Realising its not severe Eczema
Why it finally clicked
During the "flare" what remained constant was the constant itch. On hindsight, the itch was largely similar to how Eczema itch is, but much more intense. Some describe this as a bone deep kinda itch - but for me it was just a really intense itch that was hard to resist not scratching. Looking back, this probably was the only one symptom that was really made things a little confusing.
Basically, if you were told your entire life you were itching because of Eczema, it would be acceptable for you to think that any other skin related symptoms, no matter how aggrevated were Eczema at work too.
What helped me realise what I was facing was more than Eczema, was that the following symptoms I was experiencing were really not the normal kind I got for the last 30 years:
- Non-stop flaking, even in areas where I had no Eczema previously. This was what was described as severe dryness from my dermatologists - apply more moisturizer they say..
- Persistant oozing on areas that flaked. My clothes would get stuck to the ooze, and the ooze would never really stop. The ooze was probably the main thing that made this whole ordeal feel disgusting..
- Chills so bad that I would shiver even under Singapore's hot weather - I was not having a fever too. I remember hiding under my blanket trying to get warm on a hot afternoon but I just gradually drifted to sleep while shivering.
- Sweating was largely decreased - even in the most humid conditions, I was not sweating! Given that I'm a sweaty guy, this was a shocker.
1 & 2 probably seemed like symptoms that could be common to Eczema. But personally they were largely different from the Eczema I knew.
3 & 4 was what clearly indicated that I was handling a different monster all together. My skin seemed to be unable to perform its basic functions like thermal regulation and sweat production.
It was so frustrating dealing with the symptoms because my doctors were just suggesting more steroids, and biologics (which they said would not be a cure too). This part probably deserves its own blog post :')
These symptoms made my life unbearable, eventually I visted Skin Health Center - a place a fellow friend recommended me visit.