Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums

dinc · 05-21-2009, 05:13 PM

Have eczema? Had eczema? God, it's annoying, and not scratching it is assumed by many to be impossible. I'm gonna put that assumption to the test...with the power of BLOG!!

No Scratching Eczema for 5 Days

Okay, no really, it's a very difficult skin condition to live with, and I've tried not scratching it before. I lasted about twelve hours, and even that was super hard. Anyone I've ever known or talked to who had this skin condition have said that it is impossible not to scratch. I've always wondered if that was strictly true, or just lazy thinking. I want to make sure, and I'm posting here to keep myself accountable to people if I screw up...and to take any advice that you can send my way.

dinc · 05-22-2009, 04:28 PM

I'm sure you've all been sitting on the edge of your seats, waiting for my update. Yes, I'm sure...

Anyhow, here it is. 1 whole day of not scratching. Yippee!

1st Day

The Cloud · 05-22-2009, 07:46 PM

That's really impressive; I don't think I could go a day without scratching and I don't have any skin problems at all.

justhopingandsearching · 05-22-2009, 08:45 PM

@dinc, Good Luck!!

I have eczema, so I know how bad you may want to scratch. I remember one time my skin was itching so bad that I literally scratched the skin right off a part of my arm.

dinc · 05-23-2009, 02:31 AM

Hey guys, thanks for the support.

@JHAS
I definitely know how you feel. One time I pretty much scratched my neck off... Thank god the scars are almost invisible.

Another daily update.

No Scratching Day 2

(The link is actually the same as the others, but it makes me feel better to put a new one.)

dinc · 05-24-2009, 05:34 AM

Another update.

No Scratching Day 3

Grandiouse · 05-24-2009, 10:26 PM

I have a lot of respect for you since you are taking on this challenge. It takes a lot of willpower, but you can do it! Keep up the great work!

dinc · 05-24-2009, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grandiouse

I have a lot of respect for you since you are taking on this challenge. It takes a lot of willpower, but you can do it! Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the encouragement! It can be incredibly difficult at times, but it also feels good to not be constantly damaging your own skin

.

dinc · 05-25-2009, 05:36 AM

Second to last day of this trial!

No Scratching Day 4

I need to figure out how to link to a single article...this is getting annoying.

Indiana · 05-25-2009, 05:48 AM

Are you seeing any improvement in your condition? I couldn't tell from your blog entry?

Congratulations on reaching day four... I have occasional eczema and I know the temptation to scratch (and have so far been quite bad at resisting it)!

Smartass · 05-25-2009, 09:10 AM

I would prolong the trial. To like 10 days or 15 days. It looks like you can handle it (socks covering scratchy fingers) and you might cure your eczema by not touching it and applying medicine.

When your body understands that having the itchy feeling doesn't cause the reaction of scrathing the itching might go away.

Anyways this will take longer than 5 days.. Keep it up!

dinc · 05-25-2009, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indiana

Are you seeing any improvement in your condition? I couldn't tell from your blog entry?

Congratulations on reaching day four... I have occasional eczema and I know the temptation to scratch (and have so far been quite bad at resisting it)!

There was a little tidbit about it, but I guess I really should be saying something more concrete. It's not improving my condition, but it sure is preventing it from becoming worse. I can tell when my eczema is in a bad period, and it is right now. It would be much worse if I was scratching it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smartass

I would prolong the trial. To like 10 days or 15 days. It looks like you can handle it (socks covering scratchy fingers) and you might cure your eczema by not touching it and applying medicine.

When your body understands that having the itchy feeling doesn't cause the reaction of scrathing the itching might go away.

Anyways this will take longer than 5 days.. Keep it up!

I was definitely thinking about it, and I guess I'll think about it some more today. It feels really good to not be causing harm to my own body, but it's also really difficult at times...

dinc · 05-26-2009, 04:12 AM

My findings thus far on the fifth day of this five day challenge!

No Scratching Day 5, Findings

I've decided to continue this challenge for another nine days.

Wish me luck.

MasterD · 05-26-2009, 11:58 AM

You want to go your entire life disciplining yourself not to scratch?

