I suffer from Essential Thrombocythemia for which I take Hydroxycarbamide. I generally feel O.K. except that I have a skin itch which detracts from my quality of life. Although it does occur during the day, it is at its worst at night (when I've no other distractions) and is often triggered by a reduction in temperature (when I get up to go to the toilet etc.). I've tried a variety of antihistamines which have no effect. A few years ago, before I was diagnosed with ET, I attended the Dermatology Dept of my local hospital and had a course of UV which helped a little. After the course, the itch came back almost immediately and my GP referred me again but that was more than three years ago and I'm told that I still have, at least, another six months to wait. I now am fairly sure that the itch is a result of the ET (which hadn't been diagnosed before) and find myself wondering if there is any point attending Dermatology when I eventually get an appointment. From my research on the Web I've learned that skin itch affects about 40% of ET sufferers but have found no answer to the itch. Is it just something I have to live with or should I wait to see if the dermatologists can provide some relief (and a good night's sleep!)?
Hi Templar1 and a warm welcome to this corner of the Community although I am sorry to see you joining us and hear about the journey you are on.
I am Mike and I help out around our various Blood Cancer groups. I don’t have ET but I was diagnosed way back in 1999 with a rare, incurable but treatable type of Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Stage 4a so although my Blood Cancer ‘type’ is different I do appreciate the challenges of this journey rather well but not the specific treatment you are on.
My type of NHL is actually a rare skin condition so I have had a massive amount of UV treatments over my 23 years (hit my community name to see my story) and the UV treatments did give me periods of clear skin so I do hope you get that Dermatology appointment soon.
Let's look for some of the group members to pick up on your post. There actually have been a few new members join recently so why not click on the Group title and this will bring up all the posts. Have a look at them and as always you can hit reply to any post and see if the member is still using the community.
It’s a challenging time for you so you may want to use the Macmillan Support Line is open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00 or via Webchat and Email too.
This service provide cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear. We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
Always around to help more or just to chat.
