This post will be short in words, as I am only typing with my pinkie and pointer of my left hand, and my thumb of my right hand. Yes, my thumb. It is awkward but necessary, as I have wrapped my hands with gauze and tape. I have to do this one or two times a week. When the baby was 2 weeks old, I developed eczema on my hands. I didn't know it was eczema, didn't know quite what it was. It just looked like deep clear postules beneath the skin of my hands, and itched and burned like crazy. I sifted through all sorts of explanations for what this could be, because it was spreading to more and more fingers. Perhaps the diaper rash had transfered to my fingers? Maybe it was a latex allergy? That made sense to me. It seemed to flair up when I was washing his bottles, pump parts, and pacifiers (which I did 3-4 times a day when I was pumping).
Finally went to a nurse practitioner who diagnosed it as Herpetic Whitlow, or Herpes of the Hand. Herpes on my hands? Um, yeah I didn't quite trust that diagnosis but took the medication the idiot prescribed anyway. Sure enough, my hands stayed exactly the same. Herpes of the hand, sheesh! Idiot nurse. I went to a different doctor who diagnosed it correctly as eczema, but the cream I was prescribed only worked for a few days. Bleeck! So I went to a dermatologist I'd been to before. He was a very to the point, abrupt doctor and it always kind of threw me off. My average time spent talking to him was 2 minutes or less.
"I had a baby a few months ago and this started happening on my hands," I told him.
He gave one look at my hands and said, "Yep, it's eczema, classic case. Have you heard about eczema?"
"Um, yes I think so," I said.
"We also call eczema Housewife's Dermatitis because it is common among people who are doing lots of cleaning, scrubbing, that sort of thing. With a new baby, there are lots of times you need to do cleaning, with washing the hands after diapers, washing bottles, giving baby a bath, etc. Water and soaps/cleaners are the enemy. Use disposable gloves to change baby's diaper and then simply throw them away after, instead of washing your hands after each change. Keep your hands out of water. If it's not dirty, don't wash it!" he said, and chuckled to himself, which was strange, as he was such a serious man. He handed me a prescription that he had scribbled out shortly after looking at my hands and said, "Just apply this morning and night, or whenever you need it."
The dermatologist, although lacking in bedside manner, wasn't lacking in expertise. The cream he prescribed is potent stuff. If I was more careful about avoiding water and using moisturizers in general, I'd probably only have to use the cream once every couple weeks or so. But as it is, I slack off and my hands get the itchy postules (which isn't actually a word, I think, but seems right so I'll use it again) and then crack and bleed. So here we are, wrap the hands in gauze, let them simmer overnight in the goodness of the medicated juices, and they are good to go in the morning. Poor thumb though, he is feeling left out of the party. Plus he's had to sit here and type all the letters on the right side of the keyboard. I'll go to bed and let the poor fella rest. Right thumbs gotta have a break sometimes too.
4 comments:
I have excema too! I haven't had a flare up in a while though. I got it really bad in middle school and that nasty ichy rash went all down my thighs, up my chest, and down my arms on my elbows. I wore long sleeve shirts most of that year, because even though it isn't contagious, I didn't want stupid 13 year olds saying stuff about it. Something that has worked really well for me is Dove Sensitive Skin soap. I use the body wash but I bet there are other kinds you can use. I also love Aveeno anti-itch cream, it doesn't have the best smell but it works great.
Hi thumb! Thanks for all your hard working in typing up this entry. Love your guts.
I get it as well. I always have it on the back of my arm.
For the first time in my life I got it down my legs. I went the the dr. and he also gave me some potent creme. And luck of all luck I now have it on my butt. And it makes reappearances on my legs.
So in the morning, I apply anti-stretch mark creme, lotion, and excema creme to my backside and legs.
My mother in law's got it on her hands. She uses baby wipes to wash them. It weirded me out that she never washed her hands in public rest rooms before I knew about the eczema and the baby wipes.
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