14 yrs: A plantar wart removed from my heel (was frozen, then removed by surgery without any anesthesia, yikes!)
18 yrs: First heel cracks after traveling and walking a lot.
21 yrs: Itchy bumps on my hands; dr dismisses them as a summer problem with sweating; occasional minor occurence throughout the years.
22 yrs: My hands crack something fierce as a work as a dog washer in a grooming salon.
30 yrs: Painful cracks on the side of my fingers as I work in production in a brewery, a fairly moist environment. The worst of it clears up after I leave the job but there is occasional recurrence.
32 yrs: Develop what I think is athlete's foot between my right small toes. Persistent and recurrent despite dilligent treatment with antifungals. Worsening over the years, spreading to the ball of the foot with blisters and peeling, cracking skin.
40+ yrs: My heels are turning into a real liability. I try to ignore them as long as possible.
45+ Constant, worsening itch on heels and big toes, severe cracks, often bleeding, skin thick and discolored; intermittent problem on the small toes, and fingers.
48 yrs: I took oral treatment for fungus, which did not make a dent in the itch at all. Consulted a podiatrist, then a dermatologist who had a scraping analysed. No fungus; dyshidrotic eczema instead. Finally, a dignosis, and the search for an effective remedy.
53 yrs: After extensive treatment with h2o2, my heels look healthy and smooth, but still have a few areas that itch in a minor way. The big toes seem permanently healed. A huge difference in my quality of life! I intend to try for a complete clearing of the problem.
54 yrs: I underwent treatment for another disease that lowered my immunity. I experienced a major recurrence of dyshidrosis, not only on feet but also on my hands. My skin was horribly dry as a result of the drugs that I had to take, and when I tried the h2o2 treatment, it dried me out even more and was just too painful. I suspect that treatment with allopurinol brought this about.
A friend gave me a preparation called Bag Balm which made all the difference, and helped me survive the outbreak. Bag Balm is an old-fashioned udder balm for cows, made of petrolatum, lanolin and a bit of an antibiotic (hydroxyquinoline sulfate). It took about 8 months to clear up my hands; my feet took a year, and I went through several severe recurrences before the eventual clearing. I used Carmol 40 as well as OTC 1% hydrocrtisone, but in retrospect, I wonder if the Carmol made things worse despite its softening effect. I found some natural simple ointments to moisturize with and used flax oil caps as well, and zinc ointment. I relied on frequent applications of h2o2 for the final clearing. I also learned to avoid detergents, surfactants and other harmful ingredients in skin preparations. Used hot water to banish the itch for hours.
I now believe that while topical h2o2 is the right way to go to deal with an outbreak or to get at chronic disease, it will not likely effect a cure. It does, however, bring the acute manifestation of the disease under control without toxicity, while the experimentation and search for cure continues.
55 years [2005]: I have found out I am severely zinc-deficient. Supplemented with increasing doses of zinc, but found that going higher than 100 mg per day causes significant fatigue, and decided against it. Most sources recommend about 40-60 mg per day. Skin gradually improving, and losing some of the hyperlinearity (all those extra lines we people with eczema have).
[2006] Using iodine tincture to get at the remainder of the disease. Rarely use h2o2 anymore, since iodine is easier to use at night, and helps with the itch as well. My hands and feet no longer show any outward signs of the disease (that an outsider would notice), but I know that it still lives under the surface, and my skin needs regular care to keep things quiet. Have been using the hot vinegar treatment for about 2 months now, and it is amazing: gets rid of light crusts just by itself, and softens skin and makes it healthier. I am sold!
CURE IS POSSIBLE!!! NEVER GIVE UP! :-)
Written by Vera Bradova © 2003-2007
Updated 12-5-2006
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