lay off it for a while, that can make it worse, it'll also get worse the more you think about it, i'm itching right now having read your post lol when i had it bad it was driving me crazy, but now i just get slightly itchy now and again, i hardly notice it anymore, but if flares up again when i'm worried or when i think about it. anyways, take comfort in the fact that you were feeling anxious/stessed just before it started and that it's a common bodily response to anxiety/stress. also, regarding temperature, make sure you don't consume any hot drinks or anything like that before you take it (i think mine says to wait a half hour or something like that) it can affect results, i also think time of day is a factor, and it's possible we put our own body temperature up just by worrying, i seem to get 'hot' flushes lol Xx

[justina]

Thank you so much for your answer...
I can't stop worrying though...
I also think my eyes look a bit yellow = icterus = liver disease...but I don't know, maybe the white part of my eyes always had that colour and I just didn't notice because this is the first time I worry about liver disease...

Oh why can't I stop worrying, why can't I be normal about things like this? A normal person with a bad itch would just call the doctor and go there without making 1000 disaster scenarios in their head...

I also have had some problems with a finger for a couple of years, it gets infected inside and then there comes pus out of it...I never thought much of it but know I think "what if it's cancer and now it has spread to my liver"...
:weep::weep::weep:

[imissnotworrying]

Thank you so much for your answer...
I can't stop worrying though...
I also think my eyes look a bit yellow = icterus = liver disease...but I don't know, maybe the white part of my eyes always had that colour and I just didn't notice because this is the first time I worry about liver disease...

Oh why can't I stop worrying, why can't I be normal about things like this? A normal person with a bad itch would just call the doctor and go there without making 1000 disaster scenarios in their head...

I also have had some problems with a finger for a couple of years, it gets infected inside and then there comes pus out of it...I never thought much of it but know I think "what if it's cancer and now it has spread to my liver"...
:weep::weep::weep:

there's yellow in the corner of my eyes and under my eyes, always has been, i think if there was a liver issue not only would the entire whites of the eyes be alarmingly yellow but your skin would be as well. skin infections are very common with a stressed immune system also, and can re-occur, i had one which kept coming back on me until it finally went away. i do suggest epsom salt baths though, soaking in them will draw any infection out of the skin and it should resolve a lot quicker than waiting for the body to get rid of it, because that's another thing when we're under stress, our bodies can be very slow to tackle things. a nail almost went through my hand at one point but luckily i felt the pressure of it and jerked my hand away - still, the skin mark that gave me took years to clear up, when in a normal person i'm sure there would have been no sign of it after a week or so. i understand what it's like to worry, but the itching did start when you were stressing, and these things (absent of more severe signs) are most likely symptoms of stress xxxx

[rated_r90]

I get this itchiness as well. It happens after stress/anxiety. I also have eczema which doesn't help. My skin is feeling much better at the moment (touch wood!) as I have been distracting myself from my worries and keeping busy. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to think about it and the itchiness will probably go away.