Dermageddon!
I have just recovered from my worst eczema flare up in years. I’ve always had eczema, and the suffering of it lasted through most of my childhood, into my teens and through to my mid 20’s. It’s of the ‘atopic’ variety as well, not just the little itchy bit you get on your elbow every now and then, but the full blown all over cornflake bodysuit that when it flares up turns you into a big red grumpy monster that swells up and squirts blood and innocent passers by. Well maybe not that bad, but that’s how it felt to me as a kid, and my perception of myself varied wildly from one day to the next, affecting my confidence in much the same way. The world was a nice place one day, and could go f**k itself the next.
I hadn’t had a flare up in so long I’d forgotten how bad it could be, and this time it was compounded by a bout of ‘otitis externa’, an acute ear infection which feels like having a house brick nailed to the side your head. The flare up kicked in a couple of days into the ear infection, and not suspecting the infection as related, I ran the gamut of probable causes to track down the source of swelling and rampant itching. Diet and environment, every item of food and clothing scrutinised, everything that went in me, on me or through me was questioned, even my girlfriend. Yes, even my girlfriend, my flat, my washing machine, the ph neutrality of the water in my area of Manchester, as once I’d eliminated my diet and washing powder as the usual suspects, the possiblities of cause suddenly became broader and vaguer.
As the days passed the condition worsened to the point where the entre back of my head and shoulders were a red raw mess. Quick eczema test. lick the back of your hand, now blow on it. Imagine the areas of the body I’ve just mentioned being that sensitive all the time. Now fill your mouth with sherbert (No don’t do that 
). So many things had changed in my life in such a short space of time that in looking for the cause I started to consider possible pschological triggers, having experienced first hand how things like stress can have a big effect over your physical well being. And so I found myself lying on the floor in lounge at three in the morning having washed my weeping, stinging head for the second time that night, thinking big dark thoughts. Was living together not working? Was there somthing wrong with the new flat? Was the change from living alone to living together too acute? Was I agreeing to things I didn’t want? I didn’t think so, but in light of no other causes, it was hard not to speculate on the negatives.
‘Go to the doctors’. Yes. Been there. Done that. It’s all too easy to sit winge about ailmments, then wine about the NHS and never get off your arse and do anything about getting seen by your GP because it’ll ages. I went to my local walk-in centre when my ears became unbearable, I waited an hour and the only thing that couldn’t be seen were my eardrums, due to too much swelling. Nurse Danny noticed my eczema too when I brought it up, but still no mention of the two being connected. We played eczema medication pokemon, I won. I have them all.
Eczema is a condition, not a disease so there isn’t a cure as such, and it doesn’t really lend itself to the kind of sexy marketing campaigns to raise awareness and donations that more popular ills like HIV aids or cancer do. Hence there’s not a lot public familiarity with it, depite it being quite common. Also Eczema isn’t fatal, but there have been a number of cases where the associated depression has lead to suicide, but thats a minority. I got depressed as a kid, but never that bad.
It was only when I came back two days later and he could have a proper look, sans swell, that he saw what he thought was ‘Otitis Externa’ a particular type of infection that could well have aggrevated the surrounding skin to the point of dermageddon, I got refered to a doctor, he gave me pills, and over the next couple of days I recovered and got some sleep. Now I am better. Hurray!.