Anyone have trouble with psychological dermatitis?

[Ales2]

Its baaack.....I dont know what exactly my emotional trigger is (HA! aside from confrontational conversations with NM) that brings back the scratching problem. Its completely uncontrollable, and I have to get Lanacaine and wrap my arm to deal with it. I use my right hand to scratch my left forearm. I think it started in high school  and has come back in stressful situations (even when I cant identify the actual stressor). I sincerely hope there is not something awful and repressed that I am not aware of ....

Anyone else have this problem? How did you find out the stressor or were you already aware of it?

[Portia]

I suffered from eczema, neck muscle problems, grinding teeth.... all from stress, all caused by NM (conversations with, or just in my head). It is something awful, it's your NM. That's enough to cause it (((((Ales))))).

[HeartofPilgrimage]

I have a skin condition that (after two years, a biopsy, and multitudes of treatments of various sorts) I finally figured out was a weird reaction to an antidepressant. However, I can't do without the antidepressant as the first stressor that comes along will send me into a depression without it. I don't know what I'm going to do in the long term.

[bearwithme]

I also suffered from serious bouts of eczema all through my youth and it would bleed and get really ugly, I was always embarrassed to wear summer clothes.  I eventually grew out of it though.

At the ripe old age of 11 I had shingles.  The dermatologist could not believe it and asked my Nmom if there were any "stressors" at home, i.e., death of a parent or sibling, etc.  Of course that wasnt't he case, it was my Nmom herself!!!

Shingles is VERY RARE IN YOUNG CHILDREN!!  Why the f#$* did I get it??? 

Sorry, I'm angry now

Bear

[Ami]

I had eczema as a kid but now I get stomach problems from stress . I have to be careful of my diet from all the years of NM stress!!!!!!!
I get angry, too(((Bear ))))                           xxxoo   Ami

[Twoapenny]

Hi Ales,

Have you ever looked into or tried any complementary therapies?  Over the years I have had a multitude of different problems with my health, none of which seemed to have an obvious trigger or that seemed to respond to anything the doctor prescribed.  I found complementary therapies really useful; because they treat you holistically you may find the stress that is causing this (ie there may be emotions/memories you are not aware of) can be treated in a way that wouldn't be possible by a conventional doctor or rememdy.  I've found it to be quite a slow process but I think that was because I had a lot of layers to get through!  The two I've found most useful are homeopathy and acupuncture/chinese medicine.  I've found homeopathy, in particular, has helped stuff to 'surface' and that has helped me understand triggers with various health problems.  I also discovered I had an allergy I didn't know about and cutting that particular food group out helped a lot as well.

[Ales2]

Hi Twoapenny:
Thanks for the suggestion on complementary therapies - I might be trying acupuncture soon.  All are very good suggestions, I think there is a repressed thing there that rears up, I just dont know what it is yet. I think just general stress is a source, wish I knew more about what kind of stress to avoid and deal with.
I'm sure its emotional and not a skin problem at all.  Thanks everyone for your posts!

[Portia]

Bear, I had forgotten I had shingles. Probably in my early 20s. Makes me want to see my old medical records.

[Nonameanymore]

Hi Ales,

I have been struggling with idiopathic urticaria since 2005. It was supposed to last only a few months but I am on daily antihistamines since. Thinking back then I think I was at the end of my tether and one night I started growing these boils and got so scared, I called an ambulance but luckily I had antihistamines around and the swelling went down by the next day.
But last February I was taken to the hospital because I couldn't treat it in time and I got really scared. I couldn't breathe and got so swollen they injected me with loads of antihistamines and cortisone.
Of course I am not allergic to anything - the registrar said its stress together with something they don't know, they even proposed me to enter a research on this condition but I left the UK before I could do it.
It's one of those things...no cause...

P.

[bean j]

Have the plantar wart virus. Stress sometimes triggers an outbreak on my hands.  Before finals in college one semester I had about 15 new warts break out on my hands.

Hard to tell if my hypothyrodism is the cause of my skin problems, or stress also contributes.  Also, I know some who believe hypothyroidism results from stress. Hypothyrodism causes very dry itchy skin and hair, and acne due to clogged pores from dry dead skin cells.  It's the opposite of oily skin.

bean

[HeartofPilgrimage]

Does anybody else find it curious that so many of us have had skin reactions to stress of various kinds? Considering that the skin is the "boundary" of the body. And we have all struggled with setting appropriate boundaries. It's almost as if our psychological struggles are being played out in the body.

My father struggled with appropriate boundaries too, and he had to have basil cell skin cancers burned off many times, and then eventually passed away of a rare type of invasive skin cancer. I have often thought this was an odd but possibly significant thing.

[BonesMS]

Not just the skin reactions....

I've wondered if there is also a correlation between being voiceless and having problems with one's voice box?

Bones

[HeartofPilgrimage]

About the voice ... I have my undergrad degree in music, principle instrument: voice. Funny, huh?

[Ales2]

Bones - my issue was strep throat that was serious enough and led to me having permanent high levels of Epstein Barr virus.  (I get tested 2x per year to control it!)

Heart - also, for sure skin is a boundary issue!

You are both right on!

[BonesMS]

About the voice ... I have my undergrad degree in music, principle instrument: voice. Funny, huh?

How is your voice today?

Bones