16 Months TSW

OK, I'm going to stop apologising for my absence and lack of communication as it must be getting old to you all now and I'm sure you can understand why I have been updating less and less.

Tomorrow will mark 16 months post topical steroid treatment. Hurray!

Since my last post where I had been bad, I had an appointment last week with my dermatology nurse who has since upped my dosage of Ciclosporin, and to counteract that, has also upped my Aciclovir in an attempt to prevent the herpeticum from reoccurring. I do have a cold at the moment though so we'll see how I fare in the next couple of weeks. I have my fingers firmly crossed because I also have an appointment with the dermatologist in 3 weeks and I can't be bothered to go through the steroid spiel again. I don't know if I mentioned before on my blog but I was referred by the hospital for liaison psychiatry and I can only think that is because they think I'm steroid phobic, Oh dear, dear, dear.

I've seen a lot of people getting better recently and that gives me some hope to hold on to. I already know I'm better from where I was when I started the journey last year... even if my poor health has brought with it a series of unfortunate illnesses that you couldn't even make up, including my mini stroke/ TIA that occurred last August. Crazy times.

I need to regain control of my strict vegan diet as I have strayed away as September is my birthday month and there have been too many occasions that have called for celebration. It is however becoming difficult now that the seasons have changed as fruit is becoming worse in quality which is putting me off slightly. No one likes mouldy fruit. Yuck! I don't think healthy eating has helped my skin yet but then again I haven't done it for long enough to yield good results. Plus boosting my immunity, especially on immunosuppressants is definitely necessary.

Also pics:

Me today

Yay for eyebrows. I need to get them sorted now because they actually look disgustingly wide.

This was the only photo I could capture where my face didn't look MEGA wrinkly. I don't think it's that bad in person but my camera seems to make me look about 80.

See! D;

Does anyone else suffer from this or has your skin managed to regain some of its former elasticity?

Anyways enough of my ramblings and I hope everyone is faring well.

Day 192 : Topical Steroid Withdrawal

Thought I should give you all an update as to how I'm doing seeing as my last entry was about my 8th bout of eczema herpeticum.

Well I went to see my GP as I stated I would on the Tuesday morning and was given 800mg tablets of Aciclovir, the usual treatment to rid the skin of the herpetic viral infection. Needless to say it worked and I was pretty much all cleared up by Wednesday evening. I'm glad it was short lived this time.

Last weekend we stayed at Shane's parent's house for a little break away as Shane had finally taken a week away from work. Believe me when I say he's needed it! He hasn't had a full week off work since he started the job 2 years ago and all the stress of this year with my health and his 1000km Challenge has pretty much taken its toll so this week was hugely needed for him.

It wasn't much of a break though as it was this past weekend that he hit his 1000km target at a half marathon in Norwich! But he isn't stopping there of course... oh no. Being a stubborn sod he's going to run another 5 races this year, including the marathon in Liverpool on New Year's Eve just so that he can reach his target of 52 races. Crazy! I will finally get to spend my weekends with him next year. I hope. If you'd like to sponsor him for his hard efforts and because he has gone above and beyond all expectations feel free to sponsor him http://justgiving.com/shanes1000km or check out his links in the tab at the top of my blog entitled "1000km Challenge". Thanks guys!

The first night of staying at his parent's house I woke up with a red, blotchy face. Eep! I honestly haven't suffered from that since around August time before I stopped the immunosuppressants and was diagnosed with MRSA so to suddenly wake up with it last weekend was pretty shocking. It got worse each morning and I think I can only attribute it to a washing powder allergy? It was only confined to my face, the rest of my body was fine, but given I wear full PJ bottoms, socks and a baggy t-shirt makes me think that is must be a contact allergen.

Frustratingly the red face hasn't disappeared just yet. I'm not waking up with it any more now that I'm back in my own house but by the evening it will be back again, due to being itchy and rubbing it, so I don't know if I may have awakened something in some way. Brilliant.

Anyway as always I hope everyone is well!

