10.21.07
happy to help :)
I’ve copy and pasted this blog entry from another blog. I answered Summer hall’s question who wrote in reply to one of my blog entries. I put my answer here because it was a long answer and I also thought it would be a good blog entry. Summer is in search for a cure for her husbands eczema which is on this scalp.
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Hello there
From what I have read to date, there is still no cure for eczema. Research on this disorder continues. Meanwhile we’re left to manage the situation. The good news is there are many ways to minimise the itch and distress and discomfort that comes with eczema. From what I’ve read too the first thing you can do is to find a scalp care routine that would suit your husband. There are many products you can use that is over the counter, natural remedies etc etc. Personally when I was on the journey to find my own skin care routine, it took me about 6 months to get the routine down solid. But then I had to change the routine many times because, I moved countries or the creams I used discontinued etc etc… Much money was wasted Its trial and error. But don’t give up.
Secondly there are people out there who have the same disorder. Problem is, the severity of eczema may differ from one person to another. So what works for one person may not work for another. There will be people who will tell you of some miracle cure or what worked for them got rid of their eczema. My advise is, with respect to the advise giver, is to get eczema educated and filter the information. what is useful for you take it and what is not discard.
I have a website I started about eczema at www.freewebs.com/eczema. I set it up for peeps in malaysia. but click on the hyperlink – ‘other eczema websites’ This link will lead you to other eczema website that I have found useful. They are full of information and hopefully you can find a support group for yourself and your husband.
Now after all that, if your husband has the eczema on his scalp diagnosed as eczema, then its called seborrhoeic eczema. I have it too. My dermatologist said the difference between dandraff and SE is the yeast factor, in that SE has less yeast than dandruff. So I guess the point is to balance the yeast on the scalp. Home remedies that I have come across is using apple cider. The other non home remedy is using T-gel shampoo. I’m now using eucerin shampoo which is working for me. For the itch if I’m at home I will wash my hair so that I cool my head down. The itch some how stops.
I hope what I’ve written will help you some. So good luck. Let us know how you and your husband get on.
Happy to help
ItChY
10.08.07
Separate rooms
A couple of months ago I was given a job to teach sex education in schools around the country. The Eczema on my body was so bad that when everyone on the team was sharing rooms I had to pluck up the courage to ask for a separate room. Not wanting to look like a Diva I also requested the room to be adjoining to the other girls.
You see it was so bad that I had to wrap my body! I did not want to show the other girls my body or that I was wrapping my body or even seem to look like I’m hogging the bathroom because I’m putting on my lotions and creams. Its embarrasing! Plus I need time to put on my lotions and potions.
I was a girl guide at school. I attended a jamboree that we organised. It was the late afternoon and it was time for us to have a shower before we sit down for dinner. The bathroom was a communal bathroom and there were no partitions. Some of us had forgotten to bring our shampoos and such so we shared what we had with each other. One of the girls asked me if she could borrow my soap. And I said sure. It was oilatum. Fantastic for dry skin. And fantastic for normal skin. She then smiled and picked it up. She had lifted the soap about 3 inches away from the soap box when someone whom I thought was a friend grabbed this girls wrist holding the soap. She then whispered in her ear, the soap belonged to a person with skin disorder. The thing is I was right there and could listen to what she said. It was then I realised how people actually felt about skin disorders. From then on I’m very shy of sharing rooms with people I don’t know and who don’t understand.
By myself
ItChY
10.07.07
sometimes we just don’t help each other.
About a month ago met with an old collegue at my old work place. (A TV station) He greeted me by saying ‘hello pretty, hello pretty’. I greeted him with a smile and a hello back. We exchange stories of times past in our lives. Then he asked me what I was doing there in the station. I said I was there for an interview on Eczema. To which he replied that he had eczema too and relayed that he just at times could not stand the itch. And when things get worse for him he goes to the doctors and get an injection. As he was telling me his story he realised, “oh so you have eczema too? So you’re not pretty after all. HA HA!” To which I answered, “God is alway fair”. I thought other sufferers would empathise with other sufferers. I guess I though wrong..
