Itchy Skin After 10 Years of BFS?

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StephG22

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I've had bfs for 10 years. Now have intense itching, especially arms, for almost a year. It is mostly at night. No dry skin or any other obvious causes. Worse after showering. Anyone else have this?
 
Is it just itching or you have also blisters like a mosquito bites?if so, it is urticaria, idiopatic skin reaction (kind of allergy), not uncommon in BFS cohort and triggered by either heat, or sweat, or even by water. it also could be triggered by anxiety episodes, food or wear. But mostly it is a reaction caused by heat/cold, sweating and watering. Our fat cells suddenly release huge amounts of acethylcholine triggering blistering, itch and redness.hope this helps. I have urticaria for several years already, and some fellows reported it too.
 
No visual skin problems or dry skin at all. It's been every day (mostly night) for 9-10 months, not coming and going. I don't have anxiety issues or changes in diet that could explain it. The twitching, although constant, doesn't bother me after all these years anymore. Maybe the water from my shower makes the itching worse. It is very annoying & I have read that nerves & ms cause itching. I do have brain lesions but my neurologists in the past were not concerned. I was wondering if this could just be a new bfs symptom
 
Do you have a water softener? My wife had skin irritability problems because of the salt residue that made its way into the house tap water because of the softener. In my case of BFS I found that a majority of my symptoms were caused by a sudden onset of multiple new allergies to common every day things that I had been fine with my entire life. The foods I was eating, the laundry detergent we were using, the dryer sheets, and the after shave I was using. The sudden onset of new allergies and hypersensitivity actually came about because of another condition called leaky gut syndrome. Please do some research into this for yourself as it may be linked to your new symptom of itching. It isn't intuitive to link the condition of your digestive system with the immune system and neurological problems, but the link is very real.
 
Thank you for your post. We do have a water softener, so that could be it. I'll look into your other suggestions as well. What was your wife's solution? We have a well so the softener has to stay.
 
Most water softeners have a bypass valve. You can try flipping it to bypass mode for a few days to see how you feel. We ended up getting one of the saltless water conditioning units. It runs an electric current around the water pipes and changes the orientation of the hard water molecules so that the calcium and lime spurs don't build up and scale. It doesn't do as good of a job as the water softener did, but it saves the appliances and the pipes from wear and tear and it does make a difference. It's called ScareRid.
 
Thanks, I will try the bypass for a few days. Since it was expensive, switching it would be a hard sell to my husband:( At least I will know if that is the cause though. Thanks!
 
Just remember that it will take your hot water tank some time to go through the remaining water softener water that is already in the tank. That's why it make take a few days to notice a difference. Regarding the cost and lifestyle adjustment, I know what you mean. I was perfectly fine with our water softener and it was my wife that was having the skin irritation issues. It was a little difficult for me to give up the water softener in lieu of the less desirable salt-less water treatment option. I love her though so I did it. No regrets! :)
 

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