Eczema Herpeticum (Round 8 for Reals)

So as mentioned yesterday after I was having such a good time, my skin had to perk up and remind me that I'm not out of the woods just yet. Eczema Herpeticum round number 8 (this time it is number 8 because August's bout turned out to be MRSA) has decided to renounce itself.

It started on Sunday evening when I got in from work, just in the outer corner of my eye. By yesterday morning my eye had gunked itself shut (mmm!) and I was left with an unsightly pink and bloodshot eye. The fact it had done that filled me with dread as I knew instinctively that it was definitely herpeticum that I was dealing with. I had my usual shower around lunch time and as the skin on my face was particularly uncomfortable and dry I decided to moisturise the rest of my face, completely avoiding my eye area. Of course that didn't seem to matter in the slightest as the moisturiser then acted as a catalyst of which to spread the bloody disease across all regions of my face. I'm my own worst enemy.

Poor gammy eye

I decided to go in to work anyway as it would take my mind off the widespread tingling sensations and volts of pain that come with its territory, regardless of the fact I knew I looked disgusting and children would cry and mother's would scream in sheer horror. Obviously that didn't happen and no one said anything or flinched away from me so that boosted my morale somewhat. As it was nearing the end of my shift I looked at myself in a mirror (oh vanity!) and saw that the pustules were more widespread and oozing fluid so that it looked as though I was sweating heavily. Simply delicious!

Oh, I'm so attractive with my gammy eye!

When I got home I immediately went into the bathroom and began to dab at the oozing pustules with tissue, making sure to use a new section of tissue every time to avoid the spread. This seemed to work a treat as today although my eye was still gunked shut and my face is drier than dry the pustules are dessicated so are unable to spread further hurrah!

Luckily on Sunday night when I had an inkling that it could be herpeticum I sought out some left over 800mg Aciclovir tablets from my last bout and was able to take those. I have since been to visit my GP this morning to get a proper lot in which I can finish the course.

Go away herpeticum you're not welcome!

Topical Steroid Withdrawal 6 Month Anniversary

I drafted the following post last week however I've woken up today with my eye closed shut with pus and the telltale signs of eczema herpeticum. I'm long over due I guess...


So next Friday will mark my 6 month anniversary of being free from using topical steroids. It will also be around 3 months of quitting immunosuppressants too.

A lot of changes have been happening over this past week. Changes I am so happy about and feel incredibly grateful and optimistic that next year won't be so tough. Next year surely has to be a good year!

I've been taking small steps to be more social, whether this be grabbing a hot drink with fellow colleagues after work, or getting out of the house that little bit more for a browse in the shops, or even picking Shane up from work, I'm doing it and it feels great! I've been making more solid plans such as arranging to attend my work's Christmas party and even paying in advance. For how I've been over the course of this year, I wouldn't have even dreamed of paying cash up front for an event just in case I needed to bail out but I do feel very optimistic that I'll be able to go regardless.

I've now been attending my shifts at work 4 times a week since my last bout of illness in the first week of September. I think this is an amazing achievement as I was off so often that my attendance percentage was sky high and I'd come to the red sheet of warnings far too often than I care to. Obviously my managers understand my condition so knew it was not my fault for needing to take so many sick days but it still stings to sign that final warning sheet, where normally 3 strikes and you're out is the usual procedure. My hours have been creeping up and I even asked if I could take on another day whilst it's the Christmas period. Luckily because it is only a part time job my longest shift only requires me to be there for 6.5hrs. The rest of my days are usually only 4-5hrs, if that but it's still amazing progress!

On Wednesday I probably reached my biggest achievement of all. I was sitting in my craft room actually crafting! When we moved to this house one of the requirements was for me to have a room dedicated to all of my craft things (saying I have a LOT is an understatement!) and it's only taken me a year to be able to use it for its designated purpose. To also further this, the fabric I was using was shedding an awful lot of fibre dust and did I react? No! I'm literally over the moon <3

Also I've been able to start doing a bit of exercise. I am so unfit it is ridiculous! For years now I have been prisoner to the awful heat induced urticaria which is brought on by exertion, meaning exercise was nigh on impossible. Some how I've been able to do cardio, albeit not for long because I get so out of breath(!), but my hives appear to have been kept at bay. Sweating is still a little bit of an issue but I'm not scratching myself frantically as I would have been previously. It definitely feels a lot more tolerable.

