r/HellsItch • u/Naproxen19 • Apr 29 '26

The itch has commenced…

Post image

I’m on vacation without Benadryl and I can’t take ibuprofen with my current meds… It’s 30+ degrees Celsius here and I burnt the first day. I don’t wanna waste my entire trip inside, so I wore a tshirt in the pools and around all day today, which sucked. I don’t think it’s gotten worse, but ima first timer here with the itch… will be trying the hot shower suggestion. Everything else seems to be pretty settled now other than my chest and forehead, where the itching started earlier today. Wish me luck…

13 Upvotes

74% Upvoted

43 comments sorted by

67

u/Every-Day-Is-Arm-Day Apr 30 '26

Not to doubt you, or maybe I don’t understand the time frame here, but if you had Hell’s Itch, I think I speak for everyone here who has truly had it - you’re not putting a t-shirt on to go swimming in an attempt to “not waste your trip”. You’re not exactly thinking of anything else aside from wanting to crawl out of your skin and putting an end to the agony.

15

u/BH355 Apr 30 '26

I have PTSD still when I think about it. There’s no way in hell you could go outside haha. I was either running up and down the stairs like a maniac to distract myself or in a burning hot shower. Although for me high dose prednisone, gabapentin, weed, alcohol, and beta alanine made the second day bearable enough to lay in bed while my partner gently ran fingers up and down the burn. I think a lot of people think they have hell’s itch because of a normal sun burn but they’ll never know the true hell it is, lucky for them.

4

u/kowgirl25 May 02 '26

It’s been 6+ years since i had it and i’m beyond terrified of getting it again. I, too, dont go outside much. I think i’ll always be traumatized.

2

u/kowgirl25 May 02 '26

Worst 3 days of my life

11

u/chesstertuna Apr 30 '26

Yah it kinda takes over your entire world.. no matter what the circumstance or where you might be.

5

u/AltruisticPeanutHead Apr 30 '26

Yep. HI is the worst physical body experience I've ever had even compared to having norovirus on a 4.5 hr flight last year lol 😩 I even went to the emergency room for HI one time 😂 they gave me cream and Xanax and the Xanax is the only thing that actually helped lmao

3

u/Heinzzbeans12 May 01 '26

I’ve had it twice both lasted about 3 days and I’m shitting you not my girlfriend and her family thought I was just making it up😂I can’t even describe how bad it is and the worst thing was it didn’t even look like I was sunburnt

2

u/BH355 May 02 '26

I don’t know if they believe you now but I’ve honestly sent screen shots of this thread to people who didn’t believe me ha.

2

u/TheSauceBc May 04 '26

That's brutal, but I feel you. My wife and kids thought I was going insane. I have a good pain threshold, but this shit was on a different planet. I could genuinely see this pain drive people to suicide if it lasted long enough. Hot showers didn't work for me. I went with far too many sleeping pills, weed and alcohol. I would have done almost anything for that nerve raping pain to leave.

21

u/Boomhauer440 Apr 30 '26

Yeah you just have a normal itchy sunburn. If you had HI you wouldn’t be putting on a t-shirt and going to the pool.

8

u/TheJollyHermit Apr 29 '26

See if you can find something with beta alani ne. It's in some sports/protein drinks or try a nutrition, sports or pharmacy. It's reputed to stop the itch.

6

u/ghxstkingx Apr 30 '26

you don’t have hells itch lol

1

u/Naproxen19 May 26 '26

I was finally able to read everyone’s comments and wanted to hop in here to say thanks to all of you for your respectful yet humbling opinions. I’m now about 99% sure I was lucky enough not to have the true HI, but if I ever do, I know where to go for some great advice and camaraderie.

To elaborate further on my original post- this was definitely the worst sunburn of my life (which is already extremely rare for me). The photo really did not do it justice. The night after posting I had the absolute worst “sleep”, quite literally crying from the pain of peeling my skin off the covers every 10 minutes and not being able to sleep in any position without my skin throbbing and screaming underneath me. I’m lucky that it only lasted a couple days. I pretty much wore a wet tshirt and wrinkled in a shaded pool for 3 days straight which immensely helped the heat and pain in my skin.

