Where it all began...

I have had atopic eczema since I was a baby. Thankfully, it has always been fairly mild. I have had a few more severe flare ups here and there, usually during colder weather, but nothing that regular moisturising and the occasional burst of steroid treatment couldn't fix.

I can't remember the first time I first saw those little bumps on my finger. I think it was a few years ago. There were only a few of them - just on the fourth finger of my left hand. They were incredibly itchy….unbelievably itchy in fact. Trying not to scratch them was impossible. So I scratched. The skin became red and inflamed. Eventually the bumps started to dry out and my skin became cracked and broken. Ouch. Then it healed. And that was that - what a relief, I thought.

Over the next few months, the bumps would appear again from time to time. Always in the same place, always the same cycle of itching, inflammation, cracking and peeling - thankfully, the cycle was short. It was annoying, but it wasn't a significant problem. I didn't even try to find out what it was.

Fast forward to June 2015, and I had just had my little boy. Sometime in the weeks after his birth, those little bumps appeared. But this time there were more of them. And by the time the skin had cracked and was beginning to heal, new bubbles were appearing under the skin. Over the months than followed, the bumps began to spread. They appeared on the third finger of my left hand. Then on the palm. More recently my right hand has also been affected. My skin has been constantly flaring since my son was born - there are no breaks between flare ups, and at this point the condition is affecting not only my hands, but also my mood. It is really, really getting me down.

Of course, I now know what this horrible affliction is - it is dyshidrotic eczema, otherwise known as pompholyx. And there is "no cure" - or at least, that is what dermatologists seem to think.

So why did I start this blog?

Because I refuse to believe there is no cure for this. I refuse to believe that throwing steroids at the problem is the solution. Long term steroid use can be extremely harmful and I am unwilling to live my life masking this problem with drugs. My hands are angry about something - maybe it's something I am coming into contact with, or something I am eating…that is what I need to find out.

I am just starting out on my journey and I am determined to get my hands back. I am hoping this blog will help me keep track of my thoughts and the different approaches I am planning on trying. And I hope this may help others too - I would love to hear from other sufferers!

I have actually already tried a few things and have so many thoughts to get down…I will do follow-up posts soon to bring things up to date.