I'm so, so happy that my life is slowly but surely getting back on track. Next year I'd like to achieve quite a lot before I hit the big 25; such as going abroad to maybe Norway or somewhere lovely I've never been, finally obtaining a full time job, moving away from this city, starting up a craft based business and finally being able to properly say thank you to Shane for supporting me and being there in my toughest times. Without him I really don't know how I'd of survived.

Life is getting easier.

Still Recovering (Herpeticum)

Yep, I'm still slogging away with this wretched eczema herpeticum. However there have been some changes. It is still spreading despite being tiny and I've now managed to get a patch on my back which has been otherwise clear. It is incredibly frustrating to deal with as the skin still needs to be moisturised! I've been washing my hands constantly with antibacterial soap and hand sanitiser more often than I care to in an attempt to stop the spread. It has literally been a case of wash hands, do one limb, wash hands, do another limb and so on and so forth until I am that exhausted I fall asleep! Also having to remind Shane to keep on his toes with hand washing too especially seeing as it is such a contagious virus.

I'm also seriously itchy because the skin is regenerating itself in other places but "heal peel" as I like to call it is good peel, so I can't complain about that too much. Though it is a pain because if I scratch absent mindedly I give myself a real telling off because I don't want to spread any more herpeticum!

I feel really stubborn today and want to go to my festival despite all the goings on. I will need to get a prescription for more 800mg tablets of Aciclovir as it just isn't shifting as quick as usual. I suppose with it having been all over me, my body can only do so much healing at a time and I guess legs are hardest because they're further away from the heart or some such thing? Patience dearest, have patience!

  Looking much better.   The crusty ooze I've been plagued with on both ears is now coming off as layers upon layers of shed. Mmm shed. I appear to have been very naughty though :(   More naughtiness on my chest but it looks better than before where it was covered in millions of little sores. The skin has an almost thickened look to it which makes sense because it's been crazy shedding and has a lot more to go!    I thought the red/white was amusing. Not sure if palpules are teeny miniscule herpeticum or reverting back to steroid withdrawal.   Sorry for the bad quality. It was harder than I thought it would be to get a photo of the bit starting on my back.   The herpeticum on my right ankle is giving me so much grief! It keeps weeping and spreading :( It is all over my legs but this is the worst bit. More teeny tiny vesicles on my other ankle. They are the size of  pin pricks but still raging away.

Oh well. I now need to start thinking about writing lists upon lists of stuff I need to pack, clothes I can wear, food to bring, ways to keep my health in good check etc, etc. to survive the festival. Wish me luck!

A New Prognosis

You know it ain't good when you have your second shower of the day before 12pm! Anyway I guess you're all eager to know how I got on with the new derm?

Well despite her previously saying there might be something in this topical steroid addiction business, today she kept trying to endorse me with them. Doh.

So after much discussion. The plan of action is as follows:

• Take long term course of antibiotics starting with a 2 week dosage of 500mg x4 times a day and then reduce to 250mg x2 times a day for 3 months.
• Pick up my DreamSkin silk garments from the pharmacy consisting of head mask, round necked top and leggings.
• Continue use of Epaderm, White soft paraffin and Dermol.
• Continue to take Aciclovir.
• Give Protopic another go on the face despite its failed past attempt.
• Prescription of Ciclosporin just in case the above fails to work.

I asked her whether taking supplements whilst on Ciclo would enhance my immune system but her response was no. She explained that because eczema sufferers' immune systems are working in overdrive the immunosuppressant is provided in order to regain the perfect balance. Now, whilst I agree with what she said, surely the fact that I've been so unluckily susceptible to a plethora of infections whilst taking immunosuppressants shows that my body isn't provided with it's "perfect balance"? She continued to disagree and said that the infections are just a by-product.

