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The lovely @EczemaSupport asked me the following on Twitter:
"what do you think about emollients - do they help the #eczema? What would life be like without them?"
(Bit of context for the unaware - I suffer some really nasty eczema on my hands, called pompholyx. It significantly impairs their function)
Emollients - moisturisers. They're absolutely essential. They can help cool the itch, sooth the sting, and of course help lessen your skin cracking like the grand canyon. I once got a big tub of Hydromol lotion with a pump-top that had broken, so we had to take the top off. Plunging my hand deep into that was pure bliss. Utter momentary relief.
It's not without it's drawbacks - heavily moisturised, damaged, skin is prone to more damage and in my experience, more infection. The skin's delicate, and just because it's moisturised doesn't mean it won't itch, and when you scratch it, it'll tear. Where the skin's heavily damaged, it doesn't even take scratching to do it - picking something up, a kid holding your hand, even knocking it can rip the skin. But it's balance. The damage that would be done without emollients would be considerably worse. The dried blisters would go hard, and my fingers would split badly. My hands' mobility would be considerably worse. Before I found my current moisturiser, my skin would go so hard it felt like wearing thimbles, as though I was feeling through something. I was, it was a couple of milimetres of dead, hard, skin.
Finding the right one is trial and error. What may be good for me might not be for you. Aqueous stung & was too watery. E45 actually made it worse (reacted to an ingredient). Hydromol lotion wasn't long-lasting enough and too "loose". In the end I've settled on Hydromol ointment, which is like barely-melted lard in consistency. It's thick and viscous, very greasy, and it's the best I've found so far. The fact that I always wear gloves means I don't get the grease on everything I touch (though it can seep through the gloves), but I can see that being a problem for people who don't.
This definitely wouldn't have fit in Twitter's character limit...
"what do you think about emollients - do they help the #eczema? What would life be like without them?"
(Bit of context for the unaware - I suffer some really nasty eczema on my hands, called pompholyx. It significantly impairs their function)
Emollients - moisturisers. They're absolutely essential. They can help cool the itch, sooth the sting, and of course help lessen your skin cracking like the grand canyon. I once got a big tub of Hydromol lotion with a pump-top that had broken, so we had to take the top off. Plunging my hand deep into that was pure bliss. Utter momentary relief.
It's not without it's drawbacks - heavily moisturised, damaged, skin is prone to more damage and in my experience, more infection. The skin's delicate, and just because it's moisturised doesn't mean it won't itch, and when you scratch it, it'll tear. Where the skin's heavily damaged, it doesn't even take scratching to do it - picking something up, a kid holding your hand, even knocking it can rip the skin. But it's balance. The damage that would be done without emollients would be considerably worse. The dried blisters would go hard, and my fingers would split badly. My hands' mobility would be considerably worse. Before I found my current moisturiser, my skin would go so hard it felt like wearing thimbles, as though I was feeling through something. I was, it was a couple of milimetres of dead, hard, skin.
Finding the right one is trial and error. What may be good for me might not be for you. Aqueous stung & was too watery. E45 actually made it worse (reacted to an ingredient). Hydromol lotion wasn't long-lasting enough and too "loose". In the end I've settled on Hydromol ointment, which is like barely-melted lard in consistency. It's thick and viscous, very greasy, and it's the best I've found so far. The fact that I always wear gloves means I don't get the grease on everything I touch (though it can seep through the gloves), but I can see that being a problem for people who don't.
This definitely wouldn't have fit in Twitter's character limit...
An interesting difference - reactions to illness
As you may be aware, I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. These are "invisible illnesses" - the symptoms aren't visible to you. I don't have a missing arm, I don't have lesions all over my face, and to look at me you'd probably think I'm just really hung-over.
I'd gotten used to people not seeing that I was ill, gotten used to the disbelief and outright rudeness from others, gotten used to having to explain my illnesses to people through either necessity, or in response to questions asked. It's a trust thing - if you can't see it, how do you know it's really there? There's that niggle (or with some peop
Adventure Season
It's "adventure season" again, with it's own set of challenges and rewards. What is it? Well it's The Boy's school holiday and his mum has taken time off work so we can cram some adventures in - zoos, theme parks, days out, fun stuff - but also very, very tiring stuff. Already my CFS/ME has taken quite a hit, and we're not done yet.
There is the obvious reward for a parent seeing their children have a great time (and even the not-so-great times, like when The Boy got off the rollercoaster. "Too fast, too high, too scary"), but it also presents me with things I don't see every day - like Eagles, Pandas, trains in fancy dress and people.
Happy ME day?
Today, the 12th, is CFS/ME awareness day. It's a manky condition that is like your worst nightmare hangover, but without the fun before-hand and one that ain't going away.
Looking at me you'd not know I have it, most likely. You might think I'm drunk as I walk down the road, but that's just my balance being off. You might think I'm slow and lazy, but that's because I just can't go any faster. You might see me sat with my head in my hands, but I'm not trying to get your attention - it just hurts.
So what is it exactly? Annoyingly, no-one's really sure. There was a bit of excitement as a virus was identified as a possible culprit, but u
Oi, brits!
An hour until the Polling Stations close. If you've not voted yet, get off your arse and get to the booth!
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