There may be a light in the tunnel for me. I recently found out I'm vitamin D deficient, which, according to my new allergist, could be quickly supplemented for a highly likely improvement in my chronic eczema condition. We'll see.
My Steroid Treatment
In the meantime, a week ago, I caved and started a new steroid pack. It's always my last resort and I suffer for weeks, sometimes months with a bad flair-up before taking the prednisone steroid route.
60 milligrams a day were great! Down to 50 milligrams ... still okay, with an itch here and there. 40 milligrams ... nope. At 40 milligrams, with still a week left of steroid pills, my eczema started coming back on my neck. I knew it was going to come back hard again.
NOT AGAIN!
After finding out recently that I was indeed low on vitamin D, my eyes filled with tears of hope and happiness. The struggle has been real. For twelve years. When my eczema started returning during my current steroid pack, I decided enough was enough. I'm not doing this anymore. If there is medication available that will suppress (and not just treat) the symptoms, I will take it, regardless of the risks and side effects. I will not go back to work on Monday after my maternity leave ends with a red, swollen, oozy face, exhausted from staying up all night scratching my body. Under the supervision of my allergist, I'm taking 50 milligrams of prednisone per day for the next few weeks, while also using steroid creams as needed and taking probiotics and a ton of vitamin D supplements.
I choose a more comfortable life for now and hope the future is good to me and steroids stop being necessary. Between my vitamin D levels and soon-to-come eczema medications, I am still hopeful. Having hope is as good as it gets sometimes; I'm grateful for it and excited for the future.
