I totally feel you're pain. I have Eczema in the exact same places, exact same way and have the same problem with not having health insurance. I just think you should never give up. I've had Eczema all my life & it does get better after a while in terms of acceptance. If they gave up on your eczema treatments i would get more opinions. In the beginning nothing helped for me & i went to doctor after doctor until i finally found a eczema expert. I'm a realist & know my eczema is never going to go away so you just have to go about ways to further except it. & realize that you'll find the perfect guy one day that will love you for what you look like on the inside and out. stressing over these issues will also make your eczema worse. I know that everyone says that but i think it's really the truth. You're still young and have all the time in the world to find someone.
& i like to think how my life could be a lot worse! You know, I'm not dying of this disease, I'm not crippled by it, I can live my life just like everyone else in the world. When you take the time to realize how much worse it could be, the pain of having eczema starts hurting a little less.

hey

I feel you on the not having medical insurance. It's kind of hard to take care of eczema when you don't have the money to pay for all the medical treatments. I've been suffering since I was 11. It started out on the backs of my legs one winter and went from there. And just like you it took awhile to get a diagnoses. The doctors thought something was wrong with my thyroid. I hated how I looked. hated the scratching and the terrible way I felt. I felt like an outcast. I was just like you wondering if I'd ever get a boyfriend or find people who would accept me, but now I have great friends who understand. and a loving boyfriend who is very protective and understanding. So here's my first bit of advice, Come on DS a lot when you just need someone to talk to. The people here are very helpful and supportive. Second, I think you should explain it to your friends instead of making excuses. I'm sure if they're you're real friends they'll be more understanding than you think. Third, don't stress so much. It honestly doesn't help. Fourth, don't worry about guys so much they're a lot more work than they seem. TRUST ME! Fifth, if you haven't already cut back on the salt and sugar and processed food in your diet. I would say completely cut it out, but it is SOOOO hard to do. So I just cut back on it. Sixth, drink lots of water. I can't stress that enough. Not sure if your doc told you, but you should switch over your clothes detergent and bath soap, if you haven't already, to something fragrance free. I use dove sensitive skin soap and arm and hammer sensitive skin detergent for my clothes. Also this may be hard for you, but my doc told me to take a bath with soap every other day and then one in water without soap the in between days since soap is so drying. When you get out the tub don't rub dry with the towel PAT. Oh and don't shower or bathe in hot water it's very drying, so use warm instead. Then lather up with some Vaseline and put on some socks and some gloves if you can. If not just use some plastic wrap for your hands, but don't do it before bed because Vaseline makes your skin more supple and soft and therefore if you scratch it's easier to bleed. Also get a very good moisturizing lotion. I use Vaseline intensive care, fragrance free of course, but you can try something like Curel or Jergens. They're very good but pricey. If you can get an empty squeeze bottle and put some lotion in it or but a travel size to put in your purse or bookbag so you always have something to moisturize with. hope this helped! :D

Good to have you with us! I joined this group a few months ago - it's a great thing to be able to just TALK about how miserable eczema can make your life.

As a group, we use all kinds of topical treatments and it isn't uncommon to try lots of different things before finding a treatment that helps. However, I have noticed that many of us strongly believe that what we eat affects the condition of our skin, and have seen improvement when we alter our diet. Adding Omega 3's is also a potential solution that is mentioned often - I've been taking Salmon oil supplements and seeing slow improvement.

We learn to pay attention to everything our skin comes in contact with - for example I found that laundry soap with fabric softeners in it is pure poison for my skin.

No matter what - even if you can't afford health insurance - don't give up trying new ways to fight this! Even if you have to go alone and after dark, I recommend you GO to the beach - swimming in the ocean has given me significant relief. When I can't get to the beach, I take a cool bath with a cup each of kosher salt and Epsom salt dissolved in the water.

Good luck - and when you find something that helps, let us know!

I'd like to add my welcome to the group. My eczema is similar to yours as I have it on my hands and feet, but I also have it on my legs, and back. I agree with Ayanna in that grease your feet and hands then cover them. I use old socks and latex gloves and leave them on for about an hour every day. And along with fragrance free soap and detergent, get rid of the dryer sheets. Don't be embarrassed to tell people you have eczema. They'll understand. There has been many a time I've had to wear the latex gloves to work because my hands were dry, cracked, and bleeding. And i didn't get till I was in my late 50s!