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"Hell's Itch" or "Suicide Itch" (1 Viewer)

Evilgrin 72

Evilgrin 72

Distributor of Pain
Any other super pale FBGs ever deal with this? Apparently only 5 percent of people are prone to this. It sets in 48-72 hours after a sunburn and produces a maddening painful itch that is truly indescribable. I am suffering from this right now. If you're not sure if you've ever dealt with this, you haven't. Marines have described it as worse than anything they've experienced. Mothers have said child birth is easier. 

I have my wife getting me peppermint oil, A&D lotion and Solarcaine right now. I'm lying on the floor with a wet towel on my chest and neck to keep me from going insane. Already took ibuprofen and a max dose of Benadryl. These are the only things making it manageable enough to not run screaming through the neighborhood tearing my skin off like I'm on bath salts. 

This is hell on Earth. Anyone ever dealt with this and have any other remedies other than what I mentioned or scalding hot showers for temporary relief? 

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
Any other super pale FBGs ever deal with this? Apparently only 5 percent of people are prone to this. It sets in 48-72 hours after a sunburn and produces a maddening painful itch that is truly indescribable. I am suffering from this right now. If you're not sure if you've ever dealt with this, you haven't. Marines have described it as worse than anything they've experienced. Mothers have said child birth is easier. 

I have my wife getting me peppermint oil, A&D lotion and Solarcaine right now. I'm lying on the floor with a wet towel on my chest and neck to keep me from going insane. Already took ibuprofen and a max dose of Benadryl. These are the only things making it manageable enough to not run screaming through the neighborhood tearing my skin off like I'm on bath salts. 

This is hell on Earth. Anyone ever dealt with this and have any other remedies other than what I mentioned or scalding hot showers for temporary relief? 
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Aloe works.Especially if you use gel from fresh aloe.You can get aloe leaves at Publix.

 
I'm so white I glow in the dark and experience sunburn so many times (and three squamous cell carcinomas removed). Benadryl has an itch relief spray that helps my sunburn itch.

Try cool beads, too. The tiny beads also provide a bit of scratching sensation that feels awesome.

 
If you're confusing this with garden-variety bad itch after sunburn, read this blog post by someone who has dealt with it.  Best description I've seen. 

I've suffered this twice before and again today. It is the absolute worst. NO ONE who hasn't experienced it can begin to understand. It isn't just the fire ants marching under your skin, its not only the fiberglass being drug across you, its not exclusively the lemon juice squirted into a paper cut. It is that it becomes almost instantly mental. It drives you insane with panic, crazy while under assault from unseen assailants, the discomfort drives you to madness, slapping yourself, pacing, willing to do anything at any time for even a modicum of relief. Then, you make the mistake of trying aloe or lidocaine or cold compresses, and it angers the prickly fire just beneath your skin and it surges forth the fury of ten thousand suns which drives you further into madness and desperation.

I liken it to the reaction of a heroin and crack addict being doused with mustard gas. I was inconsolable, raving, jumping, jerking, running myself into walls, screaming. I was not sane. My eyes were alternately wide and crazed, then closed tight as I waited for the surge of pain to pass. I was crying and rocking, pacing angrily across the house, looking at items in my fridge, milk, creamy dressings, slices of cheese, pudding, hoping and calculating if they would possibly sooth the thousands of scorpion stings across my shoulders and chest.

Thank you for this post. While it doesn't calm the lightning firestrikes of sharpened jacks rolling under my skin, it does ease my mind to know that I am truly not alone, not crazy, and not descending into an opium-like madness from which I'll never recover. There are other people who have felt this way, who feel this way, you have lived through, and emerged fromt he otherside, newly dedicated to applying sunscreen, wearing swimming shirts, staying the #### indoors.

My day of calm hasn't yet arrived. I'm still constantly walking through the briar patch, grapefruit rain falling into every new wound. My nerves and in turn my brain, is screaming. Demanding I roll around in the sand, commanding me to use the metal garden rake across my chest, trying to convince me that the razor blade paint scraper is my only solution. But I am strong. 

I am distracting myself by talking, reading, walking... I am drugged up, with twice the normal dose of antihistamines, anti-inflammatories, and an anti-anxiety pill.

Nothing is working, except to keep me from walking in front of a bus. Its had almost come to that. A final release from the pain.
 

 
If you read everything in italics and roll your eyes or say to yourself: "Come. On. There's no way it could be THAT bad, then you've never had this. I envy you. If you know exactly what that guy is saying, you have and you know what I feel like right now. 

