Day 40

Several days after the staph infection had subsided, i was due for a trip to bangkok that i had already booked months ago. so gamely, i set off together with hubby.

my condition had calmed down considerably the few days before our trip. but i think the stress of traveling, the air, the water, the intense heat and the food, all culminated and i started flaring again. this time, no infection, but my palm was torn up and split open.

when we got back to singapore, i went back to my mum's place to hide out for a few days. i also wanted to find out if it was the cats that was triggering my eczema.

anyway, here are some pics that i took when i got back.

A different sort of disgusting, particularly second finger - my second finger was itching badly the last few days and now i finally knew why. notice the old, smooth skin still miserably clinging on, as new and rotting skin appeared under the surface.

Day 21 - 32 - A Staph Infection

Here are some highlights from the start of my journey, all the way till the second month before I officially began blogging.

Day 21

A little eczema patch that had grown on my right hand, taken just before a visit to a TCM physician, Dr Ong (she sucks and i'm never going back). The next day after leaving on herbal cream given by her. it felt like it was getting better. but no.

Day 23

Herbal medication was making things worse so i stopped. instead tried coconut oil and then physiogel. daftest thing i have ever done. this was when shit started getting real. my fingers were turning sore, and many fucking painful little blisters came bubbling to the surface.

Day 28

I started developing what seemed to be an infection. every morning when i woke up, the yellow stuff got yellower and the pain got worse. i showed my hands to hubby and he asked what medication i was using that was turning my fingers yellow. i wasn't using any. it was this infection in all its golden crusted glory. at this point, i freaked out and called in sick at work. the pain was unbearable - even gently brushing the skin made me cringe in pain.

Day 30

saturday night, we went out for Mother's Day dinner at Dempsey Jumbo, the parent in laws spent the entire evening discussing my condition, planning out my next course of action. I have the awesomest in-laws in the world :) i was in pain, but still felt so loved and protected, all thanks to them! oh i should mention at this point, i was already feeling zingers. i thought my blood circulation was getting cut off and i was going to get gangrene!

Day 31

The next day, I went to work and proceeded to freak the fuck out of the entire office. lots of screams of horror ensued. anyway, on the bright side, I didn't realise it yet but the yellow skin was turning thick and chunky and started to peel off.

Day 32

Decided to pay a visit to my 'dear friend' the derm to make sure i'm not at risk of losing my fingers. Derm very 'helpfully' informed me that i will be on steroids for the rest of my life. fuck you very much dear sir.

Terrifying, but in fact I was running the final leg of that dreadful infection. All the infected skin had dried up, hardened, and was waiting to come off. Bottom section of middle finger already cleared up with clean new skin. however, that was to be the start of a new nightmare. 

Day 1

This was how it began. A seemingly innocent harmless little eczema patch.

Day 0 - My History

My history with eczema goes quite a long way back.

When I was in Primary school, it was eyelid dermatitis. Angry, red and flaking. Fortunately I was still blissfully oblivious and didn't think much of it, although my folks did take me around to various GPs and TCM physicians who never did manage to heal it.

In Secondary school, things took a turn for the worst. The dermatitis had spread and was now covering my eyelids, underneath my eyes, parts of my cheeks and my earlobes. Slightly more vain this time, I started growing acutely aware of how awful it looked. This time, skin specialists were involved, and steroids were slowly introduced. This flare-up didn't last long - all it took was a week of application before everything went away. I remember triumphantly returning to class with crystal clear skin - so clear that my teacher told me off for having foundation on.

In my 20's, eczema reared its ugly head once again in the form of pompholyx. I don't quite remember the exact timeline but I was now applying steroids fervently, even while the pompholyx never truly cleared. It was always there, sometimes a bigger patch, sometimes a smaller one. All throughout my 20's, I never knew what it was like to firmly grip something in my hands without cringing in pain, or tearing up my skin. Everything I did was done haphazardly, because pain was always involved.

My late 20's was when things got really bad. At one point, the pompholyx covered my entire palm. Oozing, bleeding, infected, swollen. Somehow, I gritted my teeth and endured everything, all the while believing that steroids was my only way out. I just needed to jump in with my trusty steroids every couple of hours. Even when my hands were getting worse by the day. I now believe that the TSA was already kicking in back then.

After I turned 31, the pompholyx finally cleared for a good 2.5 years. It was like I was suddenly given a new lease on life. With my newfound hands, I finally learned how to ride a bicycle. I moved into our new house with my husband, and with my newfound hands, and I started organising and cleaning with a passion. Everyone used to call me lazy. In actuality, I wasn't lazy. I was just in too much pain all the time to be able to do much.

A couple weeks ago, I discovered a little dry dot on my palm. I ignored it but it grew larger and larger.

And here I am now, once again battling this brutal condition.

However, many things have changed since my last eczema battle, 2.5 years ago.

This time, things are different. I am not the passive young girl that I used to be. I am no longer willing to take a backseat and let eczema run the show. I have started researching the crapola out of eczema and learnt about TSW, which I now firmly believe is happening.

And so this blog has come about, to bear witness to the war that I am about to wage on this cruel ailment. Let's begin!