Now, in that case I'm not too sure what to do, as obviously I don't want to rebound and end up back in hospital again. Though she said the antibiotics and aciclovir should prevent that scenario from occurring. I will definitely be taking multivitamins though. I tend to eat well so my body shouldn't be lacking massively in vitamins and minerals but who knows?

Despite her trying to push the steroids on me she has still been able to give me the best prognosis I've had in a very long time so I'm happy to continue seeing her. The suggestion of a food allergy test was proposed. I had to ask her if she was serious seeing as the other professionals I had seen said it would be a waste of time but she was very keen to give it a go. This should prove interesting indeed!

She also mentioned about a trial in London that she'd heard about for a drug (I forget its name) primarily used to treat asthmatic individuals (of which I am but no where near as much a sufferer as my eczematic condition) but has been shown to have also worked in some of those suffering from eczema and urticaria-type symptoms. The trial ended some months ago but she's looking into making an application for it if the above treatments do not come to fruition. 

So yes. Let's see how we get on shall we?

Getting Better After Being Hospitalised for Eczema Herpeticum

Thought I better check back in to tell you how I'm doing. Well I haven't rebounded thank goodness! I'm still taking the Antibiotics and Aciclovir and taking it easy. I went to see my derm nurse on Monday and she said I was doing fantastically well. I've also changed dermatologist as I'm just not gonna get anywhere with this steroid withdrawal business with the one I'm currently with. The lady I've swapped to is much more open minded so fingers crossed we get somewhere!

Tomorrow I go back to make sure I am still on the mend - which I know fine well I am so it's a bit of a pointless appointment. Though, we only made it just to be sure I don't need to extend my sick note for work. It'll be nice to get back to normal as I haven't even left the house this week apart from going to see various doctors.

My skin has been doing incredibly well considering I'm still off the Ciclosporin. I just assume that the antibiotics are helping to keep it at bay. The heat has been awful though and I have been really itchy too but thankfully I haven't completely destroyed myself through scratching, though I have been unable to control myself and am consequently covered in scratches and red patches. My face is rather unscathed though. 

I ended up having to take pictures on my phone as for some reason my camera, no matter how the settings were adjusted, made my face look super bright red, but it isn't. The colour is much more of a match with these pictured below.

  Yayyy! The redness is subsiding...


That is until I put my hand next to my face and I can see that actually I still have a hell of a way to go before I can be considered my normal colour. Sigh. (But I do rejoice my white arm!)


I'll get there one day. We all will :)
xxx

Hospitalised with Eczema Herpeticum and Periorbital Cellulitis

Hello lovelies!

You may or may not have seen on my Facebook or Twitter that I got out of hospital on late Friday afternoon so I thought it was about time I told you all on here of my adventures!

Saturday Morning

So you'll know by my other half's posts that I was in a really bad way and from my initial post about it last Saturday where it rapidly spread in a very short space of time. I was given a high dosage of Aciclovir tablets to take in the hope that it would clear up as it usually would but waking up on Sunday morning was just something I never hope to experience again. My right eye had swollen shut completely but the swelling was so incredible that I nearly had a break down when I saw myself in the mirror. The herpeticum had spread all over my face and I looked a right old mess. It was then that I knew I needed a higher level of medical help. I had only taken 4 Aciclovir tablets but the condition showed no means of halting or slowing down.

Sunday Morning

When getting to A&E once again, I was fast-tracked to the outpatient GP who couldn't quite believe what he saw. In fact his report was so, so detailed that he even included diagrams and drawings to refer back to in the future. He also asked if he may take a picture on his phone (!) which after having explained that it was entirely for medical teaching purposes and would not be published in any books or articles I agreed to. He even made up a contract for me to sign to say that it would solely only be used for teaching purposes.

But in all honesty, even if it does get published in a book or article I'm not really bothered. If it helps to show people the severity of a condition then so be it. People need to learn about these often unseen and infrequent, debilitating and sometimes life-threatening conditions as I found out when I eventually got onto a ward. No one really had much of a clue what had happened. They saw the word "eczema" in my notes and figured I'd have an allergic reaction.

