Really bad itching

Sorry if this comes off as a bit of a rant, since I'm a bit frustrated right now.

I've had really bad itching on my head for several weeks now. Last week I went to the GP and they took a swab test on the itchy area and would get back to me in a few days. Today they told me the results was 'normal' and had nothing else to say to me. By now they turned into big disgusting yellow crusty scabs that really distress me when I look at them in the mirror, and the itching is worse than ever. Pretty sure they're spreading as well.

I tried to make an appointment again but they said they were fully booked for today. After that I filled in a request where I just described my symptoms through their online service made for 'non urgent queries'. It says they aim to have a response by 4 days, which I don't really want to wait, since it's really affecting my ability to concentrate since I'm trying not to scratch it and make it worse. I'm even more scared the itching will flare up during one of my exams and throw me off completely. Should I just try to make another appointment tomorrow? If not what should I do until they respond?

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

This is not professional medical advice but general advice given that the swab tests they did from the GP are normal.

You would hope too that hair mites (nits) have also been discounted as they are very common (look for the tell tale black or white tiny grains like rice glued to the base of individual hairs) Itching and having itchy skin is one of the worst sensations ever. Sometimes fungal infections such as Candida can create itchy skin and the pharmacists may suggest Canesten or similar to control this (but I would expect that should have been discovered in the GP tests) Unfortunately the more you scratch the more you disturb the surface of the skin, and the more it itches. It also opens it up to infection with the huge bacterial load under fingernails. This is hugely distressing for you so no wonder you are at your wits end.

Although all of your tests were normal, sometimes the yellow crusts can be as a result of the over production of oil onto the surface of the scalp (wet dandruff) and some of the 'cure' that might help is to wash your hair frequently (daily) with a medicated soaps or shampoo's.

In between waiting to see the doctor it may be worth going to your pharmacy and speaking to the pharmacist to see what they suggest you could use as a lotion to apply to cool the itch scratch cycle, and also what they think the itching might be caused by - there are so many different things.

Good luck trying to get back into the GP system again

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