Itchy

I am very itchy tonight.  It's driving me nuts!  I take Zyrtec every night at about this time.  I guess its the 24 hour pill wearing off.  But, tonight it is on the palm of my hands and soles of my feet too.  It usually doesn't get that bad unless I skip a Zyrtec, then the itchiness becomes unbearable. 

I had a histamine urine test done by my hematologist last year.  I suffered through many days without taking Zyrtec and when the test came back, it showed no histamine in my system.  So strange!  Why then does my body itch all the time and calm down when I take an anti-histamine?

I have been itchy for many, many years.  I have very fair, Irish skin.  I burn easily, breakout easily, and have super sensitive skin.  So, being itchy is sort of my normal.  It's been this way for so long, I hardly ever remember not being itchy.  But, it doesn't make it any more bearable. 

I am trying to think of any new foods I might have had today, anything that could trigger the itchiness.  Nothing new.  My Dr. said that I might be allergic to an additive or something that is impossible to trace.  Another "we don't know what is causing it or how to fix it" answer. 

Feeling Motivated

So, as the cycle goes, I had 2 days of pain and today I feel much better.  Not 100% pain free, but so much better.  As the fog clears and I feel as though I can manage this, I start to look for ways to make myself feel better.  I am always trying to figure out what I did differently yesterday to make me feel so much better today.  As if I can figure out the rhyme and reason of fibromyalgia.

So, last night I stretched out across the entire bed when falling asleep (my hubby and the dog weren't in bed yet).  So, I thought maybe this helped and came up with a theory:  once Simba (my small Shih Tzu) comes to bed, she likes to sleep on my feet or around my feet.  This leaves me kind of cramped while I am sleeping.  Maybe I need to just push her out of the way and take up more space.  As I told this to my husband this morning, he laughed and said I already stretch out and take up most of the space.  So- that theory is out the window!  :)

Another thing I did well last night was take my Zyrtec.  I take Zyrtec every night before bed, it keeps my skin calm.  If I don't take it, I tend to get itchy all over.  My hands and feet burn in a strange way that is more like itchy...but burning.  I have had a hard time explaining this odd itching thing to my doctors.  If I go 2-3 days without Zyrtec, it gets really bad and can sometimes lead to hives and blotching.  But, Zyrtec does the trick.

Of course with all of the itching, I have had extensive allergy testing.  No food allergies that they can find and no elevated levels of histamine.  So, what is causing it then?  Doctors do not know (again).  They said it could be a preservative in a food or something like that, but its nearly impossible to figure out.  So, if Zyrtec does the trick- then we will continue that expensive treatment.  Since it went over the counter- its pretty expensive.

But, anyway, I do think when I take Zyrtec at night - I wake up clearer.  I guess its one less thing my body needs to fight. 

Other things that I think can help is music and stretching.  If I put music on my computer while I work, it lifts my spirits and I am distracted from the pain.  It's still there, but I am not thinking about it.  And, stretching.  I am going to try stretching 3 times a day to see if this helps at all.  I have no evidence that it will, but I am going to give it a try.

I go to the Chiropractor tonight and I am a little worried that they are going to try to get me to come in every day.  I can't afford that.  I think I will have a $20 co-pay and I can't afford to pay that daily.  We'll see how it goes.