How My Eczema Has Disappeared (Overactive Immune System)

[PositiveP]

Hi, everyone!

When I joined this forum a while back to read through threads of people going through a similar thing I was in hopes of finding some kind of solution, I was not in a very good place! My skin was absolutely doing my head in. It was so bad sometimes that I couldn't sleep at night--I couldn't tell you how many all-nighters I've done the past few years. I couldn't fathom the idea of going to bed being so uncomfortable. It made me so mad, too, because I couldn't even go to bed to rest at night! It was a nightmare. If any of you have been feeling like this, my heart goes out to you.

My eczema has been very bad over the past few years. I've had it from birth and sometimes I had little flareups as a kid as I'm told, but it was never quite as bad as it has been from being 14/15-17. Apparently it's all because of my overactive immune system--which hasn't always been active, but is now because of stress, I believe. My eczema showed itself in being flushed and pink, blisters (bubbles?), severely dry skin which just kept coming back (I had this on my scalp and was desperate to get rid of it--I used olive oil every night!). I had super rough, hard skin on my hands and feet, too. The backs of my ears would be sweaty and itchy sometimes, which made it hard for me to go to bed. I was miserable with it.

It's all gone now!

I felt like I owed it to you guys who are also suffering with eczema to tell you about how mine has cleared. If this can help even one person, I'll be so glad, because when my skin was bad, my mum and I were constantly on Google searching for solutions. It's been a tough road. Most of the time we wouldn't even find anything of worth for us, but we hoped that we would. We've been through it all--all the lotions and potions claiming to clear your skin up.

Well, the reason none of these lotions and potions did clear my skin up was because I have allergies to LOADS of things! It got to the stage where my mental health was at stake, so I was sent away to a dermatology clinic for a week. They did some allergy testing there and I came up allergic to raw egg, but then we went to an expert allergist a while after I came home from the hospital (suffering from eczema again), who told us--after seeing a photograph of one of my latest allergic reactions--it was infected eczema. My mum asked him how a contact allergy would show itself, because she was onto something, and he told us a contact allergy, not a food allergy, would happen after a few days of coming into contact with the allergen!

After further discussion with the consultant I'm currently seeing, we decided to patch test for these allergens. Around 41/42 things were put on my back and arms to see how my skin would react to them, and boy, I didn't think there'd be so many positives. I think we were all a little blown away. I'm allergic to things like metal (nickel), elastic, rubber, fumes that come from paint, latex, a chemical used in a bunch of steroid creams, and a lot more! It turns out I was actually using a steroid cream that had something I was allergic to in it. I had no idea. I've been using a Memory Foam mattress for quite some time now and it turns out it even has something I'm allergic to in it, so essentially I was sleeping on what could very well be an allergen this whole time and I didn't even know!

Due to the stress of my time suffering with eczema, I believe, my immune system has been overactive in trying to protect me from these allergens, thus causing my skin to break out more than it should have been, and this is what caused my SEVERE atopic eczema.

Last week I had an allergic reaction to something and took quite badly--before this I managed to avoid allergic reactions (huge eczema outbreaks on face) for 4 months. After a week of an antibiotic and application of a steroid cream that's always agreed with me, we've found a way around all my allergens (I've been wearing gloves when touching metal, I've been avoiding the leather on out sofas, I've avoided the elastic in my clothes and hair bobble, etc.) and I'm completely clear! I'm still in a state of shock. It's like my eczema has called it quits.

This week I'll be going to my consultant to begin my immunotherapy. I didn't think I'd be this clear until maybe a good while into these tablets, but I haven't even started them yet and I'm as clear as day. I'm so comfortable, too, and I've been able to sleep like a baby every night. I just can't believe it. And I wanted to share this story with anyone else who may be suffering from eczema or is prone to allergies. I mean, I had ALL these allergies--I think there are 7 in total (if anyone is interested I can tell you everything I'm allergic to--still getting used to them all!) and I didn't know about them--I came into contact with them everyday and that's why I had such bad eczema. As I've said, if this can help any of you guys, I'll be absolutely over the moon, because I know what it's like to search for solutions tirelessly.

If any of you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer the best I can. I just wanted to get my personal experience out there because I was in the dark about my allergies and how to deal with them for so long. As far as I was aware, I only had one allergy, and that was raw egg. I was so wrong. I'm just hoping that if one of you are dealing with kind of the same thing, you can benefit from this.

If anyone wants to get in touch with me, just send me a Personal Message and I can give you my email address. I know how bad eczema can be and I want to be here for anyone who needs a listening ear or some help. Eczema has effected my life greatly as a person, a student who had to leave high school, as a person who LOVED sleeping but couldn't, and as a young person--it greatly effected my confidence.

Thanks for reading!

[Akin1645878]

Hello I have had Eczema all my life and tried everything under the sun. Below is how I am managing to keep on top of things 

1. Eating lots of wholegrains, fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts & seeds, lean protein
2. Cut down on dairy & sugar
3. Use pure chimps super combo
4. Take a daily probiotic tablet, use honey too sweeten things (both boost your immune system)
5. Take a multivitamin every day

Hope this can help people like it did me. Took me a while to figure it out (it all starts from within).

[napyhed1]

Originally I thought I was allergic to peanuts. I seem to break out on the hands after I eat a bunch of peanuts or peanut butter. Yet I was not sure because I read it could be cold weather, stress, or a million other possibilities.
I ran into this thread and thought I could give it a try. I used gloves, towels, and put socks on the door handles to avoid touching all metals. It seemed to make sense as I react to cheap metals when I wear them.
I researched nickel allergy and came up with taking a vitamin c supplement before meals so my body does not absorb nickel. I also take an iron supplement every day for the same reason.
Nickel makes sense as it is in peanuts and I ate quite a bit. I then touched metals which further stressed my hands - I had a rash on the inside and outside right where it touches door knobs and light fixtures.
Now, three days later, the rash is drying up and I was able to sleep somewhat after a few hours of discomfort (a huge improvement).
It seems the body can handle nickel in small doses and if I slowly increase the dose I would be okay. Yet huge amounts (as in the day I ate tons of trail mix with peanuts) causes eczema then I cannot tolerate anymore....I guess.
It seems to be working and I thank you for posting what worked for you because I will be so thankful if this really clears up and I found what was bothering me.
I hear you about sleeping I was so upset the other night because I love nothing more than to bundle up cozy and fall asleep but my tingling itching hands demanded that I throw off all covers and cool off. Last night I was shivering cold but at least my hands were quiet so I fell asleep.

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