My Shop (work in progress!)

Thursday 12 April 2007

The Hands of a Housewife


I went to see my doctor yesterday as I have a tendancy towards dry hands (requiring multiple applications of hand cream a day) and occasionally little pimples crop up in patches on my hands and feet, they dry out and then peel off, I don't have any for a month or two and then they come back. I seem to be particularly plagued at the moment so I thought I'd get it checked out.
It turns out this is the warning stages of eczema. Whilst my hands are not as red as in the picture above they do have the same lumpy texture - although mine is restricted to the palms of my hands and feet.
My doctor asked me what I did for a living - did I come into contact with chemicals, dyes or detergents? As a secretary I can't say that coming into such things is an occupational hazard. He advised me to get some soap flakes to wash my clothes in as apparently you only need to use a detergent if you are a mechanic for example and get all greasy. My dad was amazed that you could still get soap flakes as he hadn't seen them since he was a boy. I am sceptical as to whether this will work but I'm willing to try it as it is cheaper than detergent.
Doing some research on Wikipedia (where would we be without it?) I have discovered the specific type of eczema I have is called dyshydrosis. The fact that it is called housewife's eczema makes me laugh. I am a slut (meaning 3) when it comes to housework and when I do the washing up I wear rubber gloves as I know that makes my skin itch.
I also suffer from IBS and occasionally get sore, lumpy armpits - both of which are related apparently. It doesn't metion scalp conditions though as I also suffer from that too. At least I know what one of the problems is and I can now get on with tackling it.
Ooh what an attractive package I make: toad hands, lumpy armpits, farting, bloating, and a furfuraceous scalp!

6 comments:

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

Goodness me, girl, you make yourself sound sooooo attractive. Thank goodness you're intelligent!

rilly super said...

'toad hands, lumpy armpits, farting, bloating, and a furfuraceous scalp', not to mention periods described at Proustian length and detail dear.

Karen darling, We all feel rather robbed when you just cut and paste from your dating agency application, we want something new!

Gill said...

Sounds like a job for the amazing child homeopaff

Karen said...

M&M - I'm not that bad really - was just having a whinge as having an "ugly day". Today is just a bad hair one.

Rilly - meow put those claws away! ;) why would I need a dating agency when I have a perfectly good Vince at home? I'll have you know that a lot of thought went into the preparation of these blogs (anything to get away from typing about divorce, child contact and maintenance payments all day).

Mum - yes I MUST get in touch with her. I just never seem to get round to it. If only I lived nearer to Ambleside.

randomhiccup said...

What a lovely description! I daren't think how I'd sound if I did that, my skin's been so mental! I'm away to a herbalist later to see what if anything they can do for me. Worth a shot anyway. Thats quite funny but also annoying that you have hands of something you're not, however annoying that it means you can't stop something to help! Rock on with the rubber gloves! (Though mine are rubber free, bloody skin allergies!) Anyway, hope it doesn;t get any worse. I'll let you know if I find any wonder treatments! xxx

Karen said...

I have been using the soap flakes and using aqueous cream both to wash my hands and as a moisturiser and my hands seem to be getting better! Hurrah!