Dyshidrotic Eczema
It all started with a few tiny blisters on my palms and my soles. Just mildly irritating but nothing more than that. I started getting worried when more appeared.
The last time I had this, it was HFMD (hand foot mouth disease). But… none of my children was down with it this time. And I had neither fever nor sore throat (well, I did lose my voice and it’s still hoarse because I overused my voice box. Over 10 hours of continuous usage with little chances of water drinking. I need to give myself a gag order!! ?) This time I couldn’t have been so suay or “cannot make it” to get it when no child in the household had it, right?! *rolls eyes*
I googled (no one uses the word “search” anymore. Google has pulverized the usage of search. Even 宝贝 says,”Mama if you don’t know anything, just google loh!!” ?) on the symptoms – red rash, impossibly itchy, blisters on palms and feet soles. The search results turned up with hfmd but only if it’s accompanied with fever and sore throat. Or else it’s dyshidrotic eczema.
Gosh! How I hate this word eczema. It’s been plaguing me (because 宝贝 has it) for years and years. It’s probably due to something I ate. But I’ve been eating all kinds of food everyday so it’s kind of hard to pinpoint it.
I have this once every few years. The last time I had it was probably 5-6 years ago. So rightly, I should be very thankful that it’s so occasional.
I just have to endure the itch and pinprick pains when the little blisters combine. The dastardly things don’t itch in the day, but torment me at night!!! I can now totally empathize with 宝贝 now when she scratches her arms. It’s unbearable for me, as an adult and I’ve pretty high tolerance for pain and itch.
It’s been more than a week. Some of the early blisters have dried up yet new ones have been appearing. They have started to spread to the back of my hand.
It appears to be healing though. I pop the occasional antihistamine when it gets unbearable and I’ve hijacked 宝贝’s supply of anti itch sprays and creams.
Once all the blisters have dried up, the skin will flake and peel off.
So looking forward to that day.
I promise I’ll henceforth, stop giving 宝贝 the frown and impatient look, tsk at her, “ooi! Stop scratching leh!!” On the bright side, maybe I got it so that I can live through for a few weeks of what she’s gone through for years.
She gently takes my hand and strokes it. “Mama if it’s itchy, tell me ok?” Then smiles empathetically with her Bambi eyes. In that very moment, I’m the most fortunate mother on earth and yet I’m so humbled. She will make a better Mom than I am in future. That’s my darling girl…
11 thoughts on “Dyshidrotic Eczema”
Hiya…Really hope you see this comment and reply …Can I ask how you actually got the Eczema and the cause?And how itchy from 1 to 10 …10 being the worst possible .
Which was worse feet or hands? I get it but only on my fingers and knuckles but it hurts never get it on my palms though …god it musg of drove you crazy xxx
Hi Joanne I don’t have this very often. It occurs like once every few years. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to discover the allergen for this. I’ll give it a 5 on the itch scale.
I’m currently combating my daughter’s eczema now. It’s a full overhaul of diet and creams. Basically a lifestyle overhaul. Very happy that she’s showing great improvements.
hi, i am going through these blisters and it’s really annoying! apply steroid.. blisters gets big and got pus… it healed then new blisters grow again on the recovered skin.. sigh
any remedy you have or does it go away by itself for you??
I don’t use steroids, because it doesn’t cure, it only masks the symptoms.
So far I only experience this once every other year. I still haven’t discovered the trigger for it yet. During the period, I drink a lot of water (to flush whatever caused it out of the system) and eat probiotics (capsules). And I use natural creams on it to ease the itch and to make them go away sooner.
Hfmd is a recurring retrovirus, and works in a similar fashion to herpes, residing in a dormant state within the body’s nervous system, they can become active under periods of stress or over-exertion. I have just determined I have a chronic case of it after I caught it from my children about six weeks ago. It’s called a progeny virus if you would like to read about the way it invades dna and replicates.
Homeopathic remedies including antiviral essential oils like heliachrysum and frankincense taken orally (food grade brands like doterra)
Supplements like lysine and fish oil
Alkalizing the body with Apple cider vinegar and Hazelwood jewelry. There’s many options out there.
Hfmd is one that is caused by feeling uncared for, so also addressing that aspect of dis-ease will go a long way..
I hope it clears up for everyone!
I happened to have found your blog post when I *googled* images for atopic dermatitis. I have lichen planus, which flares up every few years. It’s only on the soles of my feet (thank goodness) and the itching is almost unbearable, should I ever scratch it. I try not to even think or touch about it, but it’s truly a difficult thing to ignore.. I was misdiagnosed 5 times before a new dermatologist did a biopsy. I’m just curious if you’ve ever had a biopsy on your rash? After looking at so many of the photos, and comparing what I had on my soles, it looks more like lichen planus than the HFMD. The photo of your feet is nearly identical to what mine look like during a full blown flare. Mine flares up during times of extreme stress… like moving… which I’m doing in two weeks… from Hawaii to North Carolina. So, even though it’s an expected move for my family and I, it’s still REALLY stressful for me. Anyway, I just wanted to ask about whether or not you’ve had a biopsy on it. Take care!
It’s definitely not HFMD because no one in the family had that at that point of time. I probably had something which I was allergic to. But I didn’t have a biopsy because it kind of went away after 2-3 weeks.
I don’t have it often. Maybe once every few years.
Hi again! I don’t know where my brain was when I typed that, but I meant to type “dyshidrotic eczema,” not HFMD! Lol.
The soles of the feet is not a *typical* area for Lichen Planus, BUT that’s exactly where mine showed up. I also had a few areas on my palms/hands during my last flare. My advice is worth what you pay for it… but I would suggest getting a biopsy the next time you have a flare. Only because of the fact that some treatments for eczema can actually further irritate other autoimmune issues. And if you’re having an allergic reaction of THIS intensity, then it’s most definitely worth it in the long run to find out if it’s dyshidrotic eczema or Lichen Planus. I know the word “biopsy” tends to scare some people, but it’s not a big deal. The biopsy on my foot was quick, relatively painless, and I had the result within a week.
Lichen Planus only reoccurs in 15% of people, and it is quite common for flares to go a few years between each other. But, it’s misdiagnosed quite frequently, so 15% is probably not very accurate. Also, If I’m not mistaken, eczema recurs more frequently for most sufferers. For some reason, your photo jumped out at me because it looked nearly identical to mine during a flare… and all the other photos of dyshidrotic eczema just didn’t seem to be the same. Wishing you well ~ Claire :)
Thanks Claire! I’ll most certainly do a biopsy the next time I get it. I was reading through the symptoms and photos. They look different from mine though. And they commonly manifest in other parts of body and seldom on palms and soles.
I hope I don’t get them again! The itch was unbearable!!
Hi all!
When my hands start up with this.. It’s first itchy, then gets super dry, then the skin peels off. And it’s so painful to touch anything! I’ve found that drinking organic raw apple cider vinegar makes it go away (I like Braggs). I hate the taste, so I do it quickly! Basically a shot in the morning and a shot before going to bed. I start drinking the cider at the earliest sign of the itching starting and it really makes a difference. At least for me. Hopefully this helps someone out there!!
Thanks for the tip!!