Itchy Feet

Anyone else had to deal with itchy feet?  This started happening to me a couple nights ago.  Almost exclusively at night.  I go to bed feeling fine, wake up a few hours later and both of my feet itch like crazy!    I give in to some itching, then try to use mind over matter and ignore it until I can fall asleep again.  I wake up and my feet feel fine.  I think I'm going nutso!

I have tried taking benadryl before bed, putting hydrocortisone cream on them before bed and icing them.  Nothing avoids the mid-night itching right now.  So strange.

Anyone else have this?  Ideas on causes or cures?

I just googled this - and think you need to call your doc!  Here is the link and an extract from the article - good luck!

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/itchy-feet-at-night.html

What Causes Itchy Feet At Night

When itchy feet that worsens at night and occurs everyday, it cannot be neglected. Believe it or not, burning itchy feet at night time is something related to cholestasis. This is a condition that interferes with the normal flow of bile from the liver. The bile is a digestive juice that promotes breakdown of fats, to ensure proper digestion. The liver is actually responsible for producing the bile. Once the bile is produced, the liver sends it to another organ (gallbladder) below it. The gallbladder passes the bile to the intestine to digest the ingested food.

All these organs are connected through tubes (bile ducts) that allow the bile to flow from the liver to the intestine. Now, the liver's inability to transfer the bile to the intestines may be due to a wide number of reasons such as formation of tumors in the bile duct, liver problems like pancreatitis or narrowing of the bile duct. Cholestatis sufferers show a steep rise in bile levels in the blood. This is because the blocked ducts stimulate the liver to send liver directly into the bloodstream. Cholestatis not only causes itchy feet at night but also brings a nauseatic feeling and is accompanied by dark urine and clay colored bowel movement. In some cases, people with cholestatis suffer from jaundice, a condition that turns the skin yellow. Read more on pancreas problems.

Thanks Lucy!  I actually googled it at midnight while I was laying there awake (ha!).  I told my doc about it yesterday when I saw him and he isn't concerned yet.  I see him again in a few days and if it's still going on, I'll tell him again.  Luckily, I don't have the dark urine or clay colored stools.  

I also read something about pregnant women getting this (I'm def not pregnant) because of a significant rise in estrogen levels.  I wonder if my fat cells are releasing a bunch of estrogen because I just took away their best friend (all that fatty and high carb food they loved so much) and most of my stomach... and now this is a side effect?  

Great point about the estrogen!  Didn't even think of that.  Probably just a good reason to run som blood work (just to be safe).

I would also look into perhaps any meds you are taking that may have itching as a side effect?
Just food for thought!