Itching around exit site

[pinkyD]

Hey guys! I've always experienced itching and irritation around the exit site where I tape the gauze. But lately it has been driving me CRAZY. I think it is the adhesive from the tape, but I can't not use it. My nurse has no suggestions. I tried applying benadryl cream to no avail. I'm afraid the incessant scratching I do will lead to infection. Does anyone have any ideas or successfully dealt with this problem?

[kickingandscreaming]

I, too, am sensitive to tape, and it makes me itch.  My suggestion is to try different tapes until you find one that works for you.  What works for me is something they call an island bandage.  Also something called "soft cloth tape."  Itching is awful.  I hope you can find a solution.

[Charlie B53]

My skins is very reactive to many tapes.  Some so bad that it actually forms water blisters.

One of my PD Nurses learned a trick, she 'painted' the area to be taped with one of those betadine pads.  The ones in the little packets like the alcohol wipes.  Let that dry then tape it.

NO MORE BLISTERS!

And it didn't itch so much any longer.

Give it a try and see if it helps you also.

[iolaire]

I was allergic to the cheap paper tape they use in the center.  First it was redness on the skin and then later the skin started pulling off!  So I had rope burn like areas with a thin layer of skin removed. Since then they have me using what I call cloth tape, which is might be kickingandscreaming's "soft cloth tape."   It is very white with small dots in it, and is very hard to rip so every inch or so they have perforations, so you would tear either two or three segments off as one strip of tape.

RE: the betadine suggestion, I could see how that might work.  I don't like it when they leave betadine on heavy because the tape sticks to it and its sort of hard to pull of resulting in more scab pulling off, so it probably is forming a barrier between the tape and the skin.

[Michael Murphy]

It's expensive but NexCare makes a HypoAllergenic tape. Amazon sells packs of 6 for around 30 dollars for 6.  I used it for the first 2 years ON Dialysis. IT stopped the itching.  I stopped using It whenever the clinic switched to nexcare sensitive Skin tape. Also available from Amazon for around 23 dollars for a pack of 9.  Both types are good for a week a roll in my experience.

[pinkyD]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I actually tried cloth tape before, but found that it didn't stick as well to the skin. Probably why it causes less irritation! I'll give it another shot and see if I can get it to stick.

I'll report back if anything has helped.

[Emerson Burick]

Hey guys! I've always experienced itching and irritation around the exit site where I tape the gauze. But lately it has been driving me CRAZY. I think it is the adhesive from the tape, but I can't not use it. My nurse has no suggestions. I tried applying benadryl cream to no avail. I'm afraid the incessant scratching I do will lead to infection. Does anyone have any ideas or successfully dealt with this problem?

Ugh. I get that. In the winter I can tape in the same place every day, but in the summer it gets red and irritated, and by the time I'm ready to sleep I claw that thing off. I usually change the place where I tape, even to the point of taping my hip, and then just stop using the tape for a couple months. When it cools off, I tape again.

You can get mesh tube girdle things to use, but I just tuck it in my underwear.

[Charlie B53]

You can get mesh tube girdle things to use, but I just tuck it in my underwear.

The years I was on PD my cath was 'tunneled' and exited midway between my breast and the center of my chest, a  couple inches above the zyphoid.  Since I am a 'Guy' I don't even own a 'Bra' although I have to admit I am large enough I could maybe use a 'Bro'.

The PD Cath Belt was ichy, scratchy, hot, and drove me nuts.  I can fully understand why women complain that their bra is killing them!

I taped.  I often alternated the spot where I taped.  Betadine wipes became my usual prep.