Time is a Healer

2 days I took a step back. I had been neglecting myself due to a lot of work being thrown my way. My skin had returned to being dry, flakey and itchy. The eczema had begun to wrap itself around my body. I had not realised its extent until I took a step back to look at it all. Shame on me, after having fought hard last year to bring my skin back to normal.

This is a good reminder that one cannot let your guard down. I used an emolient earlier this year that put my skin back on the risk register. I changed my emolient at the end of May and then have not had time to fix it, 1/2 expecting it to go away itself. Unfortunately once eczema takes hold it tries to resist going away.

Sleep patterns have been attrocious partly due to work, partly due to scratching at night, partly due to hormones. Now that I have some time out, I am trying to settle sleep back to a regular pattern. I have begun table salt baths back again to gently exfoliate the flakey skin and have been applying mositurising creams and emollients far more regularly than I have done the whole year (about 4-5 times a day and when ever I wake up in the night).

After 2 days the skin has settled a little. There are still areas that are itchy but the itch intensity is more tolerable. It is going to be another hard slog to get it back to normality.

In my head I remind myself be patient with it and try to think more happy thoughts. It might look bad but it will improve better without applying steroid creams. I remind myself that when I have applied steroid creams, the skin becomes delicate and is not a fix until the itch sources are also removed - whether that is diet, sleep, creams, etc. And if I have removed the itch sources then the skin will heal naturally anyway.

Of course there is an expression.....time is a healer :o)

Back on the Road to Healing

Having got rid of the Emulsifying Ointment and replaced it with Epaderm, the skin has been slowly improving and the thickened skin that reappeared is beginning to smoothen off.

Sleep is the one thing I need to get back on track. I like my work but it sucks to have to work late to complete projects or perhaps am treating it too much like school work!

Hope you all are on the road to healing :o)

Another Late Night Scratch

It was late, I was in bed and my stomach was feeling itchy. I tried to ignore it and think of other things, but like so many other nights, the itch would be a niggle and then intensify. I can only guess what was annoying my stomach. Interestingly it was warm and as I began to scratch it became hot.

I knew that if I stayed in bed and tried to ignore the itch, it would only become worst. So I got up and put an ice pack on the area to cool it down. This helped to calm the itch and soon the hive symptoms were packing up and leaving!

I now will not stay in bed if I am itchy!

An Hour Itch

Last night it took 2 hours for the itch to go away. I also iced the area. Everytime I wanted to scratch it, I iced it again with a frozen pack I keep in the freezer. Watched a bit of TV to take my mind of the itch and soon everything settled down. It was 3am when I went to bed with skin feeling calm.

Late Night Scratch - Contact Itch

Right now it's late......really late......nearly 2am.....my neck has been itching like crazy. Think I might have accidently rubbed dust on it as have been moving dusty stuff around. So I did a light scratch. But it never is a light scratch. So now am up in the wee morning trying to sort it out. Have had a wash, changed my towel and had an antihistamine as I had started with a light scratch that turned into something more aggressive.

Now to keep my hands occupied, playing on the internet seems the best to do at this moment......so have to think soft peaceful thoughts......

Slow Reactions

I am 99% sure now that I have been having a slow reaction to Emulsifying Ointment. It is now placed in my "evil list" along with sudocream. Neither actually helps reduce the symptoms of eczema nor do they help moisturise the skin. Sudocream acts more like a barrier cream and is just expensive crap. Emulsifying Ointment just seems to be another toxin to my skin and is cheap crap.

I started using Emulsifying Ointment (EO) in February when I finished my last lot of Epaderm Emollient. My skin was soooo much better then. I foolishly thought that it would be okay to go back to my previous emollient of EO. It seemed to moisturise the skin and I really had no reaction to it, so I thought.....

My skin became progressively worst over the next couple of months. I blamed it on everything from the weather to food to my room being dusty. I improved all these and although that helped a little, my skin was still feeling rubbish and began to continually flake. Soon my body was infected from scratching it so much. Spots with heads/pus were appearing all over the legs, arms, torso and some on the neck and face. I started salt baths again. The condition was worsening. I began to think the unthinkable, that I'd have to start applying an antibiotic steroid cream to get my skin back under control but I was admanant that I would keep off that stuff as I had not found what was aggrevating my skin. Using the stuff would only be a desperate measure for temporary relief. I had to understand what was causing the relentless itchiness especially when I went to bed.

Note: doctors prescribe steroid creams and antibiotic because they are treating the symptoms. They are not attacking the source. Using the steroid creams is pointless and damages the skin. Yes it stops the itchiness temporarily and is appropriate for folks who have had an unexpected temporary reaction to something. Eczema sufferers have to become detectives and understand the factors that are exacerbating their own conditions. These factors need to be removed/changed in order for any real long term healing to occur.

It was only a week ago when I had forgotten the EO at home and was working away. Went to the pharmacy for some more EO. They had no more and so I asked for a tub of Epaderm. After I got off the floor when they told me how much a tub cost, I purchased a tub. I needed an emollient desperately as my skin was dry and still flaking. After a couple of days of usage the flakey skin stopped. Yes the flakey skin stopped and the skin actually began to feel moisturised. I now think the body has to work on expelling all the EO that I applied for the last 3 months.

For the infection, I wiped a disinfectant on them. Doc has warned me about doing that as it is harsh on the skin, but sometimes I get a little desperate. I have now calmed down about it and am clearing up the infection with:

- sleep - I am knocking myself out for the week with anti-histamines as I keep waking up at night finding myself gouging out skin. The antihistamines are a necessary evil for with a lack of sleep, the body feels constantly itchy. With sleep, the skin feels rested!

- drinking a teaspoon of tumeric. My mother recommends I also apply it on my skin for its antiseptic properties and it does appear to dry up the spots faster. However it does make your skin yellow and can stain your clothes.

- bathing with coal tar soap.

Reducing the Itch
With having swapped the emollient out, the itch intensity has definitely reduced. However I try to aid the healing process.

Food definitely plays a role in how itchy I am going to be when I exercise and sweat. Eating salads does help as well as trying to drink at least 2 litres a day. I actually have not got to this "magic" 2 litres but at least I am drinking at least a litre, where once upon a time I only used to drink a couple of glasses of water.

Someone has switched off the heating outside despite it being summer and one wonders if the volcano has a role here, spewing particles into the sky that reflect the heat back. However managed to go for a run in my shorts. The legs have thanked me for giving them a little sunlight by also reducing the itch intensity at night. It could also be again because it is colder at night.

I am also cleaning my bed clothes regularly (every other day) and vacuuming my room due to an increase in skin droppings.

The skin is slowly improving again. Sleep helps a lot but I believe when the toxic Emulsifying Ointment is totally out of my system I will get back to a state that I was earlier on in January.....less itchy days and better skin.

So check what you are applying to your skin if your symptoms are still persisting. Temporarily change your moisturiser to see if it is your moisturiser!

Moisturising Effects

I think Emulsifying Ointment is terrible and in fact promoting the eczema condition. I have an infection in the body that ain't good and the skin is constantly drying out.

Back to doing a dual lotion plus Epaderm.

Also drinking a teaspoon of tumeric in hot water with honey. Both are suppose to be inflamatories and the tumeric is also said to work as a natural antibiotic.