I was getting under control of my eczema BUT in the last 6 months my eczema has got worse, spreading and joinging up. It looks like I have been burned, it is so painful I am currently managing it with steroid cream (now making little difference), painkillers (especially before bed as the duvet resting on my skin is painful), antihistamine and Aveeno cream.
History, for those who haven’t heard my grumblings before lol.
I developed very severe eczema after dd was born almost 4 years ago, became allergic to dairy (carry an epi pen) and dust and stress are huge factors that aggrevate my eczema.
At it’s worse my eyes, lips, mouth were swollen and eczema was everywhere and so painful.
I now know that dairy can still trigger it but the reaction has lessoned to a sensitivity rather than as it was. Dust, heat and stress remain factors and it inflames instantly.
I am currently doing a smoothie detox but on exposure to a small amount of stress it is worse than when I started even though initially improving and no longer needing painkillers. I have been doing the detox since Monday and hope to carry on for a few more days, it did improve the eczema initially as I said and has improved energy levels but I am at a loss to other ideas.
I have also washed all of the clothes I am wearing in just water with vinegar incase the washing powder has changed. I also washed bedding this way and have to put it in sealed bags in the drawer so it doesn’t get any dust on.
Any thoughts appreciated as it is driving me insane!
sarie
as no natural products seem to work for you I would go out buy some daz or aireil washing powerd tip haf of it in the bath and the rest in the machine with you clothes !! jump in said bath and scrub !!! just an idea !!!!!
failing that, put washing machine on empty on a very very hot wash, not sur about adding a product to it may be some bicarbonate and vinegar then another boil wash with out any thing.
may be you have developed another allergy, what are you putting in the smoothys ?? I know you have had some strange sensitivities before,
oooooooo dishwasher tabs ???? washing up liquid.
as for the bed it must be Colin you are allergic too , may be swap him for a different brand ??!!!!!!, lol
I do hope you feel better soon, as for detox go get some chips and msg and you will feel much better xxxxxx
thinking of you xxxxx
Don’t know what to say but am thinking of you, eczema is horrible andthe worse it gets the more stressed you must get which must make it worse again, can you try major relaxation, maybe hypnotherapy cds or something to try and reduce the stress so you can handle your symptoms better and hopefully they will alleviate a bit, or go to Dr and demand seeing a dermatologist? xx
I know Jason Vale went on a 3 month juice fest to clear his pssorsis and that worked, but I don’t know which juices he made, and he doesn’t really recommend it anyway because he lost too much weight doing it…. but I would suggest popping along to his website and leaving him a message, or doing it on FB, he has a page on there, and perhaps he can make some suggestions of juices that would be especially helpful?
It’s a small thing but central heating can sometimes aggravate it, could you try heating off as much as possible (within reason) and windows a little open? Also only cotton next to skin? I wonder if it would be worth checking your diet for any more intolerances or sensitivities? Thinking of you, I’ve never had it but my oldest had it severely as a baby and it was horrific. People don’t realise the effects quality of life. Sara x
Yes, I would second oats in the bath, have no experience personally but its the one thing I hear about most often. The only other thing I could suggest and is probably really obvious so apologies if it is but there is an eczema society here: http://www.eczema.org/living_with_eczema.html
Hi lovely, my friends baby had bad eczma and was told that it takes 15-20 washes for clothes to be free of chemicals and they found that the more they washed her clothes the better she got in some areas. I know it’s not a quick easy solution though. Sorry I can’t help. xxx
Had this when Babes was born but not half as bad as you are desribing Sarie. Had a talk with the eczema society - they advised to be aware in changes of habits re products and such and I realised when looking at washing powder closely that I had inadvertently picked up the BIOLOGICAL version of ecover rather than the non-bio version whichI had as a rule bought so the bio version was eating away at my skin. I switched this and it helped, together with CHICKWEED AND CALENDULER CREAM as follows from Earthbound organics the only thing that did. Would steer clear of steroids as they only cover up the issue.
