60+ Years of Eczema Since Childhood

By M60F

1 min read

I had eczema since the age of five when I entered first grade. I may have had it earlier but it's an early memory. Then, it was mainly on the creases of my elbows and forearms. My mom would apply calamine lotion (this was 1961 or so) and my arms would be wrapped like "the mummy".

I was questioned about it but my teacher was a kindly old nun and she watched over me. I went to that school for 6-7 weeks and we moved and the stress of changing schools did not help but my eczema cleared up.

Teen years

It showed itself again when I was a pre-teen and teen this time on my ankles. It was the itch that rashes because my mom, telling me "don't scratch" Wound up being an unfulfilled request. Episodes would die down but reappear. The doctor would prescribe oral prednisone or coticosteroids. This started again in college and likewise more prednisone.

Sinus issues and asthma

In the early 1980's it was a sinus infection and eventually the sinuses had chronic issues with damaged tissue. An operation removed diseased tissue and brought relief. Asthma soon followed in the late 1990s. Things stayed "normal".

By 2017 some trigger event led me down a bad path. The eczema is under control - but I wonder how I can overcome the disease entirely?

How has eczema impacted your life?

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Anthony Bazile Moderator & Contributor
Thank you for sharing. Its good to read that your eczema is under control. Having eczema for 60 plus years has not been easy, but you have worked to a point where its under control. Eczema is something that we must take care of to keep it at a stable level in order to avoid flare ups. 
1. M60F Member
 <inline-mention username="Anthony Bazile" user-id="2016789"/> I don't log in here often but tonight I have done so. Dupixent is wonderful. Sometimes the Insurance Company has tried to block it but my dermatology MD know what to write. They have made me change Pharmacies four times. But the company I work for has excellent insurance. Last change was going in to 2024 and I found out just as I was getting my last Dupixent delivery of two syringes. My wonderful Dermatology MD was on it quickly and I was a little worried because it was shipping from CAN to USA. They shipped it in a corrugated box with a special liner, and enclosed a device called Cryopak iMINI USB which reports in a PDF file the reading through the shopment. When the box is opened there are 5 LED lights in a colum, and if it stayed in the correct temp range, the light flashes green. Once its delivered, I put it in the refrigerator (the Dupixent) and the USB I keep with it. The device showed the temperature stayed consistent for 10 days (it took 4 days to ship it) and I stored it with the Dupixent. There are three brief peaks when I removed boxes for injection day but all stayed in range.
Peter Bunting Moderator & Contributor
Hi <inline-mention username="M60F" user-id="4505357"/> - thanks so much for sharing your eczema journey. with the community. 60-plus years of having this condition must have been really really tough. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for eczema and the best thing we can do is find a way to minimize the pain. Wishing you well! Pete - <a href='https://atopicdermatitis.net' target='_blank'>AtopicDermatitis.net</a> - Team Member
1. Peter Bunting Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="M60F" user-id="4505357"/> - No problem at all!! I completely agree that this can be a maddening condition to live with. Sleep deprivation was one of the worst things I certainly had to deal with. Best wishes to you! Pete.
2. Chava Bayla Wald Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="M60F" user-id="4505357"/> it's wonderful to hear that recently your AD has been under control. Praying that it stays this way for you! The words "don't scratch" can be so difficult to hear! It can make you feel so alone in your pain, and simply not helpful at all. I too have been told that by strangers. I just wrote an article about this very topic, filled with lots of practical tips to do/say instead. (Chava B. Wald, Moderator & Contributor)