Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Eczema Is Ruining My Life

Last winter I broke out with an insane rash on my arms and stomach. It started right after we got home from Vancouver and lasted until Easter. My doctor put me on this nasty steroid cream that did nothing. It was weird how it lasted from October to April and then went away like nothing ever happened.

Well, it's back. It started up around the first of November. To be more precise, it started as soon as the heat was turned on in my building. So I've drawn the conclusion that this eczema is caused by the dry steam heat used to heat my apartment. I mean, it has to be. It starts when the heat is turned on and stops when the heat is turned off.

This year's rash is 10 times worse than last year. It's all over both my arms, all over my stomach, and now on my legs. I even have a bit on my chin. I can't get any relief. The itching wakes me up at night. I scratch all through the day. I slather on moisturizer to no avail. I use moisturizing soaps in the shower and that does no good, either. I do my best not to scratch, but I can't stop.

Does anyone have any home remedies for eczema? I'll try anything at this point. I'm so tired of having unusually sensitive skin. It's driving me crazy and I have 3 months of hell left to go.

I Gots The Eczema - Day 23

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dream Cream from lush helps my eczema. I know you don't have a lush near you- but maybe you have some from a past purchase?

Michelle said...

Ahhh! Eczema sucks! :( I'm sorry. I used to get it pretty bad when I was in high school. Every once in a while, it flares up and I use Eucerin lotion and that seems to help. It's great with super sensitive skin, too. I hope it clears up!

Rand said...

I have the same problem, HB. The dry air (and the way dry air wicks the moisture from your skin) is a factor.

I run a humidifier upstairs at my house all the time in the winter. We have radiator heat, so we also hang some of our wet clothes to dry on the radiators (instead of drying them in the machine)to up the moisture content in the air.

Sometimes in the morning I let the teakettle boil for a while in the kitchen. Anything to put moisture in the air.

And if you have a tub (and not just a shower) a good long soak with some baby oil in the water can help too. Or some colloidal oatmeal.

Mine stops in the summer, too (when the humidity in the air is naturally higher) so maybe these ideas can be a help.

Honey Bunny said...

well, at least i'm not alone. thanks for the tips, lex. i'll try a couple and see how they work. i'll pretty much do anything to stop the itching :(

Aliecat said...

Try hydrocortizone cream.