My son went to see a kinseologist who diagnosed him with intolerences to strawberries and cow dairy and also that he needed to have the homoeopathic nosode for Measles and TB. Also, my Australian friend claims that Aborigines use molasses, 1 tablespoon, at least, per day. The minerals in it help rebalance the body. With all of this in conjunction my son’s eczema cleared up really fast, maybe a month or so.
It had developed out of the blue aged 8, without him ever having had any skin issues before. We tried the steroid creams but it just sprang back as soon as we stopped using them. Also those creams scarred and discoloured his skin, I see it even now nearly three years later!
Have you tried the Skin Therapy eczema cream? We sell a lot of it in my shop, folks claim it really soothes.
Hi Sarie, I too developed exczema (sp??!) after I had Finlay, and I know the pain of feeling like I have been burned. It’s hell! The only thing that soothes my skin and clears it up is raw coconut oil. It’s great. It keeps infection out, clears up any you already have, and it soothes. It’s magic
I think we’ve spoken before but for my dd (who’s had e seems since birth) it seems to be wheat that is the real culprit.
I would try removing that as soon as poss. Dd’s skin sound just like yours and the pain and redness definitely reduces when she stays off the wheat.
We also did Jason Vale and his recipes are amazing and very helpful although expensiveđ
I was born with Eczema and know exactly where you are coming from, I too carry an Epipen. It sounds like you have looked at all of the obvious triggers and so you should look at what’s now in your smoothies as this sounds like it is the main change in your diet at the moment. Something always triggers eczema flare ups. If it was stress it would have to be fairly monumental for you to be having this kind of reaction and so it does sound like it’s something else. I tend to find if I eat either something I’m allergic too or too much of the same thing, then I react…...I used to drink loads of apple juice every day, now can’t touch apples unless they are cooked…..our bodies are funny things.
Have you ever heard of Oral Allergy Syndrome? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome might be worth looking at - if you need info about it, please feel free to PM me (there’s also heaps on the internet).
I’d recommend that you ask to be allergy tested, make sure it’s a blood test and not a patch test as they provide a lot more information, I can also appreciate that this won’t help you in the short term.
Couple of tips:
If your hands really irritate, stick them in a bowl/sink of cold water - cools them down really well and stops the itching.
Cold flannels when you itch
Don’t have baths/showers that are too hot, stick with warm water
I use Neutrogena hand cream everywhere, bizarre as it may sound but it really takes the dryness out and really helps.
Best of luck and try not to scratch Jen
P.S. Be interested to know what’s in your smoothies?
I have a skin condition (urticaria) which has started in the last year I only have this on my hands (which is bad enough, I cant bend my fingers at the mo so typing this is fun!) but feel for you if it is all over. I can highly recommend oatmeal for a bath it is the only thing I can tolerate in the bath now. I put a handful of fine oatmeal in the foot of a pair of tights and run the hot water through it. I have managed to identify a few things that set me off the worst for me is limonene which was in just about every product that I was using in the house, I have now detoxed my house from this and it has helped a huge amount. Have you tried eco balls for washing your clothes? You could also try the products sold by the Sedbergh Soap Company, they are not cheap but the lady who runs the company has severe eczema so they may help you? I do hope you find some respite soon.
Thank you so much for your replies, it really helps!
Some great suggestions, I have cut out wheat, I remember your advice Coconut
It was a quite stressful row with dh, then having to deal with the kids aswell! Enough said and all sorted now but the minute stress occurs my hand and neck starts itching and it goes from there!!
I haven’t got a juicer, which ‘programme’ did you follow Coconut?
I am mainly having green smoothies and warm water with lemon first thing and at least 2 litres of water.
kiwi, pear, banana, spinach and celery
lime, lemon, 2 bananas, celery or spinach
banana, pear, blackberry, cucumber
That sort of thing, very tasty. And until Thursday my skin was improving.
I do use cold water and it really helps, forgot about coconut oil have some gorgeous stuff in the drawer and will try it tonight. Unfortunately can’t have the heating off as dh has MS but regularly open the windows and will watch the temp or might try turning it down a couple of degrees as the heat does aggrevate it. Forgot also about oats in the bath, I used to use them and then wash with the tied up muslin, luxurious!