Monday Evening

What I actually had however was a bit of a shock. Yes, it was a crazy bout of Eczema Herpeticum that had originated in my eyes, but I also had a secondary infection of Periorbital Cellulitis! I was absolutely terrified. Especially when it seemed to be taking ages to settle the swelling. You can see in Shane's photographs that there was a distinct difference each day that he came to see me, but when you're physically living and breathing the condition it literally feels no different so it became hard for me to gauge if I was getting better.

Tuesday Evening

I was administered Aciclovir and Antibiotics via IV treatment which was horrendous enough. During the 6 days of my stay 6 cannulas were put in different places on my arms. My body really just didn't like them. I know I end up having trouble with blood tests but this was just ridiculous. Each one is supposed to last up to a fortnight, with me it was literally 24 hours, if that. If my veins weren't blowing up due to treatment then the cannula was physically falling out of my arm, even with a bandage holding it in place! They also had trouble even getting it into a vein a lot of the time. I'm now covered in stab wounds and have horribly bruised veins that will take blooming ages to heal. I would make a rubbish junkie, that's for sure!

Wednesday Evening

I finally saw the dermatologist late Friday morning for a review of how I was healing and was told I could stop the IV treatment and swap to tablets which as you can assume I was more than happy to hear. My poor old veins needed a rest! She has given me an incredibly high dosage of Aciclovir to take for 1 month to stop it from reoccurring as this was the 7th time I have have now contracted it since April 2012. Mental. I'm also continuing the antibiotics as cellulitis can take months to properly heal.

When I was first admitted they told me to stop the Ciclosporin in case that was part of the reason that my body was taking so long to heal. I still haven't restarted it just yet as I'm not sure if that could even be part of the reason that this ordeal occurred. I wasn't stressed when it came on and I was really happy as my skin had finally taken a turn for the better so I have no idea where this all came from as I usually get herpeticum when I'm run down, which I certainly wasn't. The derm told me to resume taking it on Saturday but my skin isn't actually too bad, or certainly not greatly unmanageable so I think I'll give it a while longer before making the switch back.

Thursday Evening

I'd love to thank all of the nurses who looked after me whilst I was hospitalised. I was actually kept in the Medical Emergency Assessment Unit for the entire duration of my stay which isn't usual as you're only usually kept there for 24-48 hours. The nurses were really good and understanding of my needs, which from what I've heard isn't typical of Lincoln County Hospital. So I'm pleased I was in good hands!

Just as I was about to be discharged however, I came to a realisation that my eye sight wasn't up to par which frightened me somewhat. The vision in my right eye had deteriorated a little so they didn't want me to leave without having had an assessment just to ensure no damage had occurred. Thankfully she couldn't find anything and it was probably just down to the Aciclovir eye drops I'd had to administer. Luckily my eyes have now returned to normal and it's my left eye that is slightly worse, which it was before. Phew.

Friday Evening

I'm now under strict orders to rest and get better. I'm seeing the derm tomorrow for a review and blood test (noooo!) and hopefully they'll be pleased that I'm getting better.

Also hilariously when I was first getting my cannula put in Shane was holding my hand, the next minute he'd dropped his (thankfully unopened) can of Relentless on the floor and after I looked at him to see why he'd been so stupid I realised he looked as if he was about to faint. Sure enough Shane's roots upended and in slow motion he sank to the ground. Cue both our embarrassed faces... The nurses had a lot to talk about that day anyway. The silly sod!

Another short update (including video from Jenny)

Hi Everyone,

I've got back from the hospital late again last night and am pleased to say that I saw another big improvement in Jenny's health.

She saw the dermatologist earlier in the day and was told that she is likely to be staying in until Friday, but will be visited each day by the dermatologist nurse or doctor for review.

There still remains the possibility that she will be held in over the weekend, in which case it will obviously be for the best, but hopefully I will be able to bring her home with me sooner rather than later.

Jenny is naturally becoming slightly frustrated at the prolonged stay, but appreciates it is for the best. Each nurse assuming that it is an allergic reaction isn't helping matters, but hopefully this event will help raise awareness of Eczema herpeticum across not just the nurses on that ward but others as well.

