Svetozar - When there's no cause or cure in sight

I am taking this question to Reddit because I am at my wits' end trying to figure out how to help my mother. Ever since last August, she has been suffering from an intense itching sensation on her hands—and several other parts of her body—which initially manifested as a mild rash, only to escalate into swollen, bumpy, red patches of skin after she tries to scratch it. Now, after several months of this cycle, the skin looks as though it has been scalded. Cortisone treatments offer nothing more than fleeting, superficial relief, and the moment she stops using them, the symptoms return in full force.
She has consulted a litany of specialists, ranging from general practitioners to holistic practitioners, undergoing exhaustive full-body examinations and various tests, yet none of these medical professionals have provided a diagnosis or a solution. I even asked her if the stress of our current situation might be the culprit, but that simply isn't the case. It seems to us that there is some sort of underlying immunological dysfunction at play, yet standard, generalized treatments fail to make any meaningful impact.
Does anyone here have any lived experience, specific advice, or guidance they could share? Please, we are truly lost. It is agonizing for me to watch her suffer like this, and I can only imagine the sheer torment she is enduring herself!
Please help!

It isn't an allergy, and it isn't psychological either. 🤷

Could it be fungal?

😢
We cannot say for certain whether this is an allergic reaction, though it most likely is, yet I am convinced the root cause is something internal! Has absolutely nobody else here experienced a situation identical or even remotely similar to this one?
Perhaps I am being overly 😢, but if the doctors themselves are at a loss, who else on earth could possibly possess the answers...

Allergy testing is non-negotiable. It’s entirely possible she’s reacting to something as simple as herbal tea. Allergies aren't static; you can develop them at any time.

I appreciate the input, Drew Morgan; we shall attempt to phase out our pre-processed goods one by one, perhaps that might yield some sort of resolution...
It would be highly beneficial if someone here could come forward with a comparable history—specifically, someone who has endured daily, relentless itching for upwards of six months...

Matthew Stewart2 said:I am taking this question to Reddit because I am at my wits' end trying to figure out how to help my mother. Ever since last August, she has been suffering from an intense itching sensation on her hands—and several other parts of her body—which initially manifested as a mild rash, only to escalate into swollen, bumpy, red patches of skin after she tries to scratch it. Now, after several months of this cycle, the skin looks as though it has been scalded. Cortisone treatments offer nothing more than fleeting, superficial relief, and the moment she stops using them, the symptoms return in full force.
She has consulted a litany of specialists, ranging from general practitioners to holistic practitioners, undergoing exhaustive full-body examinations and various tests, yet none of these medical professionals have provided a diagnosis or a solution. I even asked her if the stress of our current situation might be the culprit, but that simply isn't the case. It seems to us that there is some sort of underlying immunological dysfunction at play, yet standard, generalized treatments fail to make any meaningful impact.
Does anyone here have any lived experience, specific advice, or guidance they could share? Please, we are truly lost. It is agonizing for me to watch her suffer like this, and I can only imagine the sheer torment she is enduring herself!
Please help!

Hey there. First things first: itching is a SYMPTOM, not a disease itself. It usually points to a primary skin condition or some other systemic issue that has nothing to do with the skin directly.

Back to your situation. You didn't mention how old your mother is or if she's taking any medications. Is the itching spreading? Those details are huge here.

Psychosomatic itching is extremely rare. In this case, there's definitely an underlying medical issue. Based on your description, if I'm reading this right, the itching is appearing in multiple places. If that's the case, we're likely looking at generalized pruritus, which can be caused by tons of different conditions. Some common culprits include uremia, obstructive biliary disease, polycythemia, hyperparathyroidism, diabetes, and so on.

To clarify, the itching I am inquiring about is concentrated around the left elbow, extending upward toward the shoulder and down the forearm. Due to relentless scratching, the skin has become intensely crimson and possesses an elephantine texture to the touch. My mother observes that when she manages to resist the urge to scratch, the sensation seems to subside—though, quite logically, the act of scratching likely just exacerbates the underlying inflammatory process. Separately, she is experiencing a distinct type of itching in the groin area which she maintains is entirely unrelated to the irritation on her arm. Furthermore, she suffers from seborrheic dermatitis in her ears, which is also quite itchy. One ear has actually swollen to such an extent that her hearing in that ear is noticeably impaired. A few years back, she dealt with shingles on her scalp, and she recently noted two spots near the groin that looked suspiciously like herpes lesions as well.
My mother is sixty years old—navigating menopause, naturally—yet she remains exceptionally vital and energetic. Regarding allergy testing, she did undergo some screening, but the clinic she visited simply lacked a comprehensive panel of allergens. She has already consulted sixteen different doctors, and we are still no closer to a definitive answer.
She is currently preparing to eliminate both coffee and tea from her diet, a task that will be quite difficult given that she tends to have low blood pressure!
Olivia Garcia60, my thanks for your previous post!

I don't want to cause any unnecessary panic here, but sometimes an intense itch can actually be a symptom of Hodgkin lymphoma.

Symptoms of Hodgkin's disease may include the following:

* A painless swelling in the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin
* Unexplained recurrent fevers
* Night sweats
* Unexplained weight loss
* Itchy skin

Link: http://www.medicinenet.com/hodgkins_...2.htm#2whatare

I’m currently right in the middle of the diagnostic process myself. During my very first consultation with the hematologist, they specifically asked if I’d experienced any severe skin itching—the kind where you're scratching until you bleed (though, thankfully, I wasn't quite there yet). Perhaps it might be a good idea for your mom to start with some basic blood work? Please, don't just brush this warning aside. For me, I didn't have ANY symptoms at all, except for that strange pain in my lymph nodes after having a drink. Honestly, half the staff at the hospital laughed at me when I first came in to ask about it two years ago, and now, look at me... turns out I was right all along. Wishing you all the best luck!

