"The eczema solution" - it worked for me!

[jamaisjedors]

I have had atopic eczema since I was born, and have had all the food allergy blood tests and the sensitivity prick tests (no food allergies, allergic to every type of pollen and dander and dust mite there is).

I have been seeing a dermatologist for more than 10 years and had UV treatments; every cream you can think of; given up alcohol; tried doing lots of exercise; giving up exercise all together; giving up chocolate, spicy foods, red foods, foods with histamine in; food supplements (zinc, omega oils, evening primrose etc.), and had several series of cortisone injections, the works.

Nothing has shifted it and to be honest I never expected anything to either because it's "atopic" so not just dry skin or a temporary reaction to something and I have never ever been without it somewhere on my body, and lately it has been all over my face and neck causing me to look (and feel) sunburnt.

Recently I read on a forum about the book "The Eczema Solution" here and thought I would try it as its general premise (stop scratching and your skin will get better) coincided with what I had already noticed myself, namely that a LOT of my scratching was learnt behaviour, and a habit, just like smoking, or thumb-sucking.

The book is great - the negative reviews are right actually, the premise/programme is really simple, but if you have atopic eczema you will really recognise where the author is coming from (she is atopic) and you end up convinced by it, to the point where you can carry it out properly and make it work.

I went for 4 hypnotherapy sessions to help me break the scratching habit (which actually we broke in one, the others were to teach me self-hypnosis) and some cortisone injections (which I have had several times before in the past to no avail) and my skin is totally clear now for the first time since I can remember. (both of these things - "proper" use of cortisone initially to let the skin heal, and stress relief are recommended in the programme in the book.)

Anyway I am starting to sound evangelical, but I have my fingers crossed that this will continue (it's been about 6 weeks now) and already my skin is stronger and less sensitive and has no red or eczema patches.

The book doesn't rule out the possibility of flare-ups in the future, which seems feasible, but once your skin is stronger it should be easier to deal with them quickly and I'm hoping the self-hypnosis will avoid or limit the stress-induced flare-ups;

I will probably lose this mega-post now!

((ladies)) all so so familiar what you are saying :(

my eczema has flared up more the past day or so, my face looks like i have been slapped, it is hot to the touch, even my ears! so so itchy. the outside of my elbows are raw and it hurts to bend my arms and my hands have very sore patches and are sooo dry, they look like old ladies hands :(

and yes to the looks and comments, people worrying they will catch it, i had one delivery man NOT want me to sign on his electronic thingy for my parcel as he was worried he would 'catch whatever i had' i may have rather rudely told him it was eczema nad he could go fuck himself and complained about his rudeness to the courier company in question.

i dont work, but with 5 children am in and out constantly and at groups etc, and people often say 'oh poor you and oh that looks so sore' i know they mean kindly but it just makes me feel more aware and self conscious than i already do.

i even find it hard at times to let the children touch me, my dd is 11mths and at that wanting to grab my face, poke, squish, kiss me lots stage, very cute but as my skin is sore nad she has sharp little nails it hurts, but bless her she doesnt mean to hurt me :(

i am finding the weather is making it worse, today i was shopping so constantly going in and out from the cold into hot shops made me very itchy and blotchy and yes mirrors everywhere just make me feel like crap.

also and this may be tmi but when my skin flares up like this i REALLY dont want to have sex even with the lights of etc it affects my self confidence and i just feel to self conscious, dp doesnt mind at all but does find himself getting frustrated by my itching/picking at it, and he doesnt say anything but i can see that look in his face that i am making it worse and i should just leave it alone :)

as an aside i remember being in labour wiht ds3 and even in the middle of mega painful contractions, my skin was the most annoying thing, gas and air for great for labour pains but my itchy skin drove me mad, the midwife said it showed just how awful eczema is that even in heavy labour i was still itching my skin.

