Dr Dezube, Thank you for your great work on this site.I was wondering what cause the insane itching associated with NHL.I had it the first time round and the itching went away after a couple of chemotherapies.I finished chemo Jan 18th 2001 and it came back in full blast feb 21st,started chemo last week,but this time the itching has been far worst and in my sleep i've ripped my skin apart esp the backs of my thighs;buttocks;calves and forearms.My Doctor put me on prednisone 80 mgs sliding scale and clobetasol propionate ointment.Its the worst part of this illness Dr Dezube.I wrote the "letter of hope",this time round i feel very scared that I am going to die because the cancer was only gone less than 4 weeks,as far as the Hiv Tcells 289; 18 and VL undectable.I feel very alone and very unsure of everything right now,my partner is so wonderful but i feel so isolated.What do you suggest that may help me.john

I'm sorry to hear about the itching. It can certainly drive you crazy. Cancer releases irritants that lead to the itching. Although there is no single medication which seems to control all cancer itching, different patients respond to different medicines; prednisone and the ointment you mention are a good start; histamine blockers may help (allegra, benadryl, claritin, vistaril, and so on); many of my patients have benefitted from a class of anti-depressants called SSRIs (paxil, prozac, zoloft, celexa) even though the patients weren't necessarily depressed. I would probably start with one from each group- e.g. allegra and celexa. I hope this helps, but more importantly I pray you don't loose the hope you so nicely describe in your "letter of hope".