Learning
ItChY
I dont care
Its a fact that unless you are a sufferer yourself you will really not understand what sufferers are going through. I’ve said before in my previous blogs that even if I am in pain I would still smile because if they knew I was in pain and itchy and anxious from the itch they would they would treat me with pity. After a while like that the pity will turn to being fed-up with me and I’ve experienced people sighing in disatisfaction with me. I’ve written in a previous blog that even if someone wanted to hug me it would be painful. You know the tearing kind. After I’m released from the hug I hold the tears back and smile and continue the conversations as if I was not in pain. I just don’t want all that negative reactions in my life. It just makes me feel down and depressed. So I end up taking care of people’s feelings and putting mine aside.
On friday my mother came over to my house to pick something up. I was in an itching frenzy and was trying to calm it down. I was so anxious and in a fazzle I could not think straight. Well to cut a long story short, my anxiousness and fazzleness resulting to my mother being naturally upset with me. And I can see how she would be. If I was in her shoes I would be upset with me. So I try to patch things over and said sorry. All this caused by me itching frenzy, anxiousness and fazzleness. HUFF
Then I’ve not been sleeping well because I’m itchy. Same old Same old. So I was suppose to meet my mother in law in the morning. My hubby was kind enough not to wake me up till I naturally got up. And that was late morning. by the time we arrived it was almost 12. We were going house shopping. So we managed to do two things. Which was choose the lighting and some kitchen fixtures for the new house. After dinner, she told me nicely that she would prefer to go in the early morning next time. I felt so upset that I disappointed her. But I did not tell her that I have trouble with my skin. So I apologised.
In the past few days I’m doing my normal research on eczema for the website. I read that eczema can go in the eye and sometimes cause cateracs. Hmmmm…. I need to to more asking around and research. So I told my hubby and he said if you think you’ll get it it will be a self fulfilling profecy. I know what he was trying to get at but that hurt. I just wanted to share information. See even sharing information with loved ones is a no no at times. They just don’t understand.
Then I have my move and the house being renovated, and choosing stuff for the house and packing and my skin being aggravated by the dust! My eyes that are blood shot and producing stringy discharge, that means its infected so I have to stop and rest my skin and eyes, now that is causing delay in the sorting. Packing has stop because theres not much space left to continue packing anyway.
Then Eid mubarak is in one weeks time. I’ve not prepared anything. I don’t feeling like celebrating. ARGH!!!! So I’ve upset and disappointed people who love me. I’m stressed and anxious from the move and my skin relapsing and my red infected eyes. ARGH!!!
I cried in the shower yesterday, not only because I was in pain from the nights scratching but also the accumulation of events that is caused by my skin. The fact that I can’t do much and disappoint people makes me feel that I’m an unreliable person and that also upsets me.
It upsets me because I think, if I am like this now how on earth am I going to bring up children and run a home and maintain a happy relationship with my spouse and family????? I feel drained as it is and tired from the drugs and resting and sleep and keeping everyone happy and making sure that my relationships are good with my family and friends. I know if they really love me they would understand. But to what extent. I’m fed up of repeating myself that I have eczema, that its not only food allergies that aggravate it. Its sometimes the heat and emotions. Now there is another thing. Emotions. I try to keep everyone happy so that I dont get upset and unhappy because I’m adding to my anxiousness and frazzleness that’s naturally there due to my skin. I’m only trying to minimise and control my emotions so my skin does not get worse. Most of the time I let small things go. They are usually not worth the effort. and I’ve done away with friends who dont add value to my life and don’t want to understand my needs. Its only my close friends that I value. But these are big things. My relationship with my parents, my parents in-law, my spouse, and when they come my children too.
So today, just for today, I’m taking a break from all these worries. I’m just not going to care. I’m going to cry the ugly cry because it does help release the tension. It won’t fix things, but will help some. I’ll think about it later. 
Anxious worried frazzled
ItChY
10.03.07
Websites
I’ve added to the margin on the right a few websites of Eczema Associations and groups from around the world. I ‘ve even started my own to help and share with people with Eczema.
I’ve received many complaints on my blog that there is not enough information for people with eczema on the net. So in my website I will try and find these information and try to decifer them to digestable paragraphs. I hope this will help.
Another complaint is the feeling of loneliness that comes with this disorder. So I have added a forum in my website where you can share comments and experiences. We’re not alone. We never are.
This website is for everyone. I just started it so there are a lot of blank spaces. In time I’ll fill them up. If you would like to contribute to my webpage please let me know. All help is much appreciated.
Sharing
ItChY
