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A man rolls up his sleeve proudly, revealing an eczema patch on his arm.

Time to Take Matters Into My Own Hands

I have written several articles bemoaning the fact my primary carers are restricted with the help that they can offer people who suffer from eczema. Of course, I understand that they can help to a certain degree. However, in my experiences, getting onto that next level of help is almost impossible. It can be done and I have tried but, for me, the whole process feels very inauthentic. Like a tick box exercise. It angers me that people who are suffering have to go through this process.

My experience with eczema treatments

Just as a reminder, I have eczema all over my body. I am sleep-deprived, have mood swings, social anxiety, etc. I could go on and I did to my doctor to be told that I did not qualify to see a skin specialist. When I asked why I was informed that I didn’t use enough topical steroids. Do they not think I would use steroids all the time if I thought they helped me???

Desperate to try Dupixent

What I was really hoping for was to try the latest “wonder drug” Dupixent. There have been many who have championed this drug and I was excited by the prospect of trying it. I did my research and read about the possible side effects. What to expect and how long it would take to start working. I was excited to read things like, “The safety profile of dupilumab (Dupixent) is superior to conventional immunosuppressive drugs, such as cyclosporine or methotrexate. Injection-site reactions and conjunctivitis were the most relevant side-effects.”1

Maybe I will never get the chance

I am starting to think that perhaps I will never get the opportunity to try Dupixent because of the costs and the fact that private health care companies won’t take me on because of my existing health conditions. I am sure there must be other avenues I can explore. I have put my name forward for clinical trials and also have an appointment with a skin specialist on the famous Harley Street in London on the 23rd of next month. It is very expensive but I really need to control how my life is going to go. I am hoping the specialist can offer me something other than a tube of Betnovate and a tub of moisturizer. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

What other meds can I ask about?

I am conscious that when I see the skin specialist that he may offer me the same old medications or medications I have not heard of. Does anyone know of any new meds I can ask about? I do not want to feel like I have wasted my time with him. Like I say, it is very expensive and I only get fifteen minutes with him so I need to nail it! I'll make sure to report back how it goes. I'll finish up with a fantastic quote about hope by Leonard Cohen. Reading it gave me pause for thought... "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."

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This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The AtopicDermatitis.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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