Smartass · 05-26-2009, 11:59 AM

Nicely done dinc! You did it. You have reached your goal and you can be proud of yourself. My brother has eczema and I know that it can be tough not to scratch... I'm glad to hear your prolonged your trial, this might be a bad habit you will permanently erase from your routine. I'm confident the eczema will go away. Things you need to do:

- Don't scratch.
You have been doing great so far... I remember my brother placing pieces of toilet paper between his toes, before putting on his shoes. (I'm assuming that you have eczema on your feet) I'm not sure if he used something to keep it in place.. I think it helps against unconscious scratching (violently wiggling the toes..)

- Hygiene
Good advise for treating eczema is keeping it dry and clean. After taking a shower dry your feet or the other places very carefully and thorough. You also want to avoid swimming pools the first few weeks. And if you do go swimming make sure to clean and dry the areas with eczema afterwards..

- Medicine
You might also want to go see your doctor. He has ointments for treating the eczema faster and even for stopping the itch.

On your website you say that you will give an update every week. I hope the motivation won't suffer from this. Maybe every 2 days is better for you, or you might think that we have forgotten you and your itchy feelings.

Good luck Dinc

Smartass · 05-26-2009, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterD

You want to go your entire life disciplining yourself not to scratch?

When after an itchy feeling mr. Dinc does not scratch, the body will know after a period of time the itchy feeling has no use anymore. The feeling of irritation does not trigger any reaction. And thus the itching will disappear. Atleast that's what we're hoping for here...

dinc · 05-27-2009, 07:35 PM

Ack! I scratched once, and I feel bad.... I've been getting lazy with this since the five days ended and I haven't been doing as much as I should to prevent subconscious scratching and brushing, so I have an idea!

I'll carry around a memo pad and a pencil to jot down the number of times I accidentally scratch or brush my skin. I'll report tonight. I just hope it works.

If you want to see the corresponding blog post, just click on any of the links above.

dinc · 05-28-2009, 03:56 AM

Alright. The results of trying desperately not to scratch at all for half a day... Keep in mind, subconsciouly scratching eczema does next to no skin damage if you notice and stop right away. It's usually less than a second.

Subconscious scratches: 30
Subconscious brushes: 18

These numbers WILL get better.

You can just use any of the already posted links if you want more details in my blog.

fitx3 · 05-28-2009, 04:15 AM

dinc, i feel for you. my son was born with eczema but fortunately out grew it when he turned 2 years old. sorry to hear you didn't.

good luck!

dinc · 05-29-2009, 04:10 AM

Last night was a sucky night indeed, but today was better than yesterday, especially considering I only recorded half of yesterday's numbers.

Subconscious scratches: 23
Subconscious brushes: 19

More details in blog.

Thanks for the support guys! Glad to know someone is watching..keeps me in line.

dinc · 05-31-2009, 05:20 AM

Ack, numbers aren't getting much better, so I'm going to really try to be more aware of my movements tomorrow and try to bring them way down.

BTW, I scratched once yesterday...It sucks, because I put so much effort into not scratching to screw it all up in a moment of insanity. Thus, I'm not ending this challenge until I can go two weeks without scratching! I'll probably post less often as time goes by, but for now I still make posts everyday (just forgot about yesterday).

Time for a new link!

Yesterday and Today

Dreamline · 05-31-2009, 03:04 PM

Ok this is a 100% respectful question. Have you tried to find the cause of your eczema?

Every single person, without exception, that I ever encountered with it, found a source in some kind of food allergy. Including myself.

Jennifer

dinc · 05-31-2009, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamline

Ok this is a 100% respectful question. Have you tried to find the cause of your eczema?

Every single person, without exception, that I ever encountered with it, found a source in some kind of food allergy. Including myself.

Jennifer

Why would I think it's a disrespectful question?

Ah, I've tried very hard to find a cause related to food. I even went so far as to go on a lemonade fast for ten days and go raw for a month... no luck.

Dreamline · 05-31-2009, 08:44 PM

You never know here.....

Maybe it was lemons.

Jennifer

dinc · 06-02-2009, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamline

You never know here.....

Maybe it was lemons.

Jennifer

Lol, funnily enough, I've eliminated lemons already. So, that leaves...nothing to blame for my eczema.... Ack, it's so annoying.

Anyways, update for today.

dinc · 06-20-2009, 05:13 AM

Been a while, but I finally updated! Results and emotions are mixed

. You can kick me if you want to.

