Since I started this new way of eating—no dairy,
gluten, sweeteners, or preservatives—on June 27, the most unexpected results
have been the return of energy and the reduction of pain. These are big-time results since I’ve had fibromyalgia
for over twenty years.
One of the
first things I noticed is how long the days are when I’m not sleeping in or
taking at least one nap every day. That
means I’m getting a lot of things done, right?
Wrong. Instead, I spend a lot of
time on itching. Unfortunately, the
itchy eczema has not gone away. Yet.
So I scratch. Or try not to scratch. Or research itching and atopic
dermatitis. I keep hoping to find some
new (to me) homespun remedy, but I haven’t yet.
So I apply coconut oil head to toe four or more times a day. I ice the itchy spots. I do bits and pieces of work around the house
but avoid any activity that could raise a sweat. I take cool to lukewarm showers and use
glycerin bars for hand and body washing.
And I keep trying not to scratch, which is really hard when everything
itches. My skin is so sensitive that
when I scratch, it looks like I’ve been clawed by a cat.
Dealing
with the itch takes a lot of energy that I’d rather spend elsewhere. However, my bad back limits what I can do
(though it does not prevent frequent baby-holding sessions at my daughter’s
house when Ava is fussy and Dana needs to make dinner). So does my extreme aversion to sweating: I can’t face doing anything strenuous because
sweat triggers more itching.
A
couple days ago, I looked at my wood music stand and thought about playing my
flute again. It’s been months since I’ve
picked it up because I did not have the energy. Before I could act on my good
intentions, a new eczema spot erupted on the pad of one of my fingers. It hurts when I just touch it, so flute
playing is out for a while longer.
It appears that my eczema is getting creative,
too. Besides the atopic dermatitis,
there is an outbreak of dyshidrotic eczema on my hands. A scaly bump has appeared on my scalp. A sore showed up on a skin tag, and other
sores have cropped up on moles. And
there are sores in other places I won’t mention. Rashes come and go. Most sores erupt complete with their own deep
scabs. Sections of skin are raised and
rough. For several days, my neck burned
even though it had no sores.
Ah, yes, I am complaining. I was just itching to tell you all about it.
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