I’m baaaack!
I’ve had a rough couple of weeks. First, I finished the Ever Touched revision on time, but it was a struggle. I also got a freelance editing job in the midst of that, which was great, but needed to be done, so I wasn’t able to do much else (but the extra money was worth it!). And I have another one coming in tomorrow, which is great. 🙂
Then…I started getting these odd, itchy blisters on my hands and feet. The itching was miserable. I couldn’t sleep for at least a week. I finally got the brilliant idea of taking Benadryl before bed so I could sleep, except that really made me groggy in the morning. I couldn’t take hot showers b/c the heat would make the itching exponentially worse. All in all, I was miserable and a bit freaked out.
Long story short — I saw my doctor on Friday and he said it is vesicular eczema, which only affects the hands and feet. Apparently it could have started due to an allergy, but maybe not (we’ve racked our brains and can’t come up with anything). My dad had atopic eczema, and I guess there’s a genetic component to all of this. He gave me a shot of steroids (which I’m not sure helped), a prescription strength anti-itch cream, and told me to make sure I put moisturizer on myself every day indefinitely, as my skin is too dry (always in the winter). If I’m not better in one week, I’ll need to call him and probably come in again.
I can’t even tell you how miserable this is. Besides being itchy all the time, I have to constantly be aware of how warm I get b/c that affects it. I don’t sleep with many covers, so most of the time I’m freezing. I’m also swollen from the steroids, so I can’t wear my wedding rings or my anniversary ring, which I know is not huge and is temporary, but I have never not worn them and my hands feel naked. All my scratching can lead to a skin infection, so I’m worried about that as well. The funny thing? I figured this out myself. I did some research and saw pictures, and they looked just like my hands. But of course I needed confirmation of that, so I saw the doctor.I just want this to go away! I’m afraid it’s going to linger, and I’ll have to battle this for awhile and I really don’t want to.
But I guess of all the things that could be happening, this is relatively minor. Just a nuisance. But still…
So I haven’t done much of anything. But here’s the rundown:
Ever Touched revision – DONE and turned in 12/1. I get it back January 1st for the first round of revisions.
FYFB class – SO behind, not even funny. But I will be working on it today a bit.
Reviews – Somewhat caught up, but I have a few that need to be done like right now…
Exercise – Are you kidding me? Nope.
Water – Pretty much 5x a week, yay!
Weight – Lost 3 pounds, yay!
Chocolate consumption – Not a lot, really. WW Sundaes, chocolate-caramel thingies, hot chocolate. Lots of Twizzlers and Snickerdoodles.
Weaver of Words 
Oh, nooo! I feel bad for you for having this skin condition. There’s so many kinds of eczema and most of them are not fun and do drag on forever. Of course, you should listen to your doctor, but as long as you have started an internet search, I would keep checking the internet for additional treatments, holistic, diet, whatever is out there that sounds reasonable. I’ve worked in the medical field for almost 30 years and sometimes I feel like I am working for the enemy. For so many conditions, our doctors prescribe steroids, like that is the magic cure for everything. But while steroids help your body cure itself, there are other things out there that are easier on your body.
That’s just my opinion. Do what works for you! And don’t do anything that’s going to make it worse. Best wishes!
Thank you, Chris! That is great advice, and I will most definitely see what I can dig up. 🙂
Hoping the itching eases for you. Both my daughter and I get something like that when our allergies act up in the spring/summer. it’s not much fun.
Thanks, Fallon! I’m sorry that you and your daughter have issues too. 😦
Congrats on finishing your revision!
The itching sounds miserable, and sometimes modern medicine is limited in what it can do. Perhaps acupuncture might help? I had some chronic pain issues years ago (TMJ and wrist problems) and acupuncture was the only thing that worked. The doctors just wanted to throw pain meds at the problem, and that really wasn’t a long-term solution. In any case, I hope you’re feeling better soon!
Yeah, it has been miserable, Denise. Acupuncture sounds like an interesting idea. I will keep it in mind!