I hate eczema. It really sucks.
Aside from watching MyItchyBoy suffer on a daily basis and the feelings of desperation, helplessness and failure that goes with it, there are a few other things that I really hate about eczema too.
1. Firstly, marks on the walls. I appreciate and understand that most kids will leave marks on your walls at some point in their lives, either with sticky hands or crayons. However, a child who’s covered in emollients a few times a day really does mean a lot of marks on the walls. And doors. And windows (can barely see out of MyItchyBoy’s bedroom window as I struggle to completely banish the smears). Thankfully, MyItchyBoy’s bedroom and the bathroom are places where most of the handprints land. However, when he’s had cream put on during the day, short sleeves and shorts mean arm marks down the stairs and leg prints on the sofa too. It’s a sticky world in our house.
2. Lack of sleep. Nuff said
3. A pet hate at this time of year is the sunscreen vs. eczema vs. emollient debacle. When MyItchyBoy has been tearing at his skin overnight, the next day I have a horrid dilemma of what on earth to layer up on his skin. I just don’t like the responsibility of either no sun protection, or making his skin worse with sunscreen.
4. Needing to put cream on MyItchyBoy when we’re out and not having packed any wipes or something to wipe my greasy hands on. Don’t get me started on the state of the car seat. Ok, so this is less eczema’s fault and more my lack of preparation. I blame the lack of sleep.
5 Flaky skin bits on my laptop. Usually left after a session of MyItchyBoy studying the BBC travel news. You don’t want more details, I know.
Wow, that must be quite frustrating as a parent… sorry to hear this. I also want to share some:
1. Friends, family, teachers, strangers look at me like a freak.
2. Inability to play awesome sports like basketball due to extreme heat and sweating.
3. Waste of time and money on lotions, creams…etc.
4. Huge strike-down on self esteem. No confidence. Emotional depression. Negative self-talks.
5. Unfairness. “why me and not them?”
I hate eczema too, but I actually managed to find a natural solution to after 10 years of pain…
on July 30, 2013 at 4:01 am Harrison LiI saw that picture and laughed. Our house is covered in grease marks on the walls from me and I’m a 20-something adult! Doesn’t matter if you’re a kid or not, it just happens. Also skin flakes EVERYWHERE! It depresses me when it’s all I can see and then you look at others with “normal” skin and they don’t even have a piece of fluff or hair on their clothing. Oh and blocking the drains with emollients 😉 I currently don’t wash with anything now after a suspected allergy to one of the ingredients but it was a nightmare.
on September 5, 2013 at 7:55 pm Jenny SOh yes! The blocked drains. Mind you, you probably don’t purposefully stick soap down there as well 😉
It is a different world, isn’t it? Hard to explain to those not in the know.
on September 5, 2013 at 8:08 pm MyItchyBoyI know this probably isn’t what you intended, but I just had to put it out there:
on November 23, 2013 at 10:19 am BobI know a lot of people say it’s bad for parents to watch their kids suffer, well. What about the kids? Do you know it feels to hate the skin you were born in, to have no choice but to put enough cream to stain a wall just by touching it? Do you know how much stress you feel before you sleep, just wishing that tonight you won’t scratch in your sleep? You can’t look people in the eyes because you’re scared they’ll see your skin. You’re scared to go out, scared to do what you love, scared to live.
You might think I’m being dramatic, but I’m not. Eczema is what I think about the moment I wake up, when I go to sleep, during the day. It’s my life, and it sucks to have it.
But I know that’s probably not what you intended. I hope your child recovers and you don’t feel so frustrated. 🙂
I have had eczema this past couple of years. I say eczema because I am not an atopic person. I have no allergies to food, pollen, molds, or mites. Because I fail to have explanatory allergies, I have been tested for many chemicals. I am 37 years old and I just refuse to believe this is not contact allergy. I stopped using my regular lotion and used Cerave for eczema, and I got a massive burn. I used Vanicream sunscreen and itched and burned. I stopped using lotions altogether, thinking maybe it’s the emulifiers. But I have a rash everywhere and have started to itch again anyway (but no chemical burn). It’s very frustrating and I don’t even have a reasonable explanation for it. Kids with allergies having eczema is common; eczema running into adulthood is common; atopic adults developing eczema is unusual but not unheard of. But an adult with no allergies having eczema? I don’t get it.
on July 15, 2014 at 3:57 am nielsenI have to put several layers of cream on my skin and I use my laptop a lot. It’s quite new, barely half a year old, and already covered in those greasy fingerprints.
on March 17, 2015 at 12:54 pm AmyAlso, I forgot to take my meds last night, and now my had is covered in fresh wounds. I know I shouldn’t scratch them, but how can I help it in the middle of the night? I hate eczema so much. Trust me, every time I have new colleagues, they ask me what’s wrong with my skin. It just makes for such a bad first impression. I was bullied when I was younger because of it as well. They called me names and acted as if I had cooties, only they used the term ‘radioactive’ or ‘monster’. I wasn’t the only one. I constantly find myself thinking ‘Why me?’. I know I shouldn’t but I guess I just can’t stand it. 🙁