Life Can Get Better

Anyone that has ever read any of my articles or listened to me talk about eczema treatments will know that I tend to have a pessimistic view on the subject. This pessimism is due to years of using the same treatments.

Treatments only provide temporary relief

The traditional treatments are not bad. Some are great! They help eczema patients manage and prevent flares from becoming more frequent and help the skin calm down if going through a flare. But, and there is always a 'but,' they do not get down to the root causes. And it is important to say that no one claims that they do.

My frustration with atopic dermatitis treatment

My frustration is when the whole community knows that there are new and exciting meds out there and there is obvious reluctance from the healthcare professionals to want to help. That is certainly my experience here in the UK. I know that several members of the community have been fortunate enough to try these new medications like Dupixent and have had life-changing results. It gives me a great deal of hope.

There is not only one way

The more people benefit from these new drugs, the more widespread the knowledge becomes available, and I do not doubt that my luck will change. More and more patients refuse to put up with the "only-one-way route" of topical steroids and moisturizers used to control eczema.

A change is in the air

Even though I speak as someone who is still prescribed these medications, I feel that there is a change ahead. Doctors know that they are prescribing drugs that do not get to the root cause and are aware that there are new meds out there that do. But there is a huge difference now. The patient is also aware of this. And the doctors know the patients are aware of this, so the doctor-patient relationship has to change. It has to change because of the advancements in science. When my GP gives me my usual prescription for my skin, she is not happy. She feels a little helpless, and no doctor wants to feel like this. Ten years ago, my GP would give me these traditional meds with brimming confidence that they would work, and I now sense that those days are behind us. Thank goodness!

I have hope for the future

I am feeling a lot more confident and hopeful about the future. My healthcare provider has now referred me to see a dermatologist in the NHS. There are huge waiting times due to the pandemic, but I am just pleased that I have been able to get my foot in the door. Now that I have shown that steroids are just a stop-gap treatment, I feel I should be able to convince them to allow me to stop with the systemic treatments and try alternative treatments. I am getting there, slowly but surely. If there is one thing that I have learned from talking to people and reading other people's stories and experiences, you have to keep banging on the door because there is no one that can help you if you do not help yourself.