Final No Scratching Post

Smartass · 06-22-2009, 10:26 PM

Hello Dinc, you should make it clear to yourself that subconscious scratching is not allowed anymore. You can do this by giving yourself a task to do, right after you catch yourself scratching subconsciously. An example: walking 30 rounds around the kitchen table

Hope it helps and gets you back on track

goodsamaritan · 06-23-2009, 02:57 PM

Dinc,

Try following my eczema cure protocol given away freely at my website Eczema and Psoriasis is Curable - Teaching you the MANY FINAL CURES for ECZEMA and be cured for the rest of your life.

I've been eczema cured since 2006.

impaul99 · 06-24-2009, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinc

Lol, funnily enough, I've eliminated lemons already. So, that leaves...nothing to blame for my eczema.... Ack, it's so annoying.

Anyways, update for today.

My younger brother had eczema all over his hands for 15 years. Pretty much gave up on all possible treatment options. Went to doctors etc. and the best they could do is prescribe a cream to put on his hands which somewhat helped with the itching but that's about it.

To make matters worse, he likes to play with cars in his spare time and mechanics always end up getting grease and oil on their hands so he had to be really careful with that as it made it even worse.

In March of this year we both started taking this natural supplement recommended to us by our Chiropractor just for general health benefits. About two weeks later my brother's eczema totally cleared up, for the first time in 15 years. He didn't take the supplement for eczema, but it helped with that.

It's sold through direct sales, and we were so impressed with it that we both signed up which is why I don't want to mention the name of it here. If you're interested, PM me and I'll tell you what it is and where you can get it.

For me, I didn't have eczema, but my elbows have always been dry. For the first time, they're no longer dry anymore.

05-21-2009, 05:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
dinc Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 132	No Scratching Eczema for 5 Days Have eczema? Had eczema? God, it's annoying, and not scratching it is assumed by many to be impossible. I'm gonna put that assumption to the test...with the power of BLOG!! No Scratching Eczema for 5 Days Okay, no really, it's a very difficult skin condition to live with, and I've tried not scratching it before. I lasted about twelve hours, and even that was super hard. Anyone I've ever known or talked to who had this skin condition have said that it is impossible not to scratch. I've always wondered if that was strictly true, or just lazy thinking. I want to make sure, and I'm posting here to keep myself accountable to people if I screw up...and to take any advice that you can send my way.

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05-22-2009, 04:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
dinc Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 132	I'm sure you've all been sitting on the edge of your seats, waiting for my update. Yes, I'm sure... Anyhow, here it is. 1 whole day of not scratching. Yippee! 1st Day

05-22-2009, 07:46 PM	#3 (permalink)
The Cloud Family Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,203	That's really impressive; I don't think I could go a day without scratching and I don't have any skin problems at all.

05-22-2009, 08:45 PM	#4 (permalink)
justhopingandsearching Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 197	@dinc, Good Luck!! I have eczema, so I know how bad you may want to scratch. I remember one time my skin was itching so bad that I literally scratched the skin right off a part of my arm.

05-23-2009, 02:31 AM	#5 (permalink)
dinc Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 132	Hey guys, thanks for the support. @JHAS I definitely know how you feel. One time I pretty much scratched my neck off... Thank god the scars are almost invisible. Another daily update. No Scratching Day 2 (The link is actually the same as the others, but it makes me feel better to put a new one.)

05-24-2009, 05:34 AM	#6 (permalink)
dinc Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 132	Another update. No Scratching Day 3

05-24-2009, 10:26 PM	#7 (permalink)
Grandiouse Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 197	I have a lot of respect for you since you are taking on this challenge. It takes a lot of willpower, but you can do it! Keep up the great work!

05-25-2009, 05:36 AM	#9 (permalink)
dinc Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 132	Second to last day of this trial! No Scratching Day 4 I need to figure out how to link to a single article...this is getting annoying.

05-25-2009, 05:48 AM	#10 (permalink)
Indiana Banned Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 1,902	Are you seeing any improvement in your condition? I couldn't tell from your blog entry? Congratulations on reaching day four... I have occasional eczema and I know the temptation to scratch (and have so far been quite bad at resisting it)!

