Wednesday 30 July 2008

....One Bag of Skin

....so another visit to el doctor, well a different one who has specialised in dermatology. Picture on the left is my arm before the medicines. The skin is flatter compared to the picture on the right in the side bar but texture ain't great and it is now red.

Me: So doc this is what I am using to keep my skin moisturised. 500g tub of emollient and have nearly finished it after a week....and this is a bag of skin to show you why. I have skin dandruff! (displays a ziplock bag of skin to doc)

Doc: Thank you, I don't need to see the bag of skin. It is obvious you have a skin problem.
Your skin is very warm to touch....

Me thinking: Good it means I'm very alive.

Doc: Very dry.....

Me: I only moisturised it an hour ago.

Doc: ......and you've done some damage to yourself.

Me thinking: Thank goodness I had a small scratch session in the night....the last doc didn't take me seriously when the skin had no scratches!

Doc: ....from the notes you've had this since January. Right I think we need to hit it hard.

Me: Yah! Finally

Doc: So I'm going to give you:
- 500mg Flucloxacillin (antibiotics) to take internally to kill the bacteria infection in your body. Take 4 times a day.
- Fucibet (say it carefully) - an antibiotic + cortesone cream to apply externally to clear the skin of any further infection
- Ucerax 25mg - stronger antihistamine to help you sleep and stop scratching in the night
- AND more emollients

Me: Great!

Doc: ....see me in 2 weeks time

I give the pharmacist a small fortune and look at the amount of "stuff" I need to take/apply.
For the whole of my life, I have avoided chemicals like antibiotics. Now I'm about to destroy the good bacteria I've nurtured my whole life.

Killing Bacteria
I decide to only take the antibiotics over the next couple of days to monitor its effects. The antibiotics reek of chemicals. However after the first day of downing antibiotic pills, the redness over the entire body seems to disappear and for the first time, I sleep normally at night.

3 days later the skin is still feeling good. Unfortunately this is the day where I got a bit slack taking the antibiotics. I was doing a 12.5 mile run and it's a warm day (in the 30s). 12.5 miles later the body is hot and I've forgotten to bring the pills to the venue so I miss a pill pop. Socialising, the itchiness starts and the skin is hot and red even after cooling down. I try to make up for it later, but in fact miss another pill pop as had eaten a meal and cake! (must take these pills on an empty stomach).

2 days after the run day the skin is still red and itchy, so decide to start applying the fucibet. I said never again to steroid creams, but many assure me it is only temporary and if applied correctly should heal the skin and the symptoms should not return. You guys BETTER be right!

3 comments:

PreciousPearl said...

fucibet? FUCIBET???
LOL, u're right, gotta say it carefully.
Hope the you're getting better & smoother every day, yeah?

Anonymous said...

both antibiotics & steroid creams are essential treatments for any long-lasting skin disorder. Am surprised you had to suffer this long before somebody would prescribe these for you. Get well soon. India awaits you :)

Anonymous said...

I used to go to a doctor for my eczema, but it always came back, and I know cortisone thins out your skin and causes problems, so I didn't want to take it. I ended up finding a holistic doctor who told me that there was too much mucus in my intestines, and my liver was not in such good condition, and so that's why I had eczema. He told me to stay away from beef, cow's milk, refined sugar, spicy, seafood, pork and alcohol. He told me that cow and sugar were the problem for most people. He also told me to move to California, because it's so dry there, but that's easier said then done. I am now feeling tons better, and it is slowly receding from my body. (the back of my knees are clean now. Next is my arms, shoulders, behind my ears and scalp line)
good luck with the condition