My worst flare up experiences
I don’t really enjoy talking about my flare-up experiences, but I think I should explain how I dealt with them and to link it to what was going on in my life at the time.
So far, I have had three major flare-ups. I was initially going to put them all into one post but then realised that it’d be too long, therefore, I’ve decided to divide them into four separate blog posts – Parts 1 through to part 3 along with a reflection blog.
Part 1: Stress and anxieties around redundancy – Approx dates December 2006 /January 2007
After I finished college in 2005, I worked full time as a data entry clerk for a storage company. I was fed up of studying and, although I had been accepted into a university, I decided to defer the place until the following year. After a year of full time work, I realised how much I appreciated the income and the idea of giving it up was not a welcome one. So I decided to give up the deferred place. This became a huge regret because I was made redundant in October 2006. I was only 19 at the time and this was my first full-time job, so had no idea on how to handle it. I was informed out of the blue. There had been no pre-warning given at all! I took it very personally, blamed myself and my confidence was shattered.
Within about two weeks after being given the news, I found a temporary position with another company where I was not treated very well by staff or management. I remember this one guy basically gave me a brief training session and was given the ‘get on with it’ attitude. If I asked questions or if I was not sure about something all I was told was ‘we’ve shown you already’. To be honest I wanted to leave but was afraid of losing my income. In the end, just before Christmas, I was made redundant again with one day’s notice.
These incidents happened within a space of just over 2 months. The idea of losing a job was like losing a sense of status. As well as lack of confidence I felt ashamed admitting to people that I had no job. I was also very stressed from working in an environment with no support from staff and management. I even reported their behaviour to the agency I was registered with who also offered no support. This was particularly stressful time for me and this triggered the effects of the eczema, along with time of year as this around Christmas time.
Things then got extreme on Boxing Day. I remember having to wait until the following day to make an emergency GP appointment. I was given flucloxacillin antibiotics for one week. However, the infection did not clear for another two weeks as I remembered calling the GP twice for more antibiotics.
In January 2007, I had a call from the same agency to complete another temporary work assignment. I have no idea how I managed to get thorough those two weeks. I remembered that my skin wept so badly that clear water was running down my legs and they were literally raw red. I think back then I just wanted something to do and did not want to be at home becoming more depressed than I was.
Not long after this, I started UVB phototherapy and then found a permanent full-time job by February 2007, so then the flare-up finally settled down.
On a good note, during this stressful time, I managed to persevere and passed my driving test after the third attempt! Woohoo-!
.
Well done in documenting your journey, it will bless other and you 🙂
Hi Victoria,
Thank you very much for your comment and encouragement.
This post is just the beginning and I am really looking forward to posting more about my experiences
Best wishes 🙂
It’s awful working in places where people are deliberately unhelpful and bullies, that’s why I aim to eventually work full time at home. It must have been horrible with your flare-up. Stress is the worst thing. I’ve not suffered with eczema myself but have had acne flare-ups which were always worse when I was stressed.
Hi Sue,
Thank you for your comment.
Stress is definitely a trigger to most health conditions not just eczema.
I also hope that one day I can work at home full time too
Best Wishes
Thank you for being so transparent about your struggles and journey. This is definitely a blessing to many. 🤗👍🏾
Thank you Caroline, Best wishes x