DAY FIFTY-EIGHT

I’m in Cyprus! We’ve been here for 5 days now, and today was the first time we had a proper all-day sunbathe.

I got a bit worried at first because someone on the support group reminded me that to avoid sweat as an aggravator I should stay covered up, out of the sun completely for the entire 10 days. PANIC! But I thought I owed myself a test – this being the first chance to fully relax since my flare began in January – so I tried lying in the sun for an hour with factor 30 on, then when that was fine pushed it to a few more hours and concluded that my skin was not reacting to the heat (perhaps I’m just lucky that there has been a nice, frequent breeze that has stopped me from sweating).

Just before he left for his break, Dr Aron instructed me to use the undiluted stuff on the stubborn patches of my arms, legs and (again) forehead. It was a little flakey for a few days but we’re all good now. No more itchies!

My back is now completely clear, so that has joined the rest of my body in the 3x compound apps a day routine. Five days down and everything seems to be holding up, touch wood! (p.s. check out the holiday pants!)

My skin does get a little dry in the sun, but it’s not itchy at all and I would expect this anyway. I’ve been running up to the room to have a quick shower and reapplying the cream at about 1pm, then after my real shower just putting on base cream instead of after sun to the 3-a-day bits to keep them moisturised.

On thing that is weird is that I seem to be having some big hypopigmentation (less brown, but still able to tan) on part of my thighs and bum but then some small patches of hyperpigmentation (dark spots) on my lower back. Maybe I should be more worried, but if it doesn’t itch, it ain’t a glitch.

Also, I was able to go in the pool today with Dr Aron’s go-ahead, and it was lovvvvely to be able to forget about everything and relax for 20 minutes in the water (then run back upstairs to wash the chlorine off, of course).

I haven’t thought a thing about diet whilst out here (total holiday mode), and I don’t know whether the lack of flare from bad food means I’m barking up the wrong tree with dietary factors or whether the stronger cream is just doing its job.

Honestly, two months ago the thought of going on holiday would have brought up all sorts of dread and anxiety. The last holiday I went on was to Dubai to see my auntie; thank the gods we stayed with her because she’d already navigated the medical system and had some Lipobase to give me when my skin went from bad to worse on Protopic.

On the way back, we had a 12 hour stopover in Paris which should have been great, but I’d expected it to be cold so didn’t pack anything in my hand luggage other than the tight, long-sleeved top I was wearing. It turned out to be 30 degrees, and we cycled around Paris before sitting in an outdoor restaurant for a few hours. I was in so much pain anyway from 7 hours under the plane’s aircon that all I wanted was to curl up in my boyfriend’s lap and wake up at home.

Travelling with eczema throws so many unknowns into your planning; will my skin be good that week, what should I be wearing in that weather if my skin isn’t good, will humidity/heat/cold affect my skin, what will best protect me in the plane, will there be places to go to reapply my creams, will we be able to stop frequently enough to apply creams, will the bedsheets be cotton, is the water soft or hard, what activities can I not do, what if I run out of creams, what if I need a doctor? …Plus a hundred other factors on top of your normal holiday troubles, and as we all know, for many people, stress = eczema.

I haven’t had to worry about most of these things this time round, and that in itself has been a blessing. I feel chilled out, and happy to laugh around with my family rather than sit in a corner worrying about myself. Yaaaaay!