Eczema

[PeteC]

Welcome to my miserable world of late. Out of the blue, at age 61 I apparently have come down with this. No previous outbreaks at all in my entire life until now. Thought it was nothing for the first few weeks and treated it myself with various creams etc. Finally went to a Doc today and she confirmed it, and prescribed creams and pills.....as well as a long list of warnings...like stay out of the sun, don't take showers too hot, try not to sweat a lot, stay away from chemicals (pool chlorine, harsh soaps etc)....basically I now need to live in a sealed bubble I guess.

When I asked her a lot of questions she basically confirmed what I've found on the internet since returning home..."cause unknown, treatment hit and miss, flare ups can be frequent or years apart etc...."

Mine started on my ankles and basically stayed there for weeks, getting no better or worse. Last week it then took off and traveled up to my knees, then to my arms, and now between my fingers and toes as well. The itch is enough to drive you mad and of course the more you scratch, the worse it gets, and easy to develop infections then as well.

So, my basic point of the thread is to find out from other suffers if you have found some secret natural remedy and/or things that indeed you should stay away from, as well as any other advice or background information that could be helpful. Thanks. Pete

[dtaai-maai]

My sympathy, Pete. My own experience is quite limited, but for what it's worth...

My first experience was in my mid-30s and was restricted to my fingers. Almost certainly stress-related, and when the stress went (may the fleas of a thousand camels infest her armpits for eternity), so did the eczema. More recently, I've developed a chlorine allergy. Very itchy legs. Not sure if it's eczema, but there's no problem if I stay out of chlorinated swimming pools.

Mr Plum would have been the ideal person to advise you on this one.

[PeteC]

Thanks DTM. Perhaps this thread will lure Mr. P back. As to stress, yes, I get that from time to time but I can't recall anything severe recently that would have set this off. Regardless, I'll get a lawyer and start divorce proceedings tomorrow. Pete

[redzonerocker]

Very unusual to develop it so late in life.


I was born with it & suffered throughout my childhood & youth pretty miserably.
Mostly on the joints of my arms & legs but also under my arms & the back of the neck.
I currently have a little outbreak where i banged my head recently & scratched it & boy does it itch!!!!

I have probably tried every cream & potion there is &
Betnovate creams & lotions are the best remedy in my experience.

They clear it up, but unfortunately the eczema is still lurking under the surface.
The key is not to itch it because it will just flare up again & again.
If you itch it & scratch elsewhere on your person, the eczema will flare up there too

The biggest problem for an eczema sufferer is the night time.
You can make a concerted effort not to scratch in the day, but at night it's a different matter
I used to have my hands bandaged before bedtime when i was a kid & had to wear my boxing gloves to bed when i entered my teens (which had a dual purpose i think )

[PeteC]

Thanks RZR, sounds much worse than mine and I can't imagine going through what you have been through. Yes, night time is a bear and one of the pills she gave me is to take at bedtime so hopefully it will knock me out.

Actually before I saw her today I have been doing something that she said is terrible...but it made me feel much better and allowed me to sleep. Namely, getting in the shower and hitting the infected areas with water as hot as I can possibly stand for as long as I can tolerate it....then doing a rub down with alcohol after toweling dry. Made me feel WONDERFUL for at least 6 hours but alas, from what she told me I'm only making things worse. Pete

[lindosfan1]

I suffer from psoriasis which is a similar disease. What help me is swimming in the sea (also helped my son-in-law who has it). Small doses of sushine helped me but you haave been advised against that. Similar drugs are used. One thing I was advised and it did help was antihistamine pills. On checking the internet it stated it will help Eczema. It did help sleeping. Good luck from experience the itching is the big problem.

[lomuamart]

I've suffered mildly from it here ever since I arrived 13 years ago. It only lasts for a few months and arrives with the onset of the humid, rainy season. I get patches on my ankles and between my fingers.
Having had it diagnosed years ago as discoid eczema, I know what to do now when I notice it. For me a trip to a pharmacy to buy some Dermovate cream does the trick. It's a topical steroid lotion and the patches disappear pretty quickly - within a week to ten days especially if I've caught them early. I would imagine that the doc has given you some form of steroid cream? So see how you get on with that. The only things with these creams, from what I've read in the accompanying packet blurb, is that you should keep applying for some time after the eczema seems to have cleared up - I forget, which is probably why it sometimes returns that year - and that they come in different strengths and they're basically not good for your body, long-term. So, the strength you've got and how long you need to keep using it may determine whether you need something else. I don't think you'll keel over through usage but the less you need it the better.
Remember that I'm no doctor, but I've never understood why you need to keep out of the sun. I've read that UV treatment is used in severe cases and works well. Thought the sun had UV?
Getting it between your fingers is a b****. especially in humidity. You'll sweat a lot there and the eczema seems to thrive on it. Again the cream helps me especially at night when it's got a real chance to work with the aircon on.
Good luck.

