Contents:
- Medical Video: What cancer can cause itchy skin ? |Find Health Questions
- How to deal with itchy skin during cancer chemotherapy
- Do not scratch itchy skin! Try doing this
- If the itching gets worse, talk to your doctor immediately
Medical Video: What cancer can cause itchy skin ? |Find Health Questions
One of the side effects of chemotherapy is lymph node cancer and leukemia (blood cancer) is itchy skin. Itching is not dangerous, but this can lead to sleep disturbances and stress for a long time. Add more, Blood cancer patients have a weak and easily infected body resistance. Itchy skin that continues to be scratched can cause injury and infection.So, how to deal with itchy skin during cancer chemotherapy?
How to deal with itchy skin during cancer chemotherapy
- Try to keep your skin moist. Dry skin will be easy to experience irritation and itching, so you must moisturize it with a variety of skin moisturizers which are certainly safe. To find out if your moisturizer product is safe, you should consult your doctor first. Use skin moisturizer 2-3 times a day.
- Avoid using skin care products that contain alcohol and perfume. Because the product like this tends to make your skin dry easily.
- Bathe with water where the temperature is lukewarm, or equivalent to body temperature. Avoid bathing with rather hot water, this will make the skin dry and the itching will feel even more.
- Avoid burning so you sweat. It's best to rest in a cold room.
- Don't forget to fill your daily fluid needs
- Use clothes that are comfortable, loose and soft
Do not scratch itchy skin! Try doing this
When itchy skin, your first instinct will tell you to scratch it. However, scratching the skin can actually bemakes the itching worse and even irritates and cuts the skin. This causes you to be more vulnerablebacterial and viral infections from the surrounding environment.
So, as much as possible do not scratch the skin when the itching appears. It's not easy and makes it greedy, but the following tips can help you hold it back:
- When you feel itchy on one part of the body, immediately apply the existing skin moisturizer.
- If the itching doesn't go away, instead of scratching, you can compress the itchy body part with a towel soaked in cold water or massage it.
- Always make sure that your nails are short and cut. Sometimes, you can subconsciously scratch, if the nails are still long, then the risk for irritation is greater.
- Turn your attention with other activities when the itching comes, for example trying to relax by listening to soothing songs or reading a book.
- Taking drugs that can reduce itching. For this, it is better to discuss with your doctor first whether you need medication or not and what type of medication you are safe for taking during chemotherapy.
If the itching gets worse, talk to your doctor immediately
The chemotherapy and blood cancer that you experience can indeed cause this itching. However, you should immediately talk to your doctor about these symptoms if it does not go away. The reason is, you can indeed experience an allergic chemotherapy drug that is being given. So, immediately contact your doctor if you experience the following:
- Itching does not go away for more than 2 days
- Skin irritation and open sores on this part
- Reddened skin area
- Suddenly the skin turned yellow and the urine also turned brownish yellow
- The skin is more itchy especially after being given skin moisturizer
- Sleeplessness and always restlessness
- Experiencing other symptoms, such as shortness of breath, face or swollen throat