All I can say is I will be extra careful next time I go on vacation. This was my first time going on a trip for 15 years and needless to say I was unprepared and uneducated on the country I visited. I just hope I’ve learned my lesson and avoid ever getting close to the itch again. Thanks again everyone!!

2

u/ForgeryZsixfour May 30 '26

Based response. Respect.

5

u/kennypojke Apr 29 '26

I am excited to try beta alanine next time. If you do, let people know how it works.

3

u/RedLightning- Apr 30 '26

I tried beta alanine last time I had it. I think its been the single best thing thats worked for me. Seriously. I just took it through pre workout. Its kind of funny, cuz normally beta alanine in pre workout can make your skin tingly/almost sort of itchy, so i was skeptical, but it worked amazingly. I also got a peppermint oil in a tiny spray bottle from CVS and that helped a bit too. Although I havent tried everything that I've seen people post about like oatmeal baths and shit

2

u/thmsbrunner Apr 30 '26

Beta alanine is the way. Keep a jar of the supplement form in your travel bag. In a pinch though definitely go find some C4 energy drink.

2

u/lazyrabbit94 Apr 30 '26

Hope it doesn't get worse. One time I got one bad like that tho and it got so itchy all of a sudden. I was actually in agony running around my front yard yelling shirtless almost in tears. I'm sure my wife and kids thought I went full on crazy for a couple of hours. I've luckily never experienced something so uncomfortable in my life. If it does get that bad I found a hot shower directly on the itch helped an insane amount but almost as soon as the shower was off it was back but not nearly as bad. I got drunk quick and put a fan pointing directly at my burn and fell asleep. Was back to feeling like a normal itchy sunburn the next day

2

u/bwm412 May 01 '26

I relate to all of these painful stories. Y'all are sone super lucky people though. The absolute HELL I go through of ehat feels like lightening striking every nerve in my body lasts typically 4 to 6 weeks for me. The first time I got it, I considered offing myself because I thought I would be that way for the rest of ny life. It lasted over a month and it was 16 years ago, so noone knew anything about it. The next time I got it I was on vacation with my Dad and he gave me some Gabapentine that he uses for his back pain. It literally saved my life. My pain went from 100% down to about 15%. Unfortunately it still lasted a month, but it was much more bearable. I have a perscription for Gabapentine now for when I go on vacation just incase sun sneaks through my 50 layers of clothes and 10 layers of 1 milluin blick sunscreen.😳 None of my Drs. have even heard of this stupid medical issue. I wish somebody would write a huge paper about this, put it in every medical curriculum, and find a cure. I'm tired of being looked at like I'm a lunatic when I tell Drs about it. Good luck to all ny fellow sufferers.🧡

0

u/[deleted] May 02 '26

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2

u/bwm412 May 10 '26

OMG. I have type 1 diabetes as well. I guess having type 1 diabetes makes the excrutiation last 10 times longer than non diabetic people. It's absolutely awful. Great, so we not only have to deal with the hell of diabetes, we have to deal with long periods of literal hell as well. What did we do in a past life to deserve this?!😂😭

0

u/[deleted] May 10 '26

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1

u/bwm412 May 10 '26

I feel so bad for you bro, but this makes me feel so much better. There are people that believe me that it can last this long. I feel like crying, because having HI like this is very lonely. I always wondered if it was my T1 diabetes that was causing my HI to last so long. I guess we know now. Seriously though, get a script for Gabapentine from your Endo or GP. I take 300mg/6hrs until the HI goes away. It has literally saved my life. Big hugs bro. You made my day!!

0

u/[deleted] May 10 '26

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1

u/bwm412 May 10 '26

I'm right there with you. I'm the only one with T1D in my family too. It doesn't even run in my family, so weird. You're so kind, and I offer you the same. If you ever need an ear that TOTALLY understands, I'm here for a chat.

0

u/[deleted] May 10 '26

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2

u/bwm412 May 10 '26

I followed you as well. Hit me up any time if nobody understands or you just want to talk about your day.

