So close to giving up

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tcheung
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:44 pm
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by tcheung on Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:53 pm

So close to giving up

I have had eczema for all of the 15 years of my life. I used to have it on my arms in primary school, which then spread to my neck at the beginning of primary school. However, the usual procedures of constant moisturising seemed to have had that under control. Unfortunately, my eczema has now spread to my torso, shoulders, armpits and back. It is also more severe and disgusting than I have ever had it before. As of now, my shoulders are seriously flaking and just dying to scratch. My torso is scratched to pieces and now looks like it has just been shredded and pieced back together and my back is starting to flake too. No creams or emollients seem to help me, and some even make it worse. I tried 'Dead Sea Magik Skin Softener' and found that it was too thick and sticky, and even made my itching worse. I then moved onto Eucerin and at first, it seemed to help. Unfortunately, whenever I try to sleep at night my body begins to sweat and my clothes and bedsheet get soaked. This is worse in the armpit areas, since I am blocking up the area with thick creams and moisturisers. I end up waking up in a nest of my dead skin and I cannot bear it any longer. This stresses not only me out, but my mother also as she is constantly spending money on new creams and emollients, only to realise that they do not work. I booked an appointment with the dermatologist but the earliest appointment I could get was January 2011. I don't think I can tolerate this any longer.

itchyhippy
Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:08 am
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by itchyhippy on Wed Dec 15, 2010 12:55 pm

Re: So close to giving up

hey there
please do not give up. I know exactly how you are feeling, your skin and situation sound very similar to where i was last year. It was horrible :(
i also can't believe how insensitive your mum is being!!! OMG! doesnt she realise what you are going through, it really upset me to read that. I just wanted to say, please don't give up. i did last year, to the point where i couldnt be bothered to go to the docs and get new creams - tried to make do with creams that weren't really helping and ended up just staying in and feeling sorry for myself. I know that when your skin is like that it does feel like there is no hope and you don't feel like doing anything, but take comfort in the fact that it will not be like this for ever. my skin is much better now - partly due to me taking control of it again and being more responsible with it and partly due to the better summer months. My skin always gets better in the summer and worse in the winter when it is so cold.
Have you ever tried taking oral steroids? you can take a week's course of them which are not harmful if only used for a short period of time. I used them for the first time last year and found they really helped to get the flare up under control, unfortunately i did find that my skin flared up again afterwards but perhaps that was because i was not using creams as well as the tablets - its important to keep moisturised even when your skin is good. Even if it wasnt a long term solution, it at least allowed me a week's relief from it.The other thing that helped me last year was a tablet called Vallergan. This is an antihistemine combined with a mild sedative. you take it at night to control the itching and help you have a good night's sleep - it does make you drowsy in the mornings and i wouldnt reccommend it long term but it is brill for helping you to get a full nights sleep.
remember that there are always people here who knwo what you are going through, so you are not alone, keep talking on the forums and we can all share experiences and help each other
i hope you feel better soon

eczemawarrior
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 1:36 am
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by eczemawarrior on Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:21 am

Re: So close to giving up

tcheung,
If this was 7 days ago, I would've been saying the same thing. Eczema is something that takes a toll on you physically and mentally. I'm 19 years old and I have had eczema since I was 9 years old. I got teased as a child, and the eczema was only on my arms. In high school, it started appearing on my neck and face. It hurt my self-esteem and it got me down most of the time. Thiis year, I had my worst breakout and decided to take a year off university to find the root problem to this disease. In October, my face (specifically the area under my eyebrow, cheeks, and upper lip) broke out in a weeping rash. It hurt like hell and I felt like garbage. Just like you, I pretty much had enough of it. I didn't leave the house for nearly 2 months cause I was embaressed of what people would think. Last week was the first time I finally decided to see my friends since October. I cried every morning when I looked in the mirror and cried every night before I went to bed because I was tired of not being able to control my body when it reacted. I couldn't open my mouth to eat because the areas around my mouth were cracked and hurting.
I just wanna let you know I understand what you're going through, as I was forced to do the same. I also felt bad for my mom cause she spent SO much money on me. But don't feel bad, she wants to help you because she cares about you. All you have to do is let her know you appreciate what she is doing. She wants is to see you get better.
Take it one day at a time, and try to do some things to take your mind off it.
What ultimately helped me was seeing a Chinese Doctor. There are lots of things medical professions know that we don't :P Try to find someone you trust and is understanding of your condition. I really hope you get better soon! If you need someone to talk to, give me a shout.
I started a blog last week illustrating my battle with eczema..Feel free to check it out.
eczemawarrior.wordpress.com

Happy healing!

JulieR
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat Jul 12, 2008 3:17 pm
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by JulieR on Tue Jan 25, 2011 4:48 am

Re: So close to giving up

Would you be willing to switch to safer products? I took the plunge with my daughter and figured, "Why not, I've tried everything else and they didn't work." Thankfully to our wonderous surprise the products worked. My daughter has been excema free for almost 8 years simply by switching to safer laundry, personal care and cleaning supplies. She improved overnight and then after we put her on the supplements she really improved and has had clear skin for almost 8 years. No more gooey lotions and potions, no more dead, flaky skin, no more waking in the middle of the night crying.

We also found food triggers that make her skin dry. I have a special diet that will show you the triggers.

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