The past 2 weeks, I've been flaring. While I'm sure stress was a big contributor, I think the biggest reason was lack of sun. It's been rainy and overcast every day and my skin has definitely missed it. I've gotten sun 2 days now in the past week and those 2 days made my skin feel so much better. I love the sun. The texture of my skin got really bumpy when it was flaring, almost like hamburger meat. And red, hot, and itchy. It felt really gross. But then a few days in the sun and I'm back to being comfortable! It's really weird - when my skin is calm, it is SO soft. Like absurdly soft. Sometimes I just keep rubbing the same spot over and over again to feel how soft it is lol! Also lately I feel the temperature regulation issue is back. If I exert any kind of energy for as little as a minute, I start overheating. Almost every night I'm having to change my clothes due to sweating. I wonder if this is part of TSW or some other issue.
Got some bloodwork back and I'm no longer vitamin D deficient! Woohoo! Probably from all my time in the sun. Overall my health has improved since a year ago when I last got my bloodwork done. Sleep still sucks though the lack of it is affecting my daytime hours less, which is great. There are still times that I get overwhelmed with fatigue for no reason, but they are much less frequent. Anyway, below are pictures from the past month. My hands are the worst right now. They keep cracking, are super dry, itchy and a bit painful. My other affected areas are inner elbows, behind knees, neck and face. So all the same areas but just lesser intensity. I always thought that it would just teeter out eventually. I feel lucky not to be one of the people in TSW who flare and then have completely calm periods because I think I'd get pissed every time I started to flare again. At least I know that once my skin has cleared, that it will stay that way. So, pictures. The first ones are flaring, the last ones are calm-ish, and the middle ones are from the wedding I went to a few weeks back! The wedding pics show how I was able to wear makeup and look and feel NORMAL. Like a normal human being. It was amazing.
Got some bloodwork back and I'm no longer vitamin D deficient! Woohoo! Probably from all my time in the sun. Overall my health has improved since a year ago when I last got my bloodwork done. Sleep still sucks though the lack of it is affecting my daytime hours less, which is great. There are still times that I get overwhelmed with fatigue for no reason, but they are much less frequent. Anyway, below are pictures from the past month. My hands are the worst right now. They keep cracking, are super dry, itchy and a bit painful. My other affected areas are inner elbows, behind knees, neck and face. So all the same areas but just lesser intensity. I always thought that it would just teeter out eventually. I feel lucky not to be one of the people in TSW who flare and then have completely calm periods because I think I'd get pissed every time I started to flare again. At least I know that once my skin has cleared, that it will stay that way. So, pictures. The first ones are flaring, the last ones are calm-ish, and the middle ones are from the wedding I went to a few weeks back! The wedding pics show how I was able to wear makeup and look and feel NORMAL. Like a normal human being. It was amazing.
There ya have it, folks!
That's sooo wonderful!!
ReplyDeletePhototherapy has been helping me big time!!!
Can't get the natural sun healing rays up here in Canada.
Keep going! Uvb is a wonderful immunomodulator!
Could I ask how long you stay out in the sun?
ReplyDeleteAt least one hour per day? Do you stay out until you are slightly pink?
Hi there! I always stay out for an hour but lately (literally past week) have been trying to stay out longer. I don't really turn pink or even tan but I often wonder if that is because I lay out in the morning when the uv index is at its lowest.
DeleteHi Karina, Wow that's amazing that you see changes in your skin even without turning pink!
DeleteWhen doing phototherapy, the instructions are to reach a point where you turn slightly pink - but of course -never to the point of burning.
Have you tried going out in the sun during the peak hours such as noon? UVB is at it's peak during that hour... and i believe that is very healing...
p.s: You look like you don't even have eczema in the wedding photo!!
Look at that! How crazy is our skin. One day it's hell then the next it's okay. I see healing in the future. Two years down for us both! Happy healing :)
ReplyDeletehere is some info i found on Eczema (earthclinic.com and curezone.org might have more useful info)
ReplyDeleteECZEMA - Australian remedy made from cod liver oil and oatmeal - called Robertson's Skin Repair. Ointment / Purepotions Skin Salvation / histamine-blocker / hydrotherapy clinic Avene Centre in France / coffee grounds scrub / Dr Aron (cream from Sth Africa) / get allergy tested / probiotic / Minyak Gosok and referred to as Bee Oil / itchybabyco.com.au / Arbonne Baby Care Range / Axhilirit-E
Oh my God! Got crazy skin. May you soon get rid from it
ReplyDelete