 
Online, the community of Hell Itch sufferers has agreed on only one surefire treatment: A constant regimen of boiling hot showers until the itch subsides.

Have you tried this?

 
Sorry to say this but I feel so much better after reading the articles you linked. This happened to me roughly ten years ago and I didn't know what it was or that there is a name for it. My friends thought I was insane - I spent the better part of an afternoon writhing around on the ground in agony. 

I have no advice, I don't think my case was too severe as it came and went in the course of 4-5 hours, but it was the worst thing I've ever experienced physically. Hang in there. 

 
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Slinger said:
Online, the community of Hell Itch sufferers has agreed on only one surefire treatment: A constant regimen of boiling hot showers until the itch subsides.

Have you tried this?
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Just got out of one. It definitely helps but doesn't last. 

 
wow, why would anyone that is affected by this condition ever go out in the sun with less than a nuclear grade sun tan lotion and lead cloths?  Does getting drunk help?  Shot of scotch or whisky always cure anything for me.   

 
sbonomo said:
wow, why would anyone that is affected by this condition ever go out in the sun with less than a nuclear grade sun tan lotion and lead cloths?  Does getting drunk help?  Shot of scotch or whisky always cure anything for me.   
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Call in sick tomorrow. Get black out drunk tonight. 

 
If anyone else ever encounters this, this has provided relief. 

Get into a hot shower, as hot as you can bear. Let the hot water pound the affected area as long as possible. Then, put 6-7 drops of 100% peppermint oil into a few ounces of warm water and apply with a cloth all over the affected area. 

So far, it's been about a half hour and this is keeping it at bay. No idea how long it will last, will update. 

 
Moe. said:
Sorry to say this but I feel so much better after reading the articles you linked. This happened to me roughly ten years ago and I didn't know what it was or that there is a name for it. My friends thought I was insane - I spent the better part of an afternoon writhing around on the ground in agony. 

I have no advice, I don't think my case was too severe as it came and went in the course of 4-5 hours, but it was the worst thing I've ever experienced physically. Hang in there. 
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I pray to the old gods and the new that this will be gone in 4-5 hours. I guarantee you're not exaggerating at all when you say your friends thought you were insane, if anyone was in my house a couple of hours ago, they would have sworn I had snapped. 

 
So, what were you doing that caused such an extreme sunburn? You live in Florida, I'd  think you'd be used to the sun. Did you golf 100 holes for charity or something? 

 
This is the first time you've had a sunburn?   Seems like if this ever happened to me I'd be sure to make sure it never happened again.

 
cockroach said:
This is the first time you've had a sunburn?   Seems like if this ever happened to me I'd be sure to make sure it never happened again.
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I've had hundreds of sunburns. This doesn't happen every time I get a burn, this is only the second time ever and the first time was mild by comparison. I've had worse sunburns than this. No idea what brings it on. 

Oh, and the hot shower/peppermint oil combo seems to be effective for several hours at least. Hoping I can fall asleep, wake up tomorrow and it will all be a terrible memory. 

 
MikeIke said:
So, what were you doing that caused such an extreme sunburn? You live in Florida, I'd  think you'd be used to the sun. Did you golf 100 holes for charity or something? 
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No, just spent the day at the beach and stupidly was lax with the sunscreen. Never again. 

 
I have had a series of skin ailments recently which began with a severe bout of poison ivy. 

Hydrocortisone cream and a loratadine pill (maybe two). It's magic. I would highly recommend to anyone with any kind of itching or skin discomfort. If you can't sleep and you have some in the house, it's something to consider. 

 
Couple summers ago I burned my head pretty good. Outside doing yard work with no hat nor sunblock. Was just gonna cut the grass quick but then started doing other stuff and lost track of how long I had been out there. Stupid on my part, but not the first time I'd done something like that. Anyways, afterward was unlike anything I had experienced before. Miserable. And nothing I put on it seemed to help. Normally, a little aloe gel and I'm good. Not this time. Pretty much just tossed and turned all night. It finally went away but really sucked while it lasted. I guess I always figured it was just bad sunburn and I somehow irritated it. Maybe it was this thing EG is talking about (or some variation of it)? Thankfully, just that one time. It was miserable.

 
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I had this happen to me ONCE.

Got a bad sunburn at Lake Tahoe as a teen.   Totally underestimated the sun's power at that altitude.

I suffered for probably 24 hours.  Do think there is a cure other than time.  It absolutely freaking sucked.  

