my forearm this morning after snuggling my dog in bed:
this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2024
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Have you suddenly become allergic to anything? What was it and how is that going for you?
Yeah, a few years ago (in my early 30s) I ended up with a contact allergy to a dozen things with long chemical names. For me it started as itchy skin around the eyes and then spread to other parts of my body. Shit sucks, like the experience of just existing was miserable and itchy.
Long story short, I spent a lot of money going to different doctors until I finally got a dermatologist referral and got an allergen test. Spent a week with a bunch of things intentionally making my back itch. Then they gave me an app that listed my allergens and told me to only use products that the app lists (it's all expensive shit lmao). Also, they didn't account that some of my allergens were things commonly found in textiles, so I had to throw away a lot of underwear, socks and t-shirts (mostly stuff with elastic in it) and guess-and-check until I found brands that don't make me erupt in rashes. I have to wear drawstring underwear like 
or something lol.
After some arguing with the doctor (who would make assumptions that I wasn't adequately removing allergens from my life), I finally got prescribed an injection medicine that helps quite a bit.
In short - try to get an allergen test from a dermatologist, and if you're anything like me I hope you have good insurance because the medicine I'm on is super expensive. Luckily, my partner has great insurance.
cries in uninsured amerikkkan
I was pretty sure that was going to be the only way to actually deal with it, so I guess I will wait until it's severe enough to be worth the money!
Thank you for all of this, though - at least I know what to expect if it comes to that, which is highly helpful for me.
Yeah, the only relatively inexpensive thing I can recommend trying is to try replacing any products that touch your skin and laundry soap with the most basic ass stuff (scentless, hypoallergenic etc) and see if that improves things at all. Naturally, that still costs money and takes time to figure out if anything is even working - it's definitely a frustrating experience.
It sucks that "not wanting to rip your skin off" is a luxury 
I hope that you can at least figure something out to make it manageable!
so true
COVID infections can cause or worsen mast cell reactivity issues like this. I personally do not have this sort of issue with my long covid but I know people who do. If you want to try something OTC in the US, many people with long covid will take the following together: a mast cell stabilizer like Nasalcrom or quercetin, a H1 antihistamine, and a H2 antihistamine. Since it's an environmental dust allergy, an air filter could help as well. You could construct a Corsi-Rosenthal box for a cheap option that is very high capacity, but with a typical box fan it can be noisy.
I had been considering taking quercetin for some new dietary-reactivity issues I was having, and I hadn't even considered it might help with this skin problem. Your comment is a great starting place for trying to diy this issue 🤗 thank you very very much!!!
I'm glad I could be helpful! It seems miserable to deal with. I'd be really down if I had to be careful about cuddling with my own pet. I hope you can find something that gives you relief.
lifelong itcher, i feel u. no particular reason to think that this would help you, but i got prescribed tacrolimus ointment that has helped me quite a bit. my triggers in particular are pollen, animals, and some synthetic fabrics.
How has that affected your life? Do you have pets? Do you spend much time outside?
I have cats, dogs, chickens, guineas, and half my professional life is outdoors 😅
Perhaps mine isn't as severe, but for years i simply lived with it mostly untreated, except with OTC hydrocortisone cream. I do live with a cat, and now that i have actual medicine the outbreaks are mostly in check, but I would just cuddle her and then immediately take a shower.
That's kinda what I'm doing, except just thoroughly washing the exposed skin (arms in the sink, legs with a cloth) instead of showering because I don't have time to do that every time the itch happens.
It's definitely not just my dog, it's some kind of microscopic environmental cruft, which is great because I'm not allergic to my dog but really sucks for narrowing it down. What else could my dog, the artificial Christmas tree that was in storage for a year, and a reusable grocery bag that lives in my car trunk have in common?!? These are all things that I know have given me the rash.