Pinworms, or threadworms as they are sometimes called, can cause some of these same symptoms as well as they live in the small intestine but come down to the anus to lay their eggs at night....sighh... Pinworm infestation is often accompanied by insomnia as the itching is so severe it disrupts sleep. When the immune system is down or otherwise suppressed such as with drugs like ativan and benadryl, yeasts, fungi, and other parasites take over...unfortunately...
Barring worms... it could also be a histamine reaction...even to Herceptin.
But I was curious if folks experiencing this particular symptom of itching were taking tumeric and or olive leaf lately... sometimes, these herbs kill off all sorts of nasties higher up in the small intestine and then the body washes them down and out the rectum where the allergic protein residue can cause itching...sort of a histamine reaction. In alternative medicine, this is called "die-off" and although uncomfortable...is often a good sign that the olive leaf or tumeric or cloves or garlic or whatever is working higher up. If you can survive this good kind of itching...it may be an indication that you are actually getting better.
One way to tell if it is just a histamine allergic reaction is to treat the area with capsaicin or mustard oil. If the itching stops on contact...odds are good that you are simply experiencing die- off and eventually, the discomfort should clear up and you should find that your over all health is improving.
Capsaicin prevents histamine-induced itching.
Toth-Kasa I,
Jancso G,
Bognar A,
Husz S,
Obal F Jr.
The effects of topical treatment with capsaicin or mustard oil on histamine-induced pruritus, wheal formation and flare response were studied in the human skin. Capsaicin pretreatment resulted in a reversible marked reduction or abolition of the axon reflex flare, but did not influence whealing. Itching was also strongly diminished or even abolished, provided that the flare response was completely blocked. The onset of itching was significantly promoted by pretreatment of the skin with mustard oil, inducing axon reflex vasodilatation. It is concluded that, in addition to the axon reflex flare, capsaicin-sensitive peptide-containing primary afferent neurones are also intimately involved in the mediation of the sensation of itching.
Threaded Mode