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Itchy skin - TMS or not?

TG957

TG957

Beloved Grand Eagle
I have been having all kinds of itchy skin issues lately. It jumps around my body and gets really bad at night. Warm showers, creams and lotions help temporarily but none works permanently. It finally dawned on me that it coincides with increase in anxiety. Last night, a little meditation eliminated both itching all over my body and elevated anxiety. Anyone else had a similar experience?
 
Oh yeah. I have a spot on my calf that itches for no reason when I am under medium stress. Its been there for years and there is Nothing there....and now this year it switched sides! I call it my 'anxiety spot'

I itched the top of my foot til it bled. I went and bought all sorts of medicines and cortisone and finally went to the Dr. for the 'athletes foot' I had....except the doctor found NOTHING. As soon as he told me it was nothing, It stopped itching (there).

Feet, legs and occasionally the back of my neck.

They are like my TMS 'early warning detection' system and to me represent a lower level of irritation than pain. Dogs will often times itch spots for no particular reason and I have learned from my dogs that we are not really that different
 
Baseball65 said:
Oh yeah. I have a spot on my calf that itches for no reason when I am under medium stress. Its been there for years and there is Nothing there....and now this year it switched sides! I call it my 'anxiety spot'

I itched the top of my foot til it bled. I went and bought all sorts of medicines and cortisone and finally went to the Dr. for the 'athletes foot' I had....except the doctor found NOTHING. As soon as he told me it was nothing, It stopped itching (there).

Feet, legs and occasionally the back of my neck.

They are like my TMS 'early warning detection' system and to me represent a lower level of irritation than pain. Dogs will often times itch spots for no particular reason and I have learned from my dogs that we are not really that different
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Unfortunately for me, it starts on my face: eyes, ears, skull - everything above my neck, and then proceeds all the way down to toes! Good to know, thanks for reply!
 
You bet! I can itch anywhere when I get TMSey. It's a combination of dry skin and TMS. Moisturize for general skincare and staying relaxed releases less cortisol and the redness and itchiness go down faster. TMS is a whole lot of "don't scratch the itch"- that's the only thing that worked when I was little, not creams and whatever other stuff the family tried! Also don't take long showers, they dry out the skin.
 
I, too, have had itching that originally was on one ankle. Then it came to the neck, back. Since I have been a TMS doc for almost 30 years I finally said, Wait, if this were a patient what would I say? I notice it jumps around. Classic TMS. I notice that it will be quiet when I tell myself that there is nothing wrong with my body or mind. And so on. For me, the fact that it changes at all, even a little bit, is the tip off that it is TMS.
Do not scratch; you can only irritate the skin and risk an infection . I know that is hard; it is so tempting. But just take my word for it.
 
Harold Goodman DO said:
I, too, have had itching that originally was on one ankle. Then it came to the neck, back. Since I have been a TMS doc for almost 30 years I finally said, Wait, if this were a patient what would I say? I notice it jumps around. Classic TMS. I notice that it will be quiet when I tell myself that there is nothing wrong with my body or mind. And so on. For me, the fact that it changes at all, even a little bit, is the tip off that it is TMS.
Do not scratch; you can only irritate the skin and risk an infection . I know that is hard; it is so tempting. But just take my word for it.
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Guess what, my stress level went down in the last 3 months, and I have not had any itching since!
 
Count me among those that include itching in TMS symptoms. Recently my shins have had intense itch reactions, especially noticeable when I shower for instance.

And for years I have suffered from itchy scalp, needing special shampoos for a condition called Seborrheic Dermatitis that can result in pimples within the hair line and intense itching. Now looking back, I can see it was probably TMS related as well.
 
TG957 said:
I have been having all kinds of itchy skin issues lately. It jumps around my body and gets really bad at night. Warm showers, creams and lotions help temporarily but none works permanently. It finally dawned on me that it coincides with increase in anxiety. Last night, a little meditation eliminated both itching all over my body and elevated anxiety. Anyone else had a similar experience?
Click to expand...
I think its definitely a possibility. I had this and it was definitely due to anxiety. One thing I did was every day after my shower I put lotion all over my body so my skin was less itchy to start with and I think now it also helped my brain not use itchy skin as an option for my anxiety.
 