She has asked me to share a video which she recorded yesterday about her stay so far in hospital. Jenny also told me to mention that around 8 minutes in to the video when she mentions Eumovate she instead means Epiderm.

For those interested, I am posting daily updates on her recovery over at my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/runshanerun.

Thanks again for all your words of support and concern.

Shane

A quick update from Shane

Hi Guys, Shane here (Jenny's Boyfriend). 

I just thought I would provide you with a quick update on Jenny's condition on her behalf.

This morning Jenny woke to find that her face had swollen to almost twice the size it was last night and that the herpeticum was continuing to spread rapidly.

 

We went back to A&E as soon as we could where she was later admitted to hospital where she is staying indefinitely until it all clears up. She is currently receiving antibiotics and aciclovir via a drip. As it is there weekend and there are no dermatologists in we have to wait until tomorrow for some answers on why it was so severe this time round and when she is likely to be discharged.

I made a write up on this weekend's events on my running blog which you can read for more info here: http://shanes1000km.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/48002-49619km-when-fear-is-your-only.html. 

Feel free to skip past the stuff about the race at the beginning.

Jenny will no doubt provide you with her story once she has been discharged, but for those of you who may have been wondering how she was, I'm sure there are many, I thought I would provide you with a quick update.

Thanks for caring,

Shane

Eczema Herpeticum Round 7

Well scrap that - me saying I'm on the mend...! I've just come back from A&E with my 7th bout of bloody eczema herpeticum!

Last night at work I had incredibly itchy eyes and just thought I was reacting to something. This morning I wake up with pus gluing my eyes together. Delish! I just thought it was conjunctivitis.

Not too suspect other than a gammy eye

An hour later I look in the mirror to see there are small pimples under my eyelash line... and now it's taken over the majority of my face!

3 hours after waking

I've been to hospital and after having disinfectant put into my eye (I so wasn't ready for it) my eyes themselves are alright, my eyelids are just covered in cold sores. Well my whole face is but it can become a very dangerous game indeed when the infection gets into your eyes. The thing about EH is that because it is a combination of two nasty skin issues it can turn into a super infection and if not treated in time can cause all sorts of horrific problems, even resulting in death in some instances. Not good.

Lol at the yellow disinfectant stuff 

So yep. I've given work an advanced warning that I'm unable to attend tomorrow because I look and feel horrific. It'll be money down the drain but health comes first doesn't it? I've been given 800mg Aciclovir tablets to take 5 times a day, so that should sort me out in no time. Thinking back I think 800mg 5x a day is a little excessive to the dosages I've taken in the past... but if it does the trick, and doesn't kill me, I shan't argue.

Can I have some good luck now please?

An Eczema Update

My blog is in dire need of an overhaul. I don't much like how it looks but hopefully we can rectify this soon... I've also added the Google Followers widget which I use over on my other blog yet for some reason it completely slipped my mind to add it on here, so you can now follow me that way if you wish.

So yesterday I went to see my dermatologist, bringing with me an article from the ITSAN website. He seemed to be fairly open-minded about it though obviously in the short time I had to see him I couldn't exactly divulge the entire longs and shorts of what is to be expected through withdrawal and so on, and so I can only hope he uses the resources I gave him to do a bit of background research. I also gave him access to this blog, so if you're reading - hello!

In the mean time I've been given antibiotics to rid the infection/ inflammation and another stepped up course of Aciclovir as despite taking the medication, most irritatingly a cold sore has decided to crop up on my lip. Think I've caught it just in the nick of time though. He did suggest I cease all steroid usage now and I have a follow-up appointment next week but as I tried to explain to him in the first instance it will be hard to keep up with my job. I will seriously cut down on my use though and only stick to milder ones such as Hydrocortisone, if I do feel I need to use them. We'll see anyway.