also all the photos of me with my babies as newborns you can see how sore my skin was, particularly my hands which had raw patches etc, and it makes me sad that when i look at the pics instead of remembering a joyful time, i see my sore skin first :(

sorry very self pitying but my skin is driving me mental at the mometn and it does really affect your mood, i dont think anyone can understand unless they have it themselves :(

You may have thought of this but for those of you whose faces are hot and sunburnt feeling, do you have an infection from where the skin has cracked? I've had infected skin twice on my face from where it's been so dry and had to take antibiotics. Just wanted to throw that out there. I feel so sorry for you all. I am largely patch free now but do have to stop myself scratching and recognise the feeling of wanting to razor blade your skin off. (I said that to a friend once to try and describe how itchy and she was horrified)
Anyway I hope you all find something that works. I now use lush dream cream to help stop the itchys but I can't remember how I got rid of my patches. Years of experimenting with different creams I think. Good luck.

Oh and my dh is very good at stopping me scratching so maybe ask your dp/dh's to physically stop you if you start. It's very frustrating cos it's so damn itchy but it'll help your skin recover.

4madboys, back soon, but for now, a big hug. I know exactly how you feel. x

Yes, it does affect your mood. I get very down and grumpy even though the rest of my life is fine.

I have terrible cracks on my fingers right now, so painful, can't bend them.

I agree about the possibility of infection if your skin is feeling very hot. I've had countless rounds of antibiotics a few years ago when I seemed to be constantly getting infections.

And yes to the not wanting sex. Sometimes I feel so ugly and horrible, I just want to hide under the duvet. DH is fine, it doesn't bother him (he must be blind) but it really bothers me.

And yes to this weather making things worse and going from hot inside to cold outside.

I'm 41 and dreading what the menopause is going to do to my skin. It can't get any drier than it is but apparently the loss of oestrogen makes your skin dry. And I'm always hot anyway, what's going to happen when I start getting hot flushes? I might self combust.

4mad, what a stupid delivery driver you had. Glad you complained. What a complete idiot some people are. I was called really horrible names as a child, by my own sisters, because I had eczema all around my mouth. They used to say I was a man and that I had a moustache. To this day if I even hear the word moustache being spoken around me, I tense up and feel terrified someone is saying it to me. Am sure I have PTSD about it.

My parents made me feel ashamed that I had this condition. They felt embarressed by me. I have terrible self esteem as a result. Feel I am worth less than other people because of my eczema. My MIL hates me because of it too. She feels ashamed to have a DIL who looks like me. She was fine before it flared up, and completely changed towards me after it flared up after having DC's.

I have also had ' friends' who seemed to disappear after my eczema flared up. When they first met me I was completely clear so they had no idea I had this condition. When it flared up, these so called friends never contacted me again. It used to upset me but I can see now that I'm better off without such people in my life. I am shocked though at how shallow people can be.

I often feel that even though it seems as if my skin is itchy, that actually the itch is below the skin, deep down in a muscle or something. And that's why I end up scratching so badly, because I'm trying to scratch an itch below the skin's surface.

what an awful mil jasmine my mil on the whole is lovely tho she has been known to comment that he children ie my dp and my sil ALWAYS choose partners who have something 'wrong' with them and she thinks i am fussy as when i go to stay at hers i take my own bedsheets (she washes hers in a different detergent and with softner, my skin would go MAD if i slept on those sheets!) also she used to have a dog and dp's aunt and uncle have a dog and insist on bringing it when they visit us and bring it in MY house, i am ALLERGIC to dogs but apparently allergies are a trendy fad and i am being mean for not wanting the dog in MY house...