Old thread here but count me in as a TMS itcher now. Coincided with a big ramp up in stress chemistry from the body and has lasted months. In 10 years of anxiety/TMS I’ve never really had this one. But it’s here now big time.

Not much to add other than I agree with the posts here. This seems to be another attempt from the mind to move the symptoms around to get my attention. It’s a protest of some sort, or a releasing of energy etc. I am attempting to work through it the same way I have the other flareups I have gone through. TMS and anxiety have moved through so many body areas, it’s hard for me to even remember them all. But I do feel it’s helpful for us to chronicle these things a bit, so future users can feel more confident that something so bizarre as itching all over your body intensely can indeed be a TMS process. Good luck all. Keep working the tools.
 
Mr Hip Guy said:
Count me among those that include itching in TMS symptoms. Recently my shins have had intense itch reactions, especially noticeable when I shower for instance.

And for years I have suffered from itchy scalp, needing special shampoos for a condition called Seborrheic Dermatitis that can result in pimples within the hair line and intense itching. Now looking back, I can see it was probably TMS related as well.
Click to expand...
I had a lot of trouble with itchy, flaky scalp in the year or two after my mother passed. I had no idea about TMS st the time (this was in the mid-80s) but in retrospect, it was TMS as it cleared up on its own, eventually.
 
I’ve experienced skin stuff periodically and it’s not much fun. Since my MIL died I’ve had an on and off itch on my upper back but this is nothing compared to the insane eczema I have on my hands at the moment. Officially this is due to using hand sanitizer and hand washing (feckin pandemic) but I am not so sure. It’s proving to be tenacious but I remain optimistic.
 
plum said:
I’ve experienced skin stuff periodically and it’s not much fun. Since my MIL died I’ve had an on and off itch on my upper back but this is nothing compared to the insane eczema I have on my hands at the moment. Officially this is due to using hand sanitizer and hand washing (feckin pandemic) but I am not so sure. It’s proving to be tenacious but I remain optimistic.
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I would put my money on the TMS factor, you had a horrific year, and it shows. Be well, take care of yourself!
 
TG957 said:
I would put my money on the TMS factor, you had a horrific year, and it shows. Be well, take care of yourself!
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Bless you Tamara ❤️
I’m sure you’re right. It’s driving me nuts so it’s the perfect distraction :confused:
 
hello! I've herpes since 2015. It came suddenly after my father's liver transplant. It was something so huge, everything, that I couldn't even process it, and maybe I'm still processing it. So, since that day, every month I have herpes. And, the location of the herpes is very connected to past traumas.
TG957 said:
I have been having all kinds of itchy skin issues lately. It jumps around my body and gets really bad at night. Warm showers, creams and lotions help temporarily but none works permanently. It finally dawned on me that it coincides with increase in anxiety. Last night, a little meditation eliminated both itching all over my body and elevated anxiety. Anyone else had a similar experience?
Click to expand...
 
SSS said:
I think its definitely a possibility. I had this and it was definitely due to anxiety. One thing I did was every day after my shower I put lotion all over my body so my skin was less itchy to start with and I think now it also helped my brain not use itchy skin as an option for my anxiety.
Click to expand...

Helpful for dry climates, dry skin is easily triggered by the slightest thing
 
Dakota said:
hello! I've herpes since 2015. It came suddenly after my father's liver transplant. It was something so huge, everything, that I couldn't even process it, and maybe I'm still processing it. So, since that day, every month I have herpes. And, the location of the herpes is very connected to past traumas.
Click to expand...

Isn't that an STD, or is there a kind that isn't? Stress definitely affects the immune system.
 
Balsa11 said:
Isn't that an STD, or is there a kind that isn't? Stress definitely affects the immune system.
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Herpes is a virus, I believe, and there are many types of herpes virus. If I'm thinking of the right thing, it stays in the body, harmless for the most part, but every so often will produce symptoms. I'm guessing that stress would be a good way to activate it.
 
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