 
Had this happen once.  I had to have my dad pick me up from school and take me to the doctor.  I thought I was going insane.  I was laying on the floor of the school's front office writhing around like some weird animal trying to scratch my back.  

 
shuke said:
Had this happen once.  I had to have my dad pick me up from school and take me to the doctor.  I thought I was going insane.  I was laying on the floor of the school's front office writhing around like some weird animal trying to scratch my back.  
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Yep, this is it. Anyone who uses "I thought I was going insane" has been there. That's the defining characteristic. You literally feel like your mind is going and you'll run around yelling, writhing, throwing yourself into walls, etc. It's like every signal to your brain is instantly scrambled, there is nothing left in the world but this itch. All that matters is making it stop and you can't. It's truly maddening. 

The hot shower / peppermint oil combo is keeping it at bay. I took today off of work and will continue doing it all day long. Hopefully by tomorrow, I'll be back to normal. Can't risk getting in the car to drive an hour to the office. If this strikes while I'm driving, I'll be dead. 

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
Yep, this is it. Anyone who uses "I thought I was going insane" has been there. That's the defining characteristic. You literally feel like your mind is going and you'll run around yelling, writhing, throwing yourself into walls, etc. It's like every signal to your brain is instantly scrambled, there is nothing left in the world but this itch. All that matters is making it stop and you can't. It's truly maddening. 

The hot shower / peppermint oil combo is keeping it at bay. I took today off of work and will continue doing it all day long. Hopefully by tomorrow, I'll be back to normal. Can't risk getting in the car to drive an hour to the office. If this strikes while I'm driving, I'll be dead. 
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Have you tried smoking weed?

 
shuke said:
Have you tried smoking weed?
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I wouldn't do this.  I am just now coming down off a 2 day stretch with Hell's Itch.  For real.  I read all about this as I ran around the house like a madman yelling at everyone as they tried to help me in any way they could. It was maddening.  No sleeping. No showers.  No touching whatsoever.  It is like fire ants under the skin, like a Pinhead from Hellraiser rubbing his spike ridden melon all over my upper torso. I wanted to rip my skin off.  Scratching Hell's Itch doesn't help.  I wish I had a good answer for you on how to help cope with it.  All I did was put every lotion and cream all over it and pray.  I tried everything you could think of. Benadryl got me some much needed sleep yesterday and I finally feel a little better today.  Good luck.  I wouldn't wish this on anyone.  I thought I understood the importance of sunscreen being 42 years old and having many many sunburns.  I can honestly say, this experience has made me see the light and I will never forget to re-apply.  These last two days have been completely unbearable.  

 
pyite76 said:
I wouldn't do this.  I am just now coming down off a 2 day stretch with Hell's Itch.  For real.  I read all about this as I ran around the house like a madman yelling at everyone as they tried to help me in any way they could. It was maddening.  No sleeping. No showers.  No touching whatsoever.  It is like fire ants under the skin, like a Pinhead from Hellraiser rubbing his spike ridden melon all over my upper torso. I wanted to rip my skin off.  Scratching Hell's Itch doesn't help.  I wish I had a good answer for you on how to help cope with it.  All I did was put every lotion and cream all over it and pray.  I tried everything you could think of. Benadryl got me some much needed sleep yesterday and I finally feel a little better today.  Good luck.  I wouldn't wish this on anyone.  I thought I understood the importance of sunscreen being 42 years old and having many many sunburns.  I can honestly say, this experience has made me see the light and I will never forget to re-apply.  These last two days have been completely unbearable.  
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Adding to teh suck is that most people never experience this and don't understand what you are going through nor believe that it's as bad as you claim. 

For me, blazing hot showers and peppermint oil rubbed on it is keeping it tolerable. Along with heavy doses of Benadryl and Advil. I don't know which of these remedies (or all of them) are helping, but it's keeping it to merely uncomfortable and annoying as opposed to madness-inducing. 

 
-OZ- said:
Yes, on my head (bald). But I still think this is worse - https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/36147273/massive-boils-swell-on-british-ultra-marathon-runners-legs-after-grueling-111km-run/
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I got these kinds of boils once after mowing the lawn shirtless, trying to get a tan. Took less than an hour of sun exposure for these things to pop up on my chest, stomach and back. I was on bed rest for the better part of a week afterwards.

I've respected the he!! out of the sun ever since.

 
MikeIke said:
So, what were you doing that caused such an extreme sunburn? You live in Florida, I'd  think you'd be used to the sun. Did you golf 100 holes for charity or something? 
Click to expand...
Doesn't take long at all if you're pale enough + careless enough :bag:  

 
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