My Quest for Victory Over Eczema

I've had eczema my whole life and I am so over it. I thought I had it under control, but when I turned 30 everything changed. This is going to be a blog chronicling my medical journey as I try and just stop being itchy for once. You can call me Nike if you want.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

Trying to get pregnant and your stomach is feeling off...is it

A) something not agreeing with my stomach (most likely)

B) my period coming (math don't math for that)

C) Pregnant? (🥺 Please?)

[searchingforanichlesslife]

I get why Dr appointments are private/one on one, but I think there should be an option where you get to bring a bunch of friends/relatives and then they get asked similar questions like "how often does so and so complain about X? How often do you see them doing Y"

Not because patients lie (which ... C'mon it happens) but because sometimes we forget things or get flustered and other times we don't even realize that we do a thing.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

My eczema got kinda bad this past week and I think it was because I got sick on Sat (05/30).

Today I woke up with...clear skin???

Is that just what happens when you actually sleep well????

[searchingforanichlesslife]

Haven't updated in a while, which is actually a good thing. All my new contact allergies are frustrating, but it's been really helping (who knew covering yourself with stuff you're allergic to was bad!)

Made a connection at my dentist appointment today - linalool (one of my "new" contact allergens) is in MINT .... So I'm switching toothpaste and seeing if maybe my mouth doesn't get as ripped up from crunchy foods or just generally as easily irritated.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

Started what is essentially the last non-steroid topical on 11/25.

I feel much better but it's so soon that I'm not sure if it's actually doing anything or if my flare-up is just going down by itself.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

My skin hasn't been this clear since the first like month or two of dupixent....

I am very hopeful here.

Though I feel like every time I get excited about something like this...it fizzles out...

[searchingforanichlesslife]

Started what is essentially the last non-steroid topical on 11/25.

I feel much better but it's so soon that I'm not sure if it's actually doing anything or if my flare-up is just going down by itself.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

WHY AM I SO ITCHY!!!! 😠 😭

[searchingforanichlesslife]

Is this because cat house or something else that the cat house made worse? Or is it winter? Whyyyyy

[searchingforanichlesslife]

WHY AM I SO ITCHY!!!! 😠 😭

[searchingforanichlesslife]

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After about a week and a half of giving up on zoryve for my collar bones and just using super strong hydrocortisone.... there's a marked improvement.

Calling today day 1 of stopping that so we'll see if it stays away. My ribcage has been improving as well without me putting anything special on it so I'm very happy about that.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

There has been much healing. There is still more to go, but I think we're on the right track.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

Speaking of creams. I was chatting about how my insurance changed and the prescription cream was gonna be $700 at CVS but it was covered by insurance through a different place and my friend was absolutely baffled that a cream could cost that much (I didn't even bother to tell him that was a discounted price).

Like no shade, but tell me you've never had skin problems lol. Honestly a little jealous of that particular piece of ignorance.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

Well. Patches went on for patch testing yesterday afternoon so my back is now one big tape lol. It's itchy (no surprise) but I don't know if it's eczema or reactions. Hopefully being at my parents' house last night didn't ruin anything because cat allergies.

Preliminary results will be tomorrow evening.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

Well well. Turns out I have a bunch of new contact allergies. The big one is glucosides which they love to put in 'gentle' and 'hypoallergenic' soaps and stuff 🙃🙃🙃 I'm allergic to the things specifically made for people with allergies. Oh you're allergic to nickel? Well try gold! Hmmm allergic. Oh you have sensitive skin...here try this hypoallergenic stuff ... Mmmm nope.

This is great though because it explains a lot. Pretty hard to heal from things when you're constantly putting the irritant back on.

New soap/shampoo combo and I'm feeling better already. Still a lot of healing to do, but hopefully this gets me somewhere better and actually allows my creams to work.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

Well. Patches went on for patch testing yesterday afternoon so my back is now one big tape lol. It's itchy (no surprise) but I don't know if it's eczema or reactions. Hopefully being at my parents' house last night didn't ruin anything because cat allergies.

Preliminary results will be tomorrow evening.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

I mentioned that my itchiness increased after stopping Xyzal for the food challenge and hadn't really gone down even since starting back up. Allergist said 'hey, add some Zyrtec at night' and now that seems to have helped. Zyrtec made me kinda extra dried out in the face in the past so I gotta keep an eye on that.

I also dislike being on Xyzal AND Zyrtec every day but hey. It might be working.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

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Well my period started kinda funky this month (you're on my TMI blog so if you don't wanna hear about this....wrong place lol). It was like really light for a few days starting the 24th (light enough that I was thinking it was just a little spotting or something) and then didn't really start until like yesterday so... That was weird. Just writing it down in case it ends up relevant.

[searchingforanichlesslife]

So anyway... Benadryl didn't seem to help this time 🙃.

I shall recount things for Science and Posterity.

Stopped taking my xyzal in prep for the food challenge - started getting annoyingly itchy very quickly.

Went white water rafting and was hugely irritated thanks to extended wet suit time as well as it being a wicked damp weekend.

Ended up using my hefty hydrocortisone ointment to get that to go away enough for the soy test.

Ate some soy and we determined I can eat it but maybe don't eat like ... Straight soy protein powder.

Was a little itchy, and the spots started coming back after stopping the hydrocortisone.

Went downhill mountain biking and got sweaty so all my spots came back with a vengeance even though I could take my xyzal again. (Also I fell HARD 😞)

We had sushi and I tried edamame and a smidge of gf soy sauce (I do not remember soy sauce being that much of a salt bomb!)

At this point I've had soy a couple times and have been taking my allergy meds again though I did have an issue last week where I missed it twice so that probably didn't help.

So yeah. Why am I so itchy and irritated? My cheeks and temples are starting to do the rosy and flaky thing they started doing with dupixent again. I hadn't put zoryve on them in a while because they were fine some I'm hoping that hitting those with that will help.

Also I had managed to get my back clear for my upcoming patch test appointment but like as soon as I put a sports bra on there's a nice irritated patch -.- is it the sports bra or the sweat?

[searchingforanichlesslife]

The itch is increasing and I can't pinpoint why 😭 I'm taking Benadryl dammit. Plus icing all my spots