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My 95 year old mom's back is itching terrible. Mostly in the morning, when she wakes up, but it does wake her at night disturbing her sleep. We have done everything we can to help, even a prescription powder from her Hospice nurse, and an antihistamine by mouth twice a day. It does have some pinkish bumps, and will subside, after rubbing with topical cream, and the powder. It itches some while sitting in the recliner, but the worst is after sleeping. I have read about pressure itching, and assume this is the problem, but how do I alleviate it altogether!! Can anyone offer any advice.

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See a dermatologist. There might be something else going on - she might have an allergy to synthetic clothing, to soap used for washing, or to those toxic dryer sheets with so many chemicals.

How long has she had this?

Does her diagnosis for hospice eligibility include any conditions that might result in the rash? Have any meds been added or changed recently?

Another possibility is extreme dryness in the air. I've noticed that after visiting a SNF several days in a row that my legs and back begin itching. If I'm away for a day and return, I can tell the difference in my ability to breathe freely, which is affected by the extreme dry air and low humidity in health care facilities, especially hospitals.

Same thing happens if I turn the heat on too high at home.
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Dad (96) had similar symptoms for months and we tried everything. Finally went to a dermatologist. They did a tiny biopsy. It was diagnosed as a relatively rare, but not dangerous disease (can't remember the name). They gave him a combination of meds, and it cleared up within 2-3 weeks. There are soooooo many skin diseases that it probably makes sense to see a dermatologist if the normal solutions don't work.
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Pat, your Mom's skin might be sensitive to the tags used on garments that give the name of the company, washing instruction, and garment size.

Those tags or labels can drive me up a wall, they itch like crazy. I do find if I can't remove the label [if at work] then I put hand cream on the base of my neck which really helps until I get home to cut out that label.
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Psoriasis
Shingles
Prickly heat
Food allergies
Bed bugs
to name a few.
Hospice does comfort care, and you will need a proper diagnosis for that care.
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Thank you all for the advice. The itching has been going on for a year, but has recently gotten worse. We have eliminated everything, that we think could be causing it. Hoping hospice will do a biospy like you suggested jjariz!
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