[HHADFan]

Pete,

I have had occasional very minor problems with eczema usually related to stress.

My Dr. in the US prescribed Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream USP, 0.025% which always cleared it up in about a week. It's prescription only in the US, but if you can find it here, you probably won't need a prescription.

You eczema sounds much worse than mine so I can only hope this will help. Basically, it's a cortico-steroid cream, so maybe a hydrocortisone cream would yield similar results?

Also, maybe get a second opinion just to be sure.

Good luck!

[lindosfan1]

Lomu I agree the keep out of the sun seems odd, but I am not a doctor. I does help psoriasis if taken in small doses.

[Spitfire]

There are supplements that could help, basically anti-inflamatory herbs and 'blood prurifiers' such as liquorice root/sage/evening primrose oil that all are claimed to help in a natural approach to healing eczema.

When you take supplements for this it is also thought to help to have a high fiber diet, lots of vitamin C + E and loads of water for natural suppression of the condition.

I think the most common causes of eczema are as follows:

-Allergies
-Varicose veins
-Failure of the system to eradicate poisons/toxins from the body
-Faulty body metabolism
-Cold and dry weather
-Nutritional deficiencies

It is also claimed that acidity in food can trigger eczema, so more alkaline foods are recommended.

A lack of vitamin B6 can also cause the condition, so take a B6 supplement everyday if you are not already.

Drinking plain tomato juice everyday is also said to help a lot.

Look into flaxseed oil to take daily too.

Yes, as mentioned by DM, stress is an instigator of the condition too.

On the blood circulation/varicose vein section then grape seed extract and bilberry both seriously help the health of veins/blood circulation, period, in many ways like helping to prevent arteries/veins from becoming stiffened, which is not good at all. Also drink dark fruit juices for breakfast like cranberry/red grape juice etc instead of the lighter ones like OJ etc.

Just giving some pointers as to where you can investigate on this one if you want to try something natural as many things are claimed to help the condition of eczema.

[caller]

Same for me as RZR, suffered all my life, much less now than when a kid and Betnovate cream does it for me.

But thats a trade name. The active ingrediant is betamethasone valerate - various strengths (I use 1%), widely available over the counter in chemists in LOS, but not stocked by all. Not really advised for the face.

A good basic moisturiser will help, get some of that E45 stuff made up for you by a chemist in a huge tub - the ingrediants are very basic - and do as our dear old late mate 'Enery used to say, 'slap it all over'!

Good luck.

[Amarita]

A friend of mine with psoriasis puts on olive oil
and tell me that it helps ?

[redzonerocker]

Actually before I saw her today I have been doing something that she said is terrible...but it made me feel much better and allowed me to sleep. Namely, getting in the shower and hitting the infected areas with water as hot as I can possibly stand for as long as I can tolerate it....then doing a rub down with alcohol after toweling dry. Made me feel WONDERFUL for at least 6 hours but alas, from what she told me I'm only making things worse. Pete

Well as you can see, each to his/her own with their particular remedy
Forgot to ask, is it wet or dry eczema?

The thing is, if what you do works for you, carry on doing it.
I lost count of the doctors & skin specialists i saw when i was a kid & they all had different ideas & medicines.
None were particularly successful
What suits one eczema sufferer, by way of remedy, doesn't necessarily suit another

Have to agree with the others though, fresh air & sunshine is a good thing, so too is salt water, ie swimming in the the sea

Stress & worry is a common cause for an outbreak, though i'm not really the stressful worrying type (despite being a gooner )

This current little episode on the side of my head (which has near enough cleared up thanks to betnovate lotion) was the first bit of eczema i've had for about 15 years & the first time ever on my head
Just caused through overly itching a little bump & cut

Unfortunately there is no quick fix, but once you find the treatment/cream/ointment that suits you, the initial itching & soreness does subside quite quickly.

[PeteC]

..... One thing I was advised and it did help was antihistamine pills. ......

Yes, that is one of meds and I took one last night. Subsequently I'm not here posting until 0430 instead of 0300. Slept a peaceful 7 hours last night and indeed that pill knocked me out pretty quickly. I'll post the ingredients of all the meds she gave me later this morning.

Wet to start RZR, but then dries into hard patches. I'm a vitamin supplement junky SF so for sure it can't be a deficiency there.

Actually I'm doing better this morning after the first round of meds in that I don't itch (yet), and overall the extent of the rash is less than it was yesterday. I pray it continues. Thanks for all the tips and advice from everyone. I'll revert more later. Pete

[PeteC]

OK, here's the list of meds. She only gave me enough for 7 days. Pete

1) Prednisolone tablets (corticosteriod), 5mg, 2 after each meal.

2) Xyzal antihistamine tablets, 5mg, 1 before bed.

3) Clobet cream (clobetasol propionate)= (corticosteriod), apply morning and night.