Thanks Ed for that very clear explanation of the breakdown process and triggering of more histamine.

I will now be taking things easy on the cheese front also. I like real ale too, though apparently Budweiser and Vodka, have least histamine of all!

Will swap notes again in a month, and hopefully others who itch, will find our conversation helpful. It’s bad enough being old and having cancer!! 

Dear Ed and others…

I am a little nervous about sharing what I have to say, just in case I hear back what I don’t want to hear.

Perhaps the severe itching, and more recently bleeding spots and scrapes ( caused by scratching) are a side effect of my regular herceptin treatment?

I have had 95 infusions over five and a half years. My ‘ kryptonite’ as I call it, due to the fact that it has kept the spread of cancerous cells at bay and has allowed me to live a fairly normal and active life.

Ive always thought that any ‘good’ or ‘ bad’ thing should not  be put down to any one event…”It’s never one thing”

and although the histamines, certainly for me, in red wine, can and do trigger an itching event, other things may also  play their part.

Closer ‘magnified’ research by my GP revealed what looks like folliculitis, where red spots surround hair follicles.
This has not yet been confirmed. I also am aware that some itching usually occurs around the area of my arm following where the cannula is inserted, prior to my infusion of herceptin every three weeks.

The itching started several months ago, around the time other things happened too, such as changes and increase in some medication.

I will speak with my oncology team, but am naturally worried that my infusions will be stopped, when the side effects of herceptin may not be the ( sole) cause of the problem at all.

I’d be most grateful to hear the thoughts of both professionals and lay folk, like myself, who may know about or may have had similar experience regarding this matter.

John

Ed and co,

A post script to my previous post. I think, and hope, I have discovered that it’s not Herceptin that brings on the itches. I had a friends reunion last evening when I over-indulged to the tune of two pints of real ale (4%) and three medium glasses of wine. I woke at 5am with the most ferocious whole body itching. I damped if down with a wet face cloth, but can still feel the effects. 
John 

John,

                      2 pints of real ale and 3 glasses of wine would see me falling over and most likely attending a fracture clinic, so l would take the iitching.But lets face it , theres no getting away from thesuggestion that you are just a good time guy---long may it last,

David

Ha! I’ll take that as a compliment David, even though it was a ‘one off’ spread over several hours! 

Hello John

So its back to possible histamine as a cause of your itching skin. Due to a lot of socialising recently I have not yet started the 4 week abstinence I was planning to see if alcohol is involved in itchy skin. I had a liver function test recently and all is normal so its not a liver problem causing the itching. 

Ed