most of my friends are lovely but i have had some awful comments and i used to get picked on a bit at school. mine has cleared up here and there, i lived abroad as a child and it went away TOTALLY! but once back in the UK it came back and got worse with each pregnancy, i even got/get it on breast and aerola, not good for bfeeding and i did bfeed as i was desperate to try everything to ensure my kids dont get eczema, touch wood all 5 of them have lovely skin and no signs of any allergies or eczema at all, for which i am HUGELY grateful :)

i dont think my skin is infected, its not cracked on my face, it is on my arms and hands i may go to the gp actually but tbh they are worse than useless, one gp said when it was really bad and i was upset, that i should be grateful as its not life threatening. no its not life threatening but it IS life limiting, esp when i cant do things with my kids, even going to the beach is a pain as the sand sticks to my moisturised skin andmakes it sore and itchy etc. ditto swimming being a pain and causing a flare up. going to a zoo or anywhere with animals, or even a garden centre (pollen) make my skin play up, these are all things that my kids like and i like to do with them but i know i will suffer as a result, but its not going to kill me so i should be grateful...

i didnt know about the menopause making things worse! yikes i am only 32 tho, so hopefully that is a LONG way off!

i tried lush dream cream but am allergic to it, i am so scared of trying new creams etc for fear of a bad reaction i cant use any soap, bubble bath and have to wash my hair leanign over the bath so i dont get the shampoo on my skin. yet some people STILL get me those box sets of bubble bath, perfume and soaps etc as xmas/bday presents!! i just put them straight in the charity bag!!! or my sil who buys me scarves, WOOL scarves!! i cant even do up my coat right up to my neck or it irritates me, i cant bear any clothes around my neck at all not oven roll neck tops etc as my skin just gets to hot and irritable.

whoever mentioned the thick dry patches of skin, i have that on my hands and elbows, i remember the consultant metioning it and i had forgotten what it was called, it makes me worry for what my skin will look like when i am older.

right toddler needing to go to the toilet, such fun! be back later xxx

How is everyone?

I am still eczema-free, I keep getting worried it's on its way back, I had a red patch on the back of my neck this week which I normally would have scratched to bits but it has cleared up on its own.

Very happy for you that you're still doing well. Long may it continue. I'm not so great. My hands and fingers are particularly bad at the moment. Very itchy and lots of cuts. Very sore and painful and very very unsightly. My face is slightly better. Am wary of saying anything in case I somehow cause a flare up.

sorry to hear that.

re the itching, I totally know that feeling. It's like it's very deep inside, almost like a stabbing. I still get some of those, kind of at various places on my body but I am managing to ignore them more and more and they are going away more quickly too.

How is everyone else? This is usually a very bad time for me.

Tonight I had a couple of glasses of champagne (have had virtually 0 alcohol for about 2 years now in an attempt to keep things under control) and a chocolate dessert (it's my birthday!) so am curious to see if I am bright red tomorrow - I feel a bit flushed now but hopefully it won't turn into a flare-up now that my skin has had a chance to heal a bit.j

glad all is going so well jamais mine as usual is a bit crap due to the cold weather, esp on my hands and wrists and elbows, my face isnt too bad! a bit blotchy and it doesnt like the cold weather. still itchy as hell esp at night but plodding on and need to sort out my latest hospital app, its that phone and book system but i keep forgetting to call

can i ask what you ladies do re gloves, hats and scarves in the cold weather? i CANNOT wear scarves at all even cotton ones nad i cant do my coat up all the way, i just cant bear anything around my neck at all., hats make my head hot and itchy and then if i scratch it everyone probably thnks i have nits!! [boak] and gloves also just irritate my hands so just get cold :(

hope you dont get a flare up and that the flushed feeling goes away, i know exactly the feeling you mean!

oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Thanks. Last winter I bought a silk long-sleeved top which I wore and washed - I put it under "normal" clothes to keep me warm. It's true I've always struggled to keep warm for the same reasons as you.

At the moment I'm trying to find a warm winter coat which hasn't got feathers in it and isn't made of wool.

I've ordered a couple from Esprit and will see what they're like.

Yes, I have the same problem. I've got an expensive coat in the cupboard, never worn because the wool collar irritates my skin like mad. I don't seem to feel the cold that much though, I can get away with quite thin jackets. Possibly the one advantage of being hot all the time.

Hope you had a lovely birthday Jamais, and very much hope you didn't have a flare up the next day.