I appreciate the input, gentletiger46; I intend to conduct some thorough research regarding that Hodgkin lymphoma case myself!
Perhaps it could be...

So, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin disease just a few months ago...
For like a month or two, my skin was itching like crazy, especially around my ankles and my elbows... I’m talking literal sleepless nights because of it. I went to several different dermatologists, and they all just kept telling me my skin looked perfectly healthy. They’d give me the usual runaround—suggesting I look for allergens, blaming stress, blah blah blah—until things finally hit the breaking point. I decided to go in for a full checkup at the Mayo Clinic. I was there on a Saturday, which isn't usually when they run cardiac CT scans, but by some stroke of pure luck, the specialist happened to be walking in right as I was heading out. He caught a pericardial effusion around my heart during the scan. It turned into an emergency hospital trip, and it took about ten days of testing before they finally told me it was Hodgkin, and that it was almost certainly what caused the fluid buildup around my heart. If it hadn't been for that lucky timing at the clinic, I’d probably still be sitting here scratching myself all night, thinking I was losing my mind or just making things up. 🙂

Matthew Stewart2 said:To clarify, the itching I am inquiring about is concentrated around the left elbow, extending upward toward the shoulder and down the forearm. Due to relentless scratching, the skin has become intensely crimson and possesses an elephantine texture to the touch. My mother observes that when she manages to resist the urge to scratch, the sensation seems to subside—though, quite logically, the act of scratching likely just exacerbates the underlying inflammatory process. Separately, she is experiencing a distinct type of itching in the groin area which she maintains is entirely unrelated to the irritation on her arm. Furthermore, she suffers from seborrheic dermatitis in her ears, which is also quite itchy. One ear has actually swollen to such an extent that her hearing in that ear is noticeably impaired. A few years back, she dealt with shingles on her scalp, and she recently noted two spots near the groin that looked suspiciously like herpes lesions as well.
My mother is sixty years old—navigating menopause, naturally—yet she remains exceptionally vital and energetic. Regarding allergy testing, she did undergo some screening, but the clinic she visited simply lacked a comprehensive panel of allergens. She has already consulted sixteen different doctors, and we are still no closer to a definitive answer.
She is currently preparing to eliminate both coffee and tea from her diet, a task that will be quite difficult given that she tends to have low blood pressure!
Olivia Garcia60, my thanks for your previous post!

Regarding Hodgkin, which some people brought up...

Does your mother get sudden fevers often?
Does she sweat at night? Get thirsty at night? Is her arm swollen?

If the answer is YES, then it could be Hodgkin lymphoma and you need to go for further testing immediately. If the answer to all those questions is NO, then it isn't lymphoma and you don't need to worry.

Like you said, the redness in the groin has nothing to do with the elbow. That groin itch is most likely just skin irritation from clothing. The seborrheic dermatitis isn't a major factor either; that's pretty common.

The itching and rashes on the elbows are extremely common because the skin there is so sensitive. This happens a lot during high summer temperatures (that part of your story fits perfectly), and these itches can last for months, causing swelling, redness, and skin damage—especially from heavy scratching. I think that's exactly what your mother is dealing with. Since this isn't a generalized itch over her whole body, the diseases I just mentioned can be ruled out.

Olivia Garcia60 said:Regarding Hodgkin, which some people brought up...

Does your mother get sudden fevers often?
Does she sweat at night? Get thirsty at night? Is her arm swollen?

If the answer is YES, then it could be Hodgkin lymphoma and you need to go for further testing immediately. If the answer to all those questions is NO, then it isn't lymphoma and you don't need to worry.

Like you said, the redness in the groin has nothing to do with the elbow. That groin itch is most likely just skin irritation from clothing. The seborrheic dermatitis isn't a major factor either; that's pretty common.

The itching and rashes on the elbows are extremely common because the skin there is so sensitive. This happens a lot during high summer temperatures (that part of your story fits perfectly), and these itches can last for months, causing swelling, redness, and skin damage—especially from heavy scratching. I think that's exactly what your mother is dealing with. Since this isn't a generalized itch over her whole body, the diseases I just mentioned can be ruled out.

With all due respect, I personally didn't experience ANY other symptoms besides my lymph nodes aching after drinking alcohol—which is such an unusual symptom, honestly. So many of our American hematologists haven't even heard of it, even though if you look on PubMed, you can find case reports from about 50 years ago discussing it. On various lymphoma forums, you run into plenty of people who only had one single symptom; in some instances, it was nothing but a mysterious itch. Now, I'm not claiming that's definitely what's happening here, but I wouldn't rule it out just because other symptoms aren't present. After all, getting a blood panel or a chest X-ray is pretty straightforward, and they could provide some much-needed clues.

The classic presentation would involve swollen lymph nodes and night sweats... but you often see atypical cases that don't follow the textbook. If we relied solely on standard presentations, more than half of truly sick patients would likely leave an office without a diagnosis. It is difficult to be precise without seeing the patient or reviewing their labs... primarily, we need to rule out various conditions, ranging from everything that causes hyperbilirubinemia to hematological issues, certain dermatological diagnoses, allergies, fungal infections, or even psychogenic itch

I spent some time reviewing what you all wrote alongside my mother, and she found herself quite preoccupied with the notion of Hyperparathyroidism, particularly given how significantly it can trigger calcium depletion from the bones. While it is true that she is currently going through menopause—and one must accept that experiencing Osteoporosis during that stage of life is a standard reality for most women—she became intensely focused specifically on this particular pathology.