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Post Encephalitis & Itching

abosalim
0 Recommendations

Good Day All
My son just got out of the hospital 2 weeks ago after nasty episode of encephalitis (5 weeks @ the hospital). It was horrible experience for him, my wife & I as you may appreciate. However our son (13 years old) is experiencing very bad episodes of itch on his back & neck with no rash. He was experiencing something similar when was ill in the hospital, but subsided for about 2 weeks (last week @ the hospital & a week afterword) but for a week it is back now. He is on Phenobarbiton, Clbozam & Topamax. Could anyone help??
Thx

Explore topics in this discussion:

Surgery Atarax Confusion Pain Dilantin Topamax Encephalitis Benadryl

11 replies

plbubba

Have you checked with his Doctor and it might be some of the medications? I will tell you that when my Mother was in the hospital (2 months) she would scratch her head. She still does it some now at the rehab. I do not know but I was wondering if it is like when you have surgery and you are healing, the area has a tendency to itch. Is your son's itching on the back located close to the spine area? The brain and the spine are similar in nature. I hope your Son is doing better.

Thazooma

Hi,
My husband is 2+ months post E and he has been having upper body itching. I posted just the other day about it.

The doctor said it can be anything. Bathing routine, including soap, shampoo, conditioner changes (none here), plain old dry skin, detergent changes (non here), bedding/linen condition (none here). Per the primary doctor it is hard to tell. The neurologist came up basically with the same answer.

He did develop a rash when he was hospitalized but it was gone in several days and has not reappeared.

He had been on the same meds and has been weaned off one seizure med and now being weaned off another, to where he will be dilantin only in 6 wks. Who knows maybe that is it.

The healing areas suggested by plbubba, I have thought of that myself. His itching is only in the upper body. His head, back and his arms, which he bruised very badly when during the early stages of E due to being basically psychotic with pain and confusion. They all itch.

The itching seems to come and go. I even thought maybe he was getting too much Jamba Juice Strawberry Surf Rider, his favorite smoothie. Maybe to many strawberries made him itch....but we tested that theory and it failed.

I hate to follow with what the doctor says...it could be anything but I know that it drives Craig crazy when it hits.

Sorry not much help but at least you know someone else is experiencing it.

kellys_mom

I believe Kelly's severe itching was internal fungus overgrowth. Steroids, antibiotics and I believe all kinds of medicines treat one set of symptoms but allow the natural fungus to rage out of control. We used Monistat cream on Kelly's skin and scalp so she wouldn't damage her skin from scratching.

It took quite a while for us to control fungus overgrowth with diet. Kelly's list of food triggers: sugar (including fruit), gluten grains and dairy.

My suggestion is try the cream and keep strict food diaries until you can identify a pattern of what triggers the itching.

Linda

abosalim

Thank you Thazooma for sharing your experience. When itch hits, is there anything you do to control it temporarily?? I know eventually it hits again, but is there any way of managing it?? My wife & I are always in fear of when it does hit (almost daily), and our boy in severe pain and discomfort as a result.
Thx

Thazooma

Abosalim,
Have you checked with the doctors? What did they give your son in the hospital for the itching? Maybe they can prescribe something for him.

Craig, my husband takes Benadryl, an antihistamine. This was not suggested by the doctors nor did we ask if there would be complications if taken. Fortunately he has tremendous willpower and he tries very hard to ignore the itching, but when he can't he takes two Benadryl (Dispenhydramine HCI .25 mg)

A homemade remedy that I used on our kids when they were young, was oatmeal paste or oatmeal bath. The bath was tepid water run through a lady's nylon stocking with one cup of oatmeal in the toe as the water filled the tub. I would then tie a knot in the stocking and let the "ball of oatmeal" float in the water. Soaking in the tub of oatmeal water eased the itching and relaxed the kids when they were young.

Bottom line is you should discuss it with the doctors.

I wish there was a magic potion to ease your son's discomfort. It is hard to watch your own child suffer.
My heart goes out to you.

abosalim

Thank you Thazooma for the quick response.
Actually Benadryl (25 mg) was prescribed by our physician, but hardly any improvement. We only give him 1 tablet when he starts complaining, but as I said it does not do much.

WendyStation

Hello abosalim...

One way to ease itching is to bathe in rolled oats.

Put 1 cup of rolled oats into a sock or stocking, then tie the sock so that the oats cannot escape.

Drop this into the bath water, and it will sooth help settle the itch as you bathe.

AmeliaBedeliasMom

I just wanted to pop on to say - THANK YOU for posting this thread! My daughter (3) is in the hospital for the second time after developing meningoencephalomyelitis with rhomboencephalitis of unknown origin since the beginning of October. She has had intense, frequent bouts of back, neck and head itchiness with no rash. No doctor has been able to give me an answer, and she is now not on any meds that should be causing it. I wonder if it's not something to do with the disease process or how children express pain or discomfort. Anyway - it was a comfort to know someone else has gone through this!

abosalim

Hi
How is Amelia, OK I hope? We found out for my son Salim that the stinging/itching had to do with some food types that he did not have any problems with before. Therefore you need to carefully watch her diet to determine what trigger these episodes. We found chocolate, sliced cheese, chicken & sea foods in general trigger it. 25 mg penederale capsules were prescribed to us, and they do help. I hope Amelia recovers soon, I will keep you in my prayers & thoughts, my heart goes to you, it is so hard to watch your child go through it, but it does ease up eventually. Please do not hesitate to write back if there is anything that I can help with. Best of luck.
Abo Salim

redantmom

My daughter is constantly batteling the itch! Her brain says there's an itch and you scratch, but the signal forgets to or can't turn off. It perceverates till you are distracted and or multi tasking. It's a form of or like focal seziures! Try a perfered activity that is challenging, ie something they like to do. A hamock swing, a game of battle ship, a wii bowling game, and or rarely just closing eyes and singing a song, recite a poem. Meds didn't work for Ariel but we learned how and when to change signals different ways on different days. We wil always be fighting the itch, the twitch, or the tremble because the brain is electro-chemically charged and the path ways are not always clear anymore! Anyway its what I read and how my Nero Phycologist explained it while teaching me how to work with her recovering brain. Good luck and hope you get really good at Battleship!

SickOfBeingSick

I wonder if camphor or a poison ivy medicine or cold packs might help? Theses would send an immediate message to the brain that might turn off the itch message the brain is sending out.

Atarax is a medication (pill-type) that has always worked great for me for itching.

Cathy

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