And yes, I know that flushed feeling too, it's horrible, like a sign of impending skin related doom.

I seem to be developing asthma as I get older, have been very wheezy recently.

4madboys, have you tried silk scarves, they are surprisingly warm. I don't really wear gloves as I am always hot, but I think when it snowed I wore some ski gloves, which were ok. My coat is a lined waterproof type which seems to be ok even though it's synthetic.

I can't buy any woollen stuff at all which is a shame because I love some of the winter dresses made of merino wool etc.

I am FINE! Which is great, but I'm still holding my breath watching out for red patches!

I totally agree with silk scarves, I have really got into them in the last couple of years (good thing to ask for for Christmas).

The coats I have ordered are lined and waterproof - like you I have a nice wool coat that I foolishly bought a few years ago! I spend all my time clothes shopping feeling the fabrics and hunting for labels to check for wool content - a few years ago it was easy to find stuff without wool but now EVERYTHING even the cheap stuff seems to have wool in it.

god, yes, the label checking on clothes, it's the first thing I do! I seem to be ok with a bit of polyester. I bought some 70% cotton 30% polyester tights and waited for the itching to start when I put them on, but it was fine. So now I can wear all the skirts I bought with my boots and tights.

I've also recently bought some silk tops too. I'm now thinking of buying a silk filled and covered duvet as silk is supposed to be naturally anti dust mite. I am SEVERELY allergic to dust mites, makes me itch immediately and get wheezy. But silk duvets are very expensive. Will speak to DH before ordering I think.

Jamais, I hope your coats are nice and non-flary uppy! Let us know.

I have suffered with eczema since I was born, I am now clear.
There is no magic cure or creams etc!
Its the thing we put on our skin and in our bodies that make it worse
LESS is definately more!!

Mirai, thanks for that, useful to know, I do sometimes feel I need to take more than one a day but was never sure if it was ok to do so.

How is everyone doing right now? Especially since it's got colder? I'm ok, skin feels drier but I guess that's to be expected with central heating etc.

I feel like my eczema has 'moved'. ie from being mainly on my face and hands (where it has lessened somewhat) to now being on my legs and arms where I've never had it before. I'm pleased my face is better but am now concerned about my arms and legs.

Well at least at this time of year you can cover up your arms and legs! Sorry it's not great for you atm.

Still ok here (feel like I'm holding my breath). I think I have totally kicked the nervous scratching, today I am marking papers and usually scratch and twitch - today nothing!

I am looking forward to having a drink or two at Christmas after 2+ years of semi-abstinence.

Happy Christmas everyone.

Happy Christmas Jamais and everyone on this thread.

Am so glad Jamais, that you continue to be well. I don't always scratch out of habit, I do feel really itchy at times. Are you able to not scratch even if you do actually feel itchy? Or do you not feel itchy at all?

I do feel itchy too, but I now know it will pass (before I really felt compelled to itch and also scratched even without knowing it (driving the car etc.)

It was fairly hard at first, but as my skin has healed and with the hynotherapy, it has got easier and now even when I got a mosquito bite I managed not to scratch it (did put a bit of Eurax on though!)

Do you use a technique to stop you from scratching? I'm going to give it a go, will not scratch even if I feel itchy (will be very hard).

Trouble with me is I often scratch in the night without realising, there's no way of stopping that I suppose?

I can't remember if it was you who said that you had the book "The eczema Solution" that I referred to at the beginning of the thread? If not, do order it (and a tally counter to go with it).

For the first week or so you just click the counter every time you scratch (or rub or pick etc).

This will raise your awareness of when you scratch most - I realised that for me it was in my office between classes, on the sofa at night and in bed (the hardest one to kick).

Then after that (don't skip this stage) you try to stop scratching by finding distraction techniques or something to keep your hands busy at the danger times. YOu can use deep breathing or thinking of nice things and count to ten but I really struggled with this and so saw the hypnotherapist at this stage.

I think once you scratch less in the day you gradually scratch less at night so no need to worry about that really.