eczema questions
To whom it may concern,
My name is shaheen ahmad and I am 21 years of age, and I have had eczema
since I was 2 years old. It was extremely bad when I was younger. In 1991, I
went to Pakistan with my mum and sister, when I was 12 years old. We went in
the hottest months from May-September. At first, the heat was unbearable,
slowly I got used to it.What the heat had done to my skin was that maybe, it
sweat off the dirt dry skin and the eczema. I used to have really tight,
dry, skin on my face which became exteremely dark because of my eczema.
Around my lips used to be dry, hard crusts because of my eczema. However
living in the intense heat of the sun, in Pakistan, my itching had gone, I
no longer needed my steroid cream that I so heavily relied on especially on
my face. My skin became lighter, softer and smoother. However when I came
back to England in September, my eczema came back with intense itching.
Although, living in Pakistan had helped me externally, it had not CURED me
internally. Eczema is a skin disease that needs to be dealt with internally.
As people say that we must deal with the root of that problem, rather than
control the symptoms, otherwise the problems will keep coming back. I really
would appreciate it if you could explain why the eczema go temporarily
better when I went abroad ?
However as I grew older, and with time, it got better, but I still
relied on my steroid creams and bath oils, though no as much as when I was
younger.Thus my eczema was under control until I got pregnant. That’s when
it all started again, but worse this time. It was around about when I was 4
months pregnant, I was always scratching, there would be blood on my
bedsheets. My eczema got really bad all over my body. I always felt hot
especially in the summer. I had this clear, liquid fluid coming out from
nearly all parts of my body, my hands, behind my ears, my private part, my
nipples. I couldn’t even lookafter my baby properly at all after she was
born, as I had this liquid fluid coming out of my hands. The baby wouldn’t
breast-feed ( maybe as a result of my pregnancy, I became so weak and
anaemic, my heamoglobin level was 6.4 after the baby was born . I was so
weak, maybe my body couldn’t produce enough milk to nourish the baby ). I
was extremely upset that I couldn’t lookafter my newborn, my first child
that I gave birth to. I was in such a bad way, always scratching everywhere,
oozing with the clear sticky fluid, especially from my hands. I couldn’t
even hold the baby for a whole after she as born. Throughout my labour, I
was just going mad scratching, eczema took over my life so badly. I was so
upset, ALL I COULD WAS CRY MOST OF THE TIME.
My GP, gave me antibiotics ( for the oozing )and steroid creams (for
my eczema ) they just didn’t help. I tried Chineese herbal medicine, which
really helped with my eczema and other physical problems I had at the time.
However, I did not cure my eczema and it came back, because IO still have
it. Now it is not as bad as it was in my pregnancy. It took me months after
having the baby, to recover. Nowadays if I wash my hands too much (ie. do
the washing up etc ) or handle certain food (ie. do the cooking ), I get
itchy hands and they feel hot and get lumpy. Sometimes my fingers feel
really swollen, and sometimes now and again they still ooze of the clear,
sticky liquid.I still find it difficult to lookafter my baby, please could
you tell me why my eczema got really bad in my pregnancy and what caused it.
Also, is there a CURE, NOT TREATMENT, BUT A CURE, for eczema ? I really
hope there is a cure for life, and not something that the eczema comes back
with in a years time. I plan to have more children in the foreseeable
future, but one of my greatest worries is that my eczema will come back the
way it did when I was pregnant with my first child, and that really scares
me, it really does. PLEASE, PLEASE COULD YOU HELP ME FIND A CURE FOR MY
ECZEMA BECAUSE MY GP SAYS THAT THERE IS NO CURE FOR ECZEMA.
June 14th, 2003 at 4:57 am
Shaheen,
Hi, this is Erica in Washington State, USA. I’ve had eczema all my life,
too, and most of my four children have it to varying degrees. As far as I
know there is, alas, no cure. BUT….the reason I’m writing is because I
have a few answers/comments for you…
The clear sticky fluid is, i believe, lymph. Also, we notice an extreme
difference in our boys’ eczema in summer/winter, and listen to this…! We
live in the american desert, and in summer it is extremely hot and dry.
Our boys get much better in the hot dry weather. The minute winter rolls
around, with the humid indoor/outdoor conditions, they get much worse. So
perhaps your observations were spot-on! Perhaps researchers should look
into weather/humidity changes!
Stress is a major factor in all our eczema. Pregnancy can make it
miserable, and I have the scars to prove it! The weeping breasts is
something I’ve experienced as well. I was reluctant to put steroid creams
on my breasts because I nursed. Aloe gel helped a lot. In America you can
buy 100% aloe gel, with a little xylocaine (spelling) thrown in for the
pain and itch. I found this a great short-term relief for me.
I’m a farmer, and I’m often out in the hot sun. I find that my eczema
clears up from my arms (exposed to u.v. light) and flares up wherever I am
covered (my back, my legs–from the sweat, I think). If I could get away
with picking fruit naked, I would!! ;-)) The fresh, dry, hot air seems to
do wonders for me, too. I’ve also wondered if the dusty air makes it
better, too. Were you in rural Pakistan or in the city???
Keep writing! The only thing I’ve ever found that helps US is:
1. Control stress…with new babies, of course, this can be murder. But
try taking your new one to bed with you, so at least you aren’t getting up
several times a night. LOTS OF REST.
2. Try to get some dry air around you, but NOT TOO DRY. Perhaps a
dehumidifier in your bedroom? We have to walk a tightrope here in the
desert…adding a little water to the air in our sons’ bedrooms in winter,
when our central heating/blown air can make it TOO dry, but also taking
water out of the air at other times of the year.
3. New mothers can very often become dehydrated and this makes stress,
eczema, and nursing much worse. Try to drink as much water as you can!
Fondly,
Erica Bell
Colville Indian Reservation,
Washington State, USA
> was extremely upset that I couldn’t lookafter my newborn, my first child
> that I gave birth to. I was in such a bad way, always scratching
everywhere,
> oozing with the clear sticky fluid, especially from my hands. I couldn’t
> even hold the baby for a whole after she as born. Throughout my labour, I
> it. Now it is not as bad as it was in my pregnancy. It took me months
after
> having the baby, to recover. Nowadays if I wash my hands too much (ie. do
> sticky liquid.I still find it difficult to lookafter my baby, please
could
> you tell me why my eczema got really bad in my pregnancy and what caused
it.
>
> Also, is there a CURE, NOT TREATMENT, BUT A CURE, for eczema ? I really