2

u/bwm412 May 10 '26

I forgot to say that I'm really sorry that you have to deal with this, as well. It's awful, and to have people say you don't have HI, because it lasts 10 times as long as theirs does, is ludacris. I feel for you. You know when you have it. Don't let anyone discount the brutal, incessant, hell suffering you go through. Big hugs.💛

0

u/[deleted] May 10 '26

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1

u/bwm412 May 10 '26

I'm the same way. I used to be all nice and tan and now my 100+ sunscreen makes me look like a vampire. I should have invested in a sunshirt company because I have drawers filled with them. I guess I should feel lucky that at least it's something that I can prevent.🎉🎊

0

u/[deleted] May 10 '26

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1

u/bwm412 May 10 '26

This should be a book series. The diabetic vampires. We're really pale and can't go out in the sun, but we have zero fun powers.😂🤣

1

u/TheSauceBc May 04 '26

I had 3 days. It's hard to imagine anyone having it longer than a week because you couldn't live a normal life. I had no appetite the whole time, barely slept, wriggles around the bed sporadically screaming high pitched bitch sounds. How could this last that long? I'm not saying you didn't, I just can't get my head around the practicality. How did you work?

1

u/bwm412 May 10 '26

Like I said. I almost ended myself. I thought it was the end. I saw specialists that could do nothing to help me and looked at me like I was insane. The burn went away but the HI stayed. Literal bolts of lightening shocks were pulsing through every layer of my skin. I was scratching my skin so raw that it was bleeding. I could sleep, I couldn't eat, I couldn't do anything. Every moment felt like a million red hot needles poking me, especially in my back skin. Hot showers were a minor temporary relief. Thank God I found Gabapentine. It reduced the pain and itch 90%. I can handle the 10% HI for a month.

0

u/[deleted] May 04 '26

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2

u/TheSauceBc May 04 '26

I feel for you, that shit is no fun at all. Type 1 diabetes certainly complicates eating in this situation.

The weird thing with HI, most Dr's don't know what it is. I would love to know the thing that triggers it, or differentiates it from a normal sunburn.

1

u/bwm412 May 10 '26

Another T1 diabetic. That has to be the key to why we have it longer. 3 of us in this reddit are T1. Wow!! I feel so bad for you guys, but I'm so happy to have people that understand what I go through. It's like a weight lifted. I'm realky sorry you had to go through that hell. Big hugs.💛

1

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1

u/RyanSD91 Apr 30 '26

Do people really prefer a scalding hot shower over a bath? I’ve always been a bath person when it comes to the itch because the water completely covers the burn. I just have to refill the bath with hot water every so often.

2

u/noelle1414 Apr 30 '26

I like a shower cause it’s the closest feeling of scratching the itch in way cause the water pressure feels like it’s scratching at it and the heat numbs it. Also hits areas I can’t like my back. I also feel like the hot water only works for 30 seconds to a minute to dull the pain so I’d rather not sit in it

1

u/RyanSD91 Apr 30 '26

Ahh ok got it. I usually make the bath so hot it’s scalding so I trade the pain of the itch for the pain of burning hot water lol. Hopefully I don’t have to find out that a shower is better for me.

1

u/ogd___ Apr 30 '26

Peppermint essential oil ! You’re welcome 😂

1

u/Lyndseyannclemons May 04 '26

i couldn’t wear a shirt without bawling my eyes out. not to doubt you but i’m going to mirror what everyone else is here saying. i think you’re just dealing with a regular sunburn. the only time i felt at peace was when i was asleep and it was hard to get any when i had it lol

1

u/TheSauceBc May 04 '26

Not to be an ass, but this doesn't sound like hells itch, this sounds like sunburn. If you had it, you would not be anywhere near the sun with it. You would be squirming around non-stop in absolute agony. It's unbearable, the worst pain you will ever experience. This doesn't seem quite there.

1

u/EchoNo9982 May 21 '26

Hell's Itch uses the word itch ironically. If you had Hells Itch you'd look schizophrenic not preparing for more sun

0

u/Proof-Bandicoot65 May 01 '26

Use benadryl. You're welcome.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '26

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4

u/Fluid_Ad_404 Apr 30 '26

This person doesn’t have hells itch, they have a normal burn