Dh has horrible hand eczema and it's making him depressed.

[nearlyfourbob]

Dh has spent nearly 3 year being the one who bathes ds who needs lots of creams. He has developed an allergy to ds's creams and his hands are an absolute mess - I didn't even realise how bad because he has got good at hiding them. They are cracked, peeling, pink and infected.

Of course all the creams that could treat the infection are in the same base as ds's creams and actually make things worse. The whole situation is pretty awful for him, especially missing out on bathing ds which was always his thing.

But it's got to the point that his emotional suffering is worse than his hands. He is short, snappy, rude and very hard to live with. But that is better than his other mood which is brooding, negative and like the whole world is against him.

I went to our GP today and told him this because dh is going tomorrow and probably would just talk about his hands and say everything else is fine.

Is TCM very expensive?

You have to keep buying the bags of herbs so it's not a one-off treatment, so the cost did mount up. I can't actually remember how much it cost in total, I'm afraid. It certainly wasn't silly money.

Molesworth, that does sound familiar. I remember the dermatologist saying something that sounded like dishes to me! And it never used to be as bad, I have always had eczema to some degree but it just got unbelievable after ds was born (16mths ago). I got it first of all everywhere but it seemed to clear up with a medium strength steroid. But then it came back with a vengence!!! pointy and dinosaur I tried homeopathy but it was no use for me. Other people I have spoken to swear by it. IME steroids worked but it took time and you shouldn't just stop using them, the eczema will come back. You should move down the level of strength until you are usuing hydrocortisone and then use that for a couple of months after the eczema is completely gone. A lot of treatment is trial and error, and what works for one may be completely useless for another! But ichthammol is sooo soothing, and really did seem to heal the large welts in my hands and feet. It would almost glue them up and the following day I would bleed less. It made the eczema more bearable because I could then move my fingers a bit more (I used to have to pick ds up with the palms of my hands or my wrists because my fingers had curled up like I was holding a mug in my hands!)
One thing I would suggest, nearlyfourbob is getting allergy testing from the hospital. If your DH hasn't had it already. My gp referred me but it took 4 months before the appointment came through so I went private and got in within a month. It may be that it's the parabens or preservatives in ds's creams and therefore not the creams itself. I found I was allergic to something in most baby wipes, most shampoo, sun creams (and it seems to be in all of them - I wore gloves last time I went away to apply creams, I looked a right idiot!!!)and other things like that. You can then obviously avoid them because everything now has ingrediants lists.

This may be completely unrelated to your dh's situation but it may offer some help.

My ds gets v bad eczema on his arms to the point where they bleed and bleed. I have found through years of trial and error that CREAMS MAKE IT WORSE. Steroid creams that we have used simply take away layers of skin. this does not help it. eczema creams dont give the skin chance to dry up. getting it wet makes it worse.
I control his ezcema through the food he eats
Citrus fruits (inc orange juice - fresh and to dilute)
Tomato (inc baked beans in tom sauce)
some dairy products
Colouring in some sweets
TRIGGER his eczema and then it is a downwards spiral.

I also limit him to showers when he needs them. and mild baby soap.
This is what works for my ds - I'm not saying that it will for your dh but it may be worth a try to see if it helps. You will find that it takes a while but it will start to go.
Also pineapple is an NATURAL ANTI INFLAMMATORY. try juicing it in a juicer and drinking it, it should help.

It is amazing what certain foods do to your body - good and bad things.

My son had been eczema free for a couple of months then they gave him a clementine at school and it triggered a flair.

I have lots more infor on other foods etc if you would like to know more. HE CAN BE FREE OF THIS.
It really is worth trying.