Rash Indecision

For about 5 days, Mrs. HM has been plagued by itchy skin! It's on my lower legs/ankles, and on my left inner forearm. What could those two areas possibly have in common?

I've been trying to assign a cause. 

I haven't eaten any new foods, nor taken any new medicine. 

I pat Scarlett with my left hand, and my left inner forearm often comes in contact with the fur on her shoulders or back. I thought perhaps she might have been in some poison ivy, though I have not been allergic to it in the past. My mom, dad, and sister (the ex-mayor's wife) all broke out from it, and needed calamine lotion. But after only one such issue, I never got it again. And... my lower legs and ankles did not touch Scarlett's fur, and I did not rub my forearm on them.

The arm is very itchy in the mornings. I stick it down beside me on the short couch, under the fleece throw that The Pony gave me from college. I cover my legs with the throw, but they are protected by my holey sweatpants, and socks.

I thought maybe the use of a new fabric softener sheet might have caused the itching. When I was in high school, my mom switched from TIDE to some other detergent, and I broke out in a rash where my socks contacted my skin. However, though my holey sweatpants were dried with the fabric softener sheet, my socks were hung to dry. And I haven't washed my sweatshirt, or the fleece throw before my itching started.

The most logical culprit is my lotion. Every day after my shower, I put lotion on my lower legs and ankles. Only recently did I put it on my left forearm, because there was a dry itchy patch. However... it's the same lotion I have used for years! Same bottle for the past few months. Why would I suddenly develop an itch from my regular lotion?

I know I'm allergic to lanolin. When the boys were babies, I used Eucerin Cream on their little rumpuses. It prevented diaper rash. Even when they were older, I kept getting Eucerin Cream to use on my hands as a moisturizer. Then I made the mistake of putting it on my arm. And once on my belly. I broke out in hive-y itchy blotches. A review of the ingredients of Eucerin Cream pointed to the lanolin. I know to only use such a product on my palms. It is not an ingredient in my regular lotion.

I'm not sure if the lotion is the problem. I stopped using it on Sunday morning. My itching seems to have lessened. The blotchy red area on my left inner forearm seems to have shrunken just a bit. The itching is not as urgent.

As a test, I only used the lotion on my left lower leg on Tuesday. We'll see if there's a difference in it, and the other leg and my arm...