THE ITCH

Hi, you are “face to face with Shell”.

HOW TO DEAL WITH “THE ITCH”

AFTER BEING BURNED

Please watch the video below and/or read on:

 

I’m sure I will touch on this subject on another page/video but felt that it needed a page/video of its own, as it is such a HUGE part of the after burn healing process…well, it was for me. 

Fifty percent of my body was burned in a gas explosion; I received first through to fourth degree burns, therefore, there was a large area to heal…and with healing comes…

THE ITCH…aaaarrrrrgggghhhhhhhh!!!

Sometimes I used to ask myself, would I rather have pain than the itch?  Some days, yeah, I truly would have taken the pain; the itch was just driving me mad!

I remember one of my dad’s friends explaining “the itch” to me while I was still in the Burns Unit.  I was complaining about the constant discomfort from it and he said:  “Just like any wound, when it heals, it starts to itch”.  I was always told as a child, if I had fallen and cut myself, and the wound was itching:  “That’s it getting better”, and I bore this in mind also.  It made me feel kind of “normal”, if that makes sense?  Comparing my injuries to a day-to-day/run of the mill type of injury.

When I was in the Burns Unit I couldn’t “get” to the itch at all, even if I wanted to, as I was like a mummy, totally covered in bandages from head to toe.  I remember my dad doing “hand chops” up and down my legs because they were so itchy.  I had huge thick bandages on, therefore, he was not harming any areas (plus the thick jeans that I was wearing the day of the explosion saved my legs from being badly burned; my arms, hands, face, and neck bore the brunt of the explosion).  My poor dad though, he would be sweating and I would be shouting:  “Again dad, again”…lol.

I suppose it didn’t help that Bangour Burns Unit, where I was taken to receive treatment after being flown home from Spain, where the explosion happened, was quite old.  There was no air conditioning in the unit and 1984 was one of the hottest summers for a long time (a rare thing in Scotland…lol).

I was prescribed antihistamines whilst I was in hospital and after I was discharged; these did help to an extent (I used to call them my “itchy tablets”…lol).  I was given them throughout the day and then a slightly higher dose at night, the night dose did make me a bit sleepy, which helped me to get some rest, as the itch used to keep me awake in the early days.  Different antihistamines were tried until the best one for me was found; so hang in there, if the first ones that you try do not work as well for you.

I have recently been doing more research on “the itch” and I was reading that a burn itch is not caused by histamines at all…therefore, why was I given antihistamines?  I know “medicine” has advanced a great deal since I was burned.  Please click here if you want to read the article I found.

Also, I recently attended the “Dan’s Fund For Burns” weekend in Oxford (September 2019).  During the weekend a few professionals spoke to us; one of which spoke about laser treatments, which, amongst other things, can help reduce the itch.  This is maybe something that you might want to talk about with your health professionals, if this is something that is a problem for you at the moment.

My medical team advised me to wear cotton clothes; which I loved…as it seemed most clothing “itched” me as a child, I used to drive my mum mad.  So I was thinking:  “Yes, she can’t argue with me now, the doctors have said that I should wear cotton clothes”…lol.  My medical team also advised that the rooms in my house should be on the cooler side, to stop me from getting too hot, which would maybe increase the itch.

I found that my massage cream was best kept in the fridge, making it extra cooling while it was being applied.  It also took a couple of tries to find the perfect massage cream to help keep my scars stay supple and moisturised, therefore, again, don’t worry if it takes a few to find the one that is right for you.

Please click on the link below where I talk about a “magic” cream that has worked wonders for me, especially on my dry, cracked elbows:

BURN SURVIVOR: REVIEW OF EGYPTIAN MAGIC

My medical professionals advised me to obviously NEVER scratch my scars and/or wounds, as this could cause more damage and increase the chance of infection.  They advised me to apply pressure onto the area that was itching; not too hard but enough to relieve the discomfort.

Again, whilst at the “Dan’s Fund For Burns” weekend; myself and other burn survivors were talking about “pinching” the skin slightly to relieve the itch.  Obviously not on open wounds and only on skin that has totally healed.

The itch can sometimes seem worse if you are hot.  Here are a few tips to help get your core temperature down:

Eat an ice lolly

Drink a cold drink

  Put your massage cream in the fridge (as above)

Eat frozen fruit; grapes, grapefruit segments, pomegranate seeds, orange segments (this way, also adding to your “five a day”)

It was amazing when the itch finally started to subside, it will for you too, if this is a problem that you are experiencing just now.

I have one small tiny scar on my back, it is hardly visible but it gives me no end of “itch” when it gets started.  It feels as if there is a hair trapped underneath my skin.  I know it’s not but that is the best way that I can describe it.  It’s a really weird sensation and after all this time?  Even if I put pressure on the scar, the itch never really seems to go away.  It does calm down, usually after a few minutes.  This is the only scar that I can say that still itches.

I just want to add this little bit in; it’s not really an “itch” as such, it’s more of a comforting thing that I find myself doing, more so if I’m feeling tired.  There is a scar that runs along my left arm, I find it soothing if I run my finger along the scar line, it’s like a soft, ticklish feeling.  I just thought I’d drop that in there…just in case you have a “spot” that you find soothing/comforting.

I met a girl in hospital and she had been burned at an early age, she said that there was a certain scar that her mum would run her finger along, to help get her to sleep.

Weird that something that really hurt us in the past, is now a sense of comfort.

Anyway, I hope this has helped if you are suffering from “the itch”…it will subside.

Even if you weren’t itchy at the start, bet you are now…even if you don’t have scars…lol…sorry couldn’t resist.

Stay strong and we’ll chat soon.