Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Whining and hoping (and itching and running).

So this eczema thing?

It really sucks.

Note: Not my foot, but this is basically what it looked like at its worst.

I don't want to dwell on this too much, because I don't want to get all Negative Nancy up in here. I'm thankful it's not worse, and that it seems to be improving, however slowly. Daytime is pretty easy, with little to no itching (probably because I sit in an office that is kept at like 20 degrees so I'm basically numb all day). But at night, just as I'm winding down, my feet and hands itch to the point that I cannot stop myself from scratching. I've had to put ice packs on it in order to numb it enough that I can fall asleep, and then I wake up around 3 AM (every. single. night.) itching like crazy again.

The good news is, it's looking better. The bumps aren't as raised, they're starting to disappear, and it doesn't hurt rubbing my toes together. (When it was at its worst, my toes felt like I had big, gritty dirt between them and it was even less pleasant than it sounds.)

Anyway, I've been to Urgent Care twice and I have an appointment in a million years three weeks with a dermatologist (and I keep calling to see if there are any cancellations for a sooner appointment). My biggest concern is that this might become a recurring thing. So let's all pray (big time!) AGAINST that, yeah? At my second UCare visit, I asked the doctor if I should stop exercising until this clears up, because I noticed it seemed to feel worse after sweating and wearing socks and shoes (did I mention I've worn nothing but loose-fitting flip flops for two weeks?). She pretty much said, "It's your call, but it might be wise to hold off on exercise for awhile."

But! But! But!

I have a 15k to run tomorrow!

And I keep going back and forth on whether I should do it. Joe doesn't think I should, because he sees how miserable I've been and doesn't want me to risk drawing this out any longer than necessary. But I think I'd be super disappointed if I didn't follow through on this. I know I wouldn't do very well, since I haven't exercised AT ALL for a week, and I haven't run in almost two weeks. But I've been SO looking forward to running a longer race.

So I made a deal with myself. If I sleep through tonight without any itching frenzies (which, let me tell you, would seriously be a miracle), I will run the race tomorrow morning. If I have even one little fit of waking-myself-up-scratching, I'm out.

Feel free to pray boldly with me for quick and complete healing, relief of ALL pain and itchiness, an uninterrupted night's sleep, and an extra boost of energy to conquer those 9.3 miles tomorrow!

Pretty please? :-)

In the category of Way More Awesome news, my sister is here to visit me for a week! Joe picked her up at the train station this afternoon, so I'll get to see her in approximately 15 minutes when I get home. YAY! Super excited for some Sneezter Shenanigans these next few days.

Sneezter Shenanigans circa 2010

2 comments:

  1. Hi Tabitha! Have you tried argan oil? It's supposed to really help with eczema. I have used it on my face and really like it. I don't get extremely bad eczema so I'm not sure how it will work on the really bad stuff, but I get white, scaly patches on my face and the argan oil helps a lot. I've also heard that incorporating more coconut oil into your diet and other regimes (with lotion, in the bath, etc) can really help with eczema. Let me know if you try (or have tried) those two things and if they help! :)
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't tried argan oil, but I may give it a shot! I found a great eczema therapy lotion (Aveeno brand) that has helped with the dryness and itching, but sometimes the symptoms are stronger than the lotion can fix. Thanks for the tips!

      Delete

Thanks for your comment! I try to reply to all comments within the post itself so we can keep the conversation going.