One night a couple of weeks ago, the care label on my sleep shirt started to irritate me. Where my skin came in contact with the tag started to itch. The kind of itch that keeps you from restful sleep. The next day I saw in the mirror that the itchy area had turned an angry pink. I decided i was allergic to the fabric, and changed shirts.
By then a dry, rough patch had formed on my back. Lotion would soothe it. But it wasn't going away.
Angry pink turned into the shade of a withered, fallen leaf. Soon, the affected area expanded, with tiny bumps around the parameter. Itch was intermittent. It ran deep, bordering on pain, giving me goose bumps.
Earlier this week, when my cousin JY complained about adult acne and how it's affecting her social life, i revealed my recent condition.
JY, who's been plaqued with a plethora of skin issues since infancy, almost sounded joyous when she diagnosed me, "Sounds like eczema to me!" (As much as one can tell joy on electronic paper anyway.)
My heart sank. JY has been battling with eczema for at least a couple of years. If anybody knows eczema, it's JY.
It must be eczema. After all, JY and i share the same mitochrondria. I came to this conclusion before i even knew the disorder was atopic. And there is no cure. I understand eczema is no cause for urgent research funding.
The sense of doom was so perturbing that i still haven't replied to JY.
Last night, when i shared the news with JD, he joshed, "Are you sure it's not psoriasis?"
Aging really is a downhill tumble. I've had a flawless back all my life!
"I could wear a backless dress any day," I told JD. "Except when it's chilly."
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11 years ago
1 comment:
My hubby has eczema.I'm 99 percent sure that you would know if you had eczema. It doesn't present like that. It shows up when you are very young and sometimes you can grow out of it. It shows up in hot spots on your body-bred in moist warm places oftentimes. My hubby has breakouts in the summer when he's working hard and sweaty. ;-) I guess what I am trying to say is...I don't think it's eczema, sweety. Just a freakin annoying skin rash, maybe. Good luck with that! :-)
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