so what is it like....?
a disclaimer - this is most definitely
not a whinge, and you don't have to read it!
I've never written about this but people do ask me,
quite often, what it's really like living with chronic eczema..... It's hard for
anyone who hasn't experienced it over most of their body to understand exactly
what a b*tch of a condition it is to live with.... I find it especially hard
mentally because 4 years ago I wasn't a sufferer until too many years of a high
stress job and consequent depression caught up with me and my immune system
stuck two fingers up to the world and went on the
rampage.
Today is a good day, i.e if a 1 is my
worst day with raw, blistered or peeling skin affecting 90% of my body and a 10
is 'perfect' then today is probably a 5 or 6. Let me try and describe what I'm
feeling... I won't describe appearance, suffice to say I wouldn't strip off at
the beach...! From my feet upwards then.... Feet and ankles are itching
furiously, like someone is pricking them all over gently with a fine needle. Not
even Tiger Balm or Aloe Vera gel is working today so it's time to slap on the
cortisone and be patient... I'm fighting the urge to rip them to pieces
scratching. Backs and fronts of my knees are just sore, as if they've been
sandpapered. This is pretty much the same feeling I have up the backs of my legs
and tops of thighs, all over stomach, chest and back. It's not desperately sore
- I can 'lock' the irritation away in my mind and carry on pretty much as normal
but there is a painfully raw patch at the base of my spine right where the top
of my jeans sits...... My neck is painful at the back - enough to make me avoid
turning my head too much, shoulders and upper arms are itching and I have a
burning spot over my cheek bone in front of my ears on both sides of my face.
There is a bit of itchiness on my forehead too but nothing much.
So there you go, a snapshot of what I'm
feeling right now. Perfectly manageable provided I don't turn the shower up too
hot or stay in it too long! How I do miss those long hot showers, especially
this time of year after a cold and wet bike
ride!
Cheerio!
Posted: Fri - February 9, 2007 at 04:05 PM