2006-10-23
itching and scratching and oozing, oh my!
|Fall is firmly in place here in Michigan and winter is stridently riding its heels. With the drop in temperature my eczema is flaring up again. It’s very odd to me, the design these dry patches take on my left hand and lower legs.
It doesn’t happen on my right hand. Maybe this is the dermatology god’s way of throwing me a bone, seeing as I’m right handed.
Anyway, if you have never experienced the itch of eczema, consider yourself more than lucky. If scratched, the itch -- while just noticeable at first -- becomes a full-blown wild fire of intensity and reaches almost orgasmic proportions. It’s like the itch emanates from the bone and not the skin.
So the scratching is extremely satisfying while you’re at it, but as soon as you stop the orgasmic ride quickly disintegrates into searing pain.
Frequently the itchy area becomes a dry, scaly patch. And if you dare to join the ranks of the All-Star League of Eczema those scaly patches become bleeding, oozing scabs. Yeah team!
I’m trying to stay on top of the itching this year (my 11th year as an All-Star member!) and I resolve to moisturize more and scratch less.
Strangely enough, I never had eczema before we moved into this house. I don’t know if it’s the heating system (we did add a humidifier to the furnace, didn’t change anything for me) or if it's just garden-variety black mold eating away at my flesh.
Perhaps I will never know the cause.
2006-10-23 at 11:19 a.m.
