Hope Chest

I never had a hope chest as a young, single woman.

I have one now, though.

Here is a picture of it:

In cae you're having a hard time figuring out what everything is, here's a close up:



My hope is that someone will find a cure for eczema.

The above photo boasts numerous ointments, creams, steroids & antihistamines. We've tried them all. Some work, some don't. The ones that work have to be smeared on twice a day. Every. Day. If we miss T's  medicines by even a few hours he is miserable. The top picture also had tops with protective hand covers to keep T from scratching his skin bloody in his sleep.

When this post started tumbling about in my head I was quite articulate about the endless frustrations of eczema. Today, though, I'm just tired. I'm worn out by the relentless nature of eczema. The best we have obtained so far is still pretty crummy. My kid has good days, and bad days. But the good days still aren't "normal." The good days have his flares under pretty good control, but not gone. On good days his skin only feels bad, it doesn't look bad.

I don't know what's more demoralizing: seeing his skin get bad again after a couple of good days, or people calling to ask me if his skin is better yet. Because, no, it's not. It's not better. It's not going to get better.

So, feeling tired and disjointed, I have deciced to quit writing paragraphs and instead to compile a top ten list. There are  way more things than on this list, but I'll try to limit my whining.

The Top Ten Things I Hate About Eczema:


1. People see T's skin before they see him.

2. It makes him itchy and miserable.

3. Smearing steroids on my kid twice a day, every day.

4. We can't play outside when it is hot.

5. It costs money to buy all those prescriptions & creams.

6. Hearing, "Oh, you just need to try _________."

7. It indicates his immune system is messed up. It's a co-conspirator with his food allergies.

8. There is no cure.

9. Spending time with dermatologists.

10. Impaired skin integrity means increased risk of infection. We must vigilantly guard him from microorganisms.

Is there anything about eczema that you hate that I didn't include? Join my raging rally. Tell me what you hate, too. If nothing else, it will help reduce my feelings of isolation.

copyright (c) Elizabeth, Bug's Beef. All rights reserved.