I've not been sleeping well for the last few nights because I've been unable to sleep on my side due to both my ears overheating, resulting in weeping and just general discomfort. Not nice. My skin is also being super crazy generally. As most people find it goes through it's red, angry, rashy stage; does it's oozing etc. and then finally sheds. Right now my skin is doing all of that at once. I hate the oozing so much. It actually smells as though the skin is rotting. Grim.

Hope everyone is doing well, and I wish all those who are going through withdrawal right now the best of luck as I hope to be doing what you're doing some time soon in the hope of regaining a better quality of life.

Eczema Herpeticum & Being Given Wrong Medical Advice

Wow, again sorry for being so quiet. I can't believe it's the middle of April and I still haven't put that month of photos up. I will - it's just finding the time and motivation to sort all the photos out and actually make the post as I know it will be a long winded process. I might try and do it later on today when I'm home from work.

An update on me; last Sunday my eczema herpeticum came with vengeance, despite taking a dosage of 800mg of Aciclovir. The reason it was still raging is because my dermatologist had wrongly advised me to apply steroid cream to my inflamed face when I had recently had some cold sores on my chin. In all fairness both of us did think that had cleared up but obviously it hadn't.

You can see that there is a pimpled surface without the typical crusting characteristics associated with a cold sore. I'm putting this down to the fact that I was taking the Aciclovir but it wasn't a strong enough dosage to do its job.

On the Monday morning I left the hospital a message to say I would be turning up because I have herpeticum again and was seen to immediately. The staff at Lincoln County Hospital are fantastic at squeezing me in in my hours of need. I am so incredibly grateful that they do willingly accept to treat me. A lot of other places would just turn me away without an appointment and tell me to go to A&E or the walk-in centre so it is good to know they are there for me.

My dosage of Aciclovir was upped to 5 400mg tablets a day for 5 days, and appears to have done the trick. However on Thursday evening my urticaria decided to rear its ugly head when I did some cooking, and since has turned into eczema. This morning I have applied steroid cream to the affected areas of my body; my face, neck, chest, arms and backs of knees; in the hope that the herpeticum was truly gone and isn't going to spread like wildfire. 

Only time will tell I suppose.

Eczema Herpeticum

I intend to write a series of posts on how I have been personally affected, what has helped me, and just general things relating to it.

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Last year was horrible for me. I have no idea how I managed but I got through University, where I did a very hands-on course in Conservation & Restoration of Historic Objects... not exactly an eczema sufferers first choice, but alas, we all have our passions and hobbies - mine are just bad for my health!

In 2012 I developed the dreaded eczema herpeticum, not once, not twice, not even thrice but quadruple times!!! For those who aren't in the know, eczema herpeticum is essentially when the herpes simplex virus attacks and spreads throughout the eczema. It can be seen to be a dermatological nightmare and hospitalisation is often required if it is not caught at an early enough stage. In some cases it can even lead to death.

 
The first time I contracted it was after I'd taken a course of steroids to help with a severe bout of eczema, in April. So as you can see my skin is remarkably clear on that front (yay!) but not so great with the herpes simplex which you can note had reached my eye. 

This was the fourth time I got it, in October. One night I just had an excruciating pain behind my ear that hurt so badly I couldn't sleep. My lymph nodes were also rather prominent and I had just assumed it to be eczema at the time. But no, as you can see it has the characteristic blistered pustules. It stayed confined to my hair and neck that time thankfully!
As a consequence of having had the virus I am now on a permanent course of Aciclovir tablets, 400mg, twice a day. It also means that when my eczema becomes severe and infected I can no longer rely on steroids as a "quick fix" because the result will be this. As I have been infected with the virus I will probably have outbreaks from time to time which is just something that one has to kinda, well, get used to. Though I was rather upset by a remark from an ignorant woman who said under her breath with rather a lot of malice,  "oh God, I don't want what she's got!!!" which really annoyed me because all she'd get is ONE measly bloody cold sore. Not a whole face full of them.
But aside from that my advice is, if you suffer from severe eczema stay away from people with cold sores. Unluckily for me my partner bestowed this upon me as he gets coldsores from time to time. Tut. But I love him so I'll let it slide... xD