Itchy skin

User

Posted 18 Jan 2018 at 15:20

Hallo everyone out there. My lovely Gav was diagnosed with prostate cancer back in August. Gleason 4 + 7 and we have just found out after months of CT’s and scans that there is a small amount in his sternum. It has gone straight to the sternum which is apparently really unusual. The thing we are finding really difficult to deal with is he has pruritus or very very itchy skin. Anyone else out there suffering from this ? Because I could do with some help. We have tried everything......dermatologists have given up....he has had steroid injections, Chinese medicine, every cream invented.......

He is very low as all his waking hours he is tormented....so drinks quite a lot of vodka just to knock himself out. They are concerned as am I about giving him chemotherapy which would be the normal course of action because of the impact on him with drinking and general lowness.

I would be grateful to hear from anyone who is experiencing this skin problem which at the moment is far greater than managing the cancer.

Thankyou!

Jackie

User

Posted 18 Jan 2018 at 16:55

His Gleason score can't be G4+7 so I am guessing that it is G7 made up of (4+3) or possibly (3+4).

Which hormone treatment is he on? Itchy skin is a known side effect but worse with some hormones than others so a change of prescription might help. I take it he has tried antihistamines?

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 19 Jan 2018 at 22:39

John has had itchy skin for years and it drives him nuts. Cancer can do that as can dry skin. He uses a lot of the menthol skin cream, it’s fab, it cools the skin and moisturises and works very well. Other things that help are the blue gel cool pads you can get (I use them to cool my boiling hot menopausal skin) and flannels that have been stored in the fridge. Very good for cooling the hot skin. Towels that have been put under a cold tap too. All good for cooling hot skin and reducing itching. Good luck, I know how awful this is.

Lots of luck

Devonmaid xx

User

Posted 11 Feb 2018 at 04:59

Dear Lyn.....yes....sorry..Gleason 4 + 3 .......Thanks for your reply. I’ll check which hormones he is on. Have tried all antihistamines and he is now on quite a high dose of Diazepam just to cope with it......which induces quite an altered state and is disastrous with alcohol.....Jackie

User

Posted 11 Feb 2018 at 05:00

Dear Devonmaid....thanks for reply. Where can you get menthol cream from? I’ll have a look.

Jackie

User

Posted 11 Feb 2018 at 10:49

Hiya Jackie and Gav,

I have a long standing intermittent problem with itchy skin. It's most evident on the crown of my scalp, shins, mid to lower back and occasionally arms. It started prior to my PCa diagnosis when I was under investigation for another health issue and feeling quite low. I convinced myself that it was a symptom of the cancer, and asked one of the consultants I saw if this could be reason but he said he'd never come across it before. I now feel that it flares up when I'm under pressure or anxious. Infact, I'm itching as I'm typing this post ! (I've got appointment on Tuesday with oncologist as it appears I now need RT) I'm not saying that this is the case with your Gav who is obviously suffering if he has been prescribed diazepam, but if it's helpful in any way to yourselves or others then I'm happy. I really hope the situation improves for you both soon. All best wishes.

Paul

User

Posted 11 Feb 2018 at 11:05

I have itchy dry skin and various forms of eczema. At night it drives me mad, I have also tried the steroid creams and various pills.
The one thing that helps me is a moisturiser on prescription called "Zerobase" . I smother myself in it, I avoid ANY form of soap and do not use detergent based hair shampoo, I find that plain hot water under the shower with a little "Zerobase" which acts like a creamy sort of soap will wash my hair. Do not use biological detergent to wash clothes, that can set me off on a bad reaction. I use non bio tablets and an extra rinse.

I also find sunshine on the affected parts helps a lot, although there is not much of that around at the moment :-) I might get a UV lamp.

John

Gleason 6 = 3+3 PSA 8.8 P. volume 48 cc Left Cores 3/3, Volume = 20% PSA 10.8 Feb '19 PSA 1.2

Jan '20 PSA 0.3 July '20 0.1 Jan. 21 < 0.1 Dec 21 <0.01 June '22 <0.01 April '23 <0.01

User

Posted 14 Feb 2018 at 06:49

A wonderful little product called :

“Children’s Farm Baby Moisturiser”

Is fantastic for dry itchy skin, costs £3.99 from boots (I order it as stocks tend to fly off the shelf’s once it was identified as curing a young girls eczema)

My daughter has intermittent eczema and this product is like a miracle the way it heals it up whenever there’s a flare up

I was getting a lot of dry rash/itch when I started bicalutamide and used this - it worked a treat

User

Posted 14 Feb 2018 at 09:06

Morning Jackie and Gav,

I also had noticeable relief after using Child's Farm products after seeing article (not advert) about it in national news. Definitely worth a go especially after all the others you've tried .Its on offer at Boots at the moment. Good luck.

Paul

User

Posted 14 Feb 2018 at 18:26

Jackie and Gav,

Re Gavs current skin condition. I know that many people have found goat milk kefir soap and lotions to be really beneficial. it's made by a company called Chuckling Goat which can be found on the web. Perhaps also worth investigating,

Cheers ,Paul.

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