GUEST POST: Hello!

It's about time that I made a blog about my eczema as I've been saying I'd do so for a long while now! So here we are... I have eczema.

Me on a very good day

My name is Jenny and I have had eczema, asthma and hay fever since birth. I had been able to mostly manage my conditions by taking a steroid inhaler and applying hydrocortisone when it flared up. However it wasn't until the beginning of  November 2005 that my life turned upside down and I developed a somewhat severe form of the condition. It was around this time that my Grandfather died and I met my Father for the first time. Certainly not a good time for any 16 year old girl that's for sure.

The day of the funeral my skin had become inflamed, covered in weeping sores. My eyes were incredibly swollen and my asthma had worsened rather dramatically. I was in so much pain, it was unbearable and everyone stared at me which didn't exactly help matters! That night I was rushed to A&E as I had an asthma attack and my skin looked and felt infected. They kept me in hospital after administering shots of antihistamines to try to relieve the skin and I have to admit, it was one of the most horrendous hospitals I've ever been to... but that's another story.

It took around 6 months to recover from that episode and it returned to a more manageable state up until January 2009. Since this time, there has barely been a day where I have had respite of the illness. I have tried everything from steroids, various moisturisers, antihistamines, wraps, protopic, immunosuppressants, hypnotherapy, and so on and so forth. We have however discovered that I don't only suffer from eczema but also urticaria, sebhorreic dermatitis, alongside a number of allergies including dust mites of which measured so highly that a precise measurement couldn't be obtained! I'm also severely allergic to fur bearing animals, especially cats with saddens me greatly as I grew up alongside them, and am now no longer able to visit my Mother's house.

So yep, there's a brief intro to my condition. I hope to help other's with their own illnesses and to raise more of an awareness of severe eczema!