Mind and Body

[northeastguy]

Hi everyone. I have just joined this forum to tell my Eczema story and issues; good and bad. I am male and now 46 years old. I have had Eczema on and off since I was about 12 and back then it was only on my hands. Since about 40 years old it is now on my face and scalp and my body although generally not too bad and ‘moves around’.
What I do realise by reading forums etc is that many other people have much worse Eczema than I do but as I’m sure you are all aware it can incredibly irritating, embarrassing and all consuming even when in its relatively mild. I could probably write a book on the subject but will try to be as concise as I can.
For me it has come and gone at certain points in my life and looking back it has come (and then hung around for years sometimes) during the stressful times; parents separating, exams, deaths of family members and close friends.
An obvious good time for me has been at the age of about 30 when the Eczema on my hands, having been present since 12 years old and, very bad at times with the usual soreness, splits and bleeding, very quickly cleared up completely. I don’t know why, so this was as puzzling as it was amazing but my hands are now completely clear with no signs of ever having had Eczema on them.
Over the years I have seen GPs and specialists, had patch tests, taken antibiotics at times and been recommended the usual moisturiser and steroids for skin care regimes. All of these things have helped, as they do, especially during flare-ups. I have also subjected myself and my partner to my skin dependent itching and subsequent moods – mornings and evenings being the worst time … and thank her for her patience.
However, having reached the age I am, I have learnt to accept a statement written within a specialists report from 3 years ago when I last went to the hospital about my skin; Anxious Personality ! When I first read this I was dismissive of it, in probably a defensive way; of course I’m anxious, I have Eczema and it drives me mad ! but I probably didn’t recognise this as a personality trait in myself and I have come to realise that he was right and I can remember having this state of mind when I was a child and young adult – as they say, wisdom comes with age !
When I read forums and blogs I never read about steroid creams having ‘solved the problem’ and I have for a long time wanted them to do just that but I now accept they don’t. They do minimise the effect of flare-ups and reduce redness and itching but the continuous use of them has not ‘removed’ my Eczema and only adds to my anxiety about the long term use and much warned of skin thinning effects.
So, my new approach for the longer term, which is very recent so needs some time is to TREAT THE MIND as well as the body and continue attending my new meditation classes (which I enjoy anyway for general mindfulness), exercise, eat well, drink alcohol in moderation, deal with the hot red face and itchy body as best I can, use a daily face cream that ‘gently nourishes and soothes’ my skin, try not to let the Eczema define who I am (because it could be worse) and save the steroids for when I think I really need them. Could less be more ? don’t know, will see how this goes. If this approach gives me a general result no worse than my use of the steroids anyway then in the long term it will probably be better for me. Life can be stressful at times but I have a hell of a lot to be thankful for.
By the way, I have just started using a shampoo (by Wahl) that is oatmeal based and is created as a moisturising shampoo for animals such as horses, alpacas, and ferrets ! … no kidding, but it seems to be improving my scalp massively so as ridiculous as this sounds I’m going to continue with it for the time being.

[Marcie Mom]

Thanks for sharing! yes, there's a mind skin connection that scientists have not fully 'uncover' - the obvious ones are stress on skin (can see this video http://eczemablues.com/2013/10/doctor-c ... skin-deep/) , fear and research is starting to show that the skin is a biomarker of many health conditions. Take care!

[northeastguy]

Well, here is an update to my condition; my previous report was back in February so approx. five months have passed since then.
In short, back then I had decided to stop using the steroids regularly (mainly for my face) and keep them for emergency use only as I had found they weren’t solving anything anyway. This did not last long at all as it didn’t work for me because my skin became unbearable quickly so I used the steroid again … but at the same time was thinking that there must be something else I could try. I decided to talk to a friend with a very similar eczema condition and at the same time had noticed Protopic mentioned in some blogs, coincidentally discovered my friend successfully used it also and thought what the hell, try it, so made an appointment with my doctor to ask to trial it.
Anyway, FOR ME, it has performed something of a miracle (I could hardly contain my excitement), and through it’s technique its seems to have ‘reset’ my skins balance back to something resembling normal. I have used very very little of the ointment (way less than envisaged) and can’t emphasise enough how well it has worked for me … whilst remembering that everyone is different and need to find the right thing for them. When I first applied it, I did so for just 2 days and saw a massive improvement (although my face felt very hot at first), but applied it for a further 12 days, twice daily as directed by the doctor …who by the way is himself delighted with my improvement. He also prescribed Fexofenadine Hydrochloride tablets to help generally with the overall itch on my body.
His opinion is that my skin is very ‘reactive’ with its immune system ‘over-reacting’ to my condition, which is why it can be ok one day and really bad the next… so to speak ! So I think the Protopic ‘suppressing my skins auto-immune response’ is what works for me rather than steroid application; which was getting nowhere really. Yes, it comes with a caution… I’m altering my natural immune system but I accept this.
I have kept a detailed record application of this ointment and also anything else; tablets, scalp mouse, my skin condition, etc etc and this has really helped me understand my symptoms better so I strongly recommend the record keeping even though it’s tedious.
So, for me, the steroid withdrawal approach did not work and I needed something; and found that Protopic was that something ! Again, it is not a cure and my skin still needs cream/ managing/ care in the sun, amongst other minor considerations but the improvement is amazing and so is my lift in mood because of it. Also, my scalp is much better and I haven’t actually done anything specifically for that so maybe I have broken the vicious cycle and it is healing slightly on its own, its not perfect but its better !
I would love someone else to have the same success with Protopic, so if you do, let us know.
:0)

[talkhealth]

Thank you for sharing your experience with us, it is really interesting. I am glad you are finding a range of options that work for you. Keep us updated as you have

Helen