I’m ecstatic! I hardly think of DE anymore, and when I do, I just feel so relieved, grateful and happy that it’s been gone for 10 months. No more desperate scratching, unbearable pain and hiding hands and feet because it made people wince.
Category: Skin
Dear Skin
What am I doing to you that you’re not liking?
My DE has been clear for about 4 months now.
I still get the ocasional super tiny and lonely blister on the palm of my hands, but there’s no itching or pain, and it goes away on it’s own.
On my feet it’s a different story, no blisters, nothing to “see” but I feel it latent there. Some nights the soles of my feet (especially the left one) itch. I suspect the fungus is still luring there. Unfortunately I’m far from home and my dermatologist, and I don’t have access to Itracornazol.
My newest acquisition is some kind of eczema around my right eye, have had it for about 3 weeks. It itches and hurts. I’m putting Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment on it. It seems to be better in the mornings and get’s redder and itchier as the day goes on.
On the bright side, we’re well into Spring and I haven’t had hay fever yet! Apparently they don’t have whatever triggers my hay fever here in Denmark.
R.
Mycotic Results: Positive
Just picked up my mycotic exams and I tested positive for dermatophytes trichophyton rubrum (athletes foot). I feel odd about feeling happy because I have fungi, but I that’s exactly how I’m feeling, happy and relieved. Fungi can be treated!
I finished my Itracornazole treatment, Hands are 98% clear, feet still have some bubbles on the sides, but itch less and look much better. I’ll see what the doc says on Thursday
Elimination Diet-Phase 1 Complete
Day 23 of the Elimination Diet.
Day 15 of taking Itracornazole 200mg.
I’ll start re-introducing dairy products tomorrow. Yay!
I’m not feeling fatigued anymore, eating plenty of fruit, salad, brown rice & some meat. Also guilty of eating ham :S it has been my one allowed item for some days.
Also, haven’t had breathing allergies for over a week (last time it was because of a cat – I love cats, that’s not fair).
Hands are almost clear. Sole of my left foot has baby skin. Sides of both my feet are covered in tiny blisters, but they don’t seem to itch as much as when I have it on the soles of my feet and hands.
Moving to freezing cold weather in a couple of weeks, hopefully that will help a bit?
My feet are really dirty at the moment from walking on my flip-flops all day, so I’ll post some tomorrow.
R.
Day 21 – Elimination Diet
Day 13 of taking Itracornazole 200mg.
I’ve had noticeable improvement in the sole and in between toes of my left foot. Yay! I know it still looks bad, but if you pay close attention there are no blisters with liquid in the last 2 pictures. The skin is super thin in the last picture, but at least there are no blisters.
The sides of both feet is a different story, they have worsened in the last week. I never thought my DE and stress could be related, but I received some very bad news last week, I am very anxious and I think it might have triggered a new flare up.
2 more days of the elimination diet – first product I’ll re-introduce is eggs! or dairy… I have to admit I don’t really miss gluten, or sugar (I eat fruit when I want something sweet and I’m ok with it).
Next Monday I’ll get the results of the mycotic tests, and on Thursday I have an appointment with my dermatologist. I’ll keep taking Itracornazole till then.
R.
Scratch & Pop
Day 15 of the Elimination Diet.
Day 7 of Itracornazole 200mg.
I’m not sure what my body is doing, last night a large patch of blisters appeared on the sides of both my feet. I couldn’t sleep, scratched until I popped some and felt a lot of liquid oozing out. Eventually I fell asleep.
My hands have blisters on the base of both my index fingers, I can feel them, but they’re not too visible.
My face has cleared up, there are no bumps on my face! (I’ve had bumps for a couple of months).
R.
Small new patch
Day 14 of the Elimination Diet – I no longer crave cheese, or bread. Strange, huh?
Day 6 of Itracornazole 200mg (something doesn’t add up in my calendar, I think I took 2 pills in one day -accidentally- at some point).
I take back what I said yesterday. A few hours after I posted, a patch of tiny blisters appeared on my right index finger, another patch on my right pinky and itch on my left index finger.
I also have some new red spots on my face.
Not sure what triggered it, my hands were so beautiful and soft yesterday. The only thing I did different yesterday was have 100% grapefruit juice (about 1 liter throughout the day).
My feet where itching a bit last night, but I managed not to scratch fiercely.
To fewer blisters,
R.
It’s working?
Day 13 of the Elimination Diet
Day 5 of taking Itracornazole 200mg + Micosep B (on feet)/Clobetasole Propionato (on hands).
Hands, 95% clear. No itch, no swelling, no pain. They were already starting to heal before taking Itracornazole, but I feel the healing was accelerated and there are no signs of an upcoming flare up.
Left foot still looks terrible, itching has come down but I still get a few attacks a day where I just want to scratch it with a cheese grater, swell has come down. Still painful.
Right foot, I had a flare up the day I started taking Itracornazole. So now it’s in the scaling phase.
Food wise: I feel like an eating machine (I munch all day long), still low on energy. Planning on starting some home yoga today, see if it helps.
Seeing a small light at the end of the DE tunnel 🙂
R.
Maybe this will work?
Day 9 of the Elimination Diet.
So, this morning I went to my old dermatologist and I mentioned to her that I suspected that last time Itracornazole had played a role in making the DE go away.
Incredibly enough, she agreed!
She prescribed:
- Panastat 200 (Itracornazole 200mg) once a day for 15 days
- An anti mycotic, anti inflammatory cream for my feet
- Clobetasol propionate for my hands
I’m very hesitant on the topical steroids (both creams have it) and I mentioned it to the dermatologist, she explained that very little actually gets absorbed as the skin on palms of hands and feet is very thick. That I should never apply it on more sensitive areas like the face and that taking oral cortisone made no sense to treat DE.
I’ll be seeing her again in 2 or 3 weeks before I leave Argentina, hopefully there will be some improvement in that time.
Still keeping the everything-free diet, 14 days to go. First thing I’ll incorporate after that? Eggs! (or maybe that’s just what I’m craving right now and I’ll change my mind later on).
Stay positive!
R.
Days 7 & 8- Elimination Diet
I’ve only been doing this diet just over a week? It feels like ages!
The upside is that I eat all day long and haven’t put on an ounce nor feel bloated. I’m also barely training and not surfing, which I miss, but I’m not sure I’d have energy to do.
The downside: I can only eat at home because I need to make sure that what I eat is gluten, dairy and egg free. I still feel low on energy.
My hands seem to be better, they don’t itch as much. My left foot it still itching and hurting a lot (still doing baking soda rubs and ice packs), and my right foot had a small flare up 2 nights ago. Haven’t been taking fexofenadine for the last few days either.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with another dermatologist, I want to get a second opinion to alternative treatments other than topical steroids.
Have an itch free night,
R.
Dyshidrosis Blog 