05-25-2009, 09:10 AM	#11 (permalink)
Smartass Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 200	I would prolong the trial. To like 10 days or 15 days. It looks like you can handle it (socks covering scratchy fingers) and you might cure your eczema by not touching it and applying medicine. When your body understands that having the itchy feeling doesn't cause the reaction of scrathing the itching might go away. Anyways this will take longer than 5 days.. Keep it up!

05-26-2009, 04:12 AM	#13 (permalink)
dinc Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 132	My findings thus far on the fifth day of this five day challenge! No Scratching Day 5, Findings I've decided to continue this challenge for another nine days. Wish me luck.

05-26-2009, 11:58 AM	#14 (permalink)
MasterD Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Netherlands, Amsterdam Posts: 496	You want to go your entire life disciplining yourself not to scratch?

05-26-2009, 11:59 AM	#15 (permalink)
Smartass Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 200	Nicely done dinc! You did it. You have reached your goal and you can be proud of yourself. My brother has eczema and I know that it can be tough not to scratch... I'm glad to hear your prolonged your trial, this might be a bad habit you will permanently erase from your routine. I'm confident the eczema will go away. Things you need to do: - Don't scratch. You have been doing great so far... I remember my brother placing pieces of toilet paper between his toes, before putting on his shoes. (I'm assuming that you have eczema on your feet) I'm not sure if he used something to keep it in place.. I think it helps against unconscious scratching (violently wiggling the toes..) - Hygiene Good advise for treating eczema is keeping it dry and clean. After taking a shower dry your feet or the other places very carefully and thorough. You also want to avoid swimming pools the first few weeks. And if you do go swimming make sure to clean and dry the areas with eczema afterwards.. - Medicine You might also want to go see your doctor. He has ointments for treating the eczema faster and even for stopping the itch. On your website you say that you will give an update every week. I hope the motivation won't suffer from this. Maybe every 2 days is better for you, or you might think that we have forgotten you and your itchy feelings. Good luck Dinc

05-27-2009, 07:35 PM	#17 (permalink)
dinc Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 132	Ack! I scratched once, and I feel bad.... I've been getting lazy with this since the five days ended and I haven't been doing as much as I should to prevent subconscious scratching and brushing, so I have an idea! I'll carry around a memo pad and a pencil to jot down the number of times I accidentally scratch or brush my skin. I'll report tonight. I just hope it works. If you want to see the corresponding blog post, just click on any of the links above.

05-28-2009, 03:56 AM	#18 (permalink)
dinc Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 132	Alright. The results of trying desperately not to scratch at all for half a day... Keep in mind, subconsciouly scratching eczema does next to no skin damage if you notice and stop right away. It's usually less than a second. Subconscious scratches: 30 Subconscious brushes: 18 These numbers WILL get better. You can just use any of the already posted links if you want more details in my blog.

05-28-2009, 04:15 AM	#19 (permalink)
fitx3 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 331	dinc, i feel for you. my son was born with eczema but fortunately out grew it when he turned 2 years old. sorry to hear you didn't. good luck!

05-29-2009, 04:10 AM	#20 (permalink)
dinc Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 132	Last night was a sucky night indeed, but today was better than yesterday, especially considering I only recorded half of yesterday's numbers. Subconscious scratches: 23 Subconscious brushes: 19 More details in blog. Thanks for the support guys! Glad to know someone is watching..keeps me in line.

05-31-2009, 05:20 AM	#21 (permalink)
dinc Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 132	Ack, numbers aren't getting much better, so I'm going to really try to be more aware of my movements tomorrow and try to bring them way down. BTW, I scratched once yesterday...It sucks, because I put so much effort into not scratching to screw it all up in a moment of insanity. Thus, I'm not ending this challenge until I can go two weeks without scratching! I'll probably post less often as time goes by, but for now I still make posts everyday (just forgot about yesterday). Time for a new link! Yesterday and Today

05-31-2009, 03:04 PM	#22 (permalink)
Dreamline Banned Join Date: May 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 989	Ok this is a 100% respectful question. Have you tried to find the cause of your eczema? Every single person, without exception, that I ever encountered with it, found a source in some kind of food allergy. Including myself. Jennifer

05-31-2009, 08:44 PM	#24 (permalink)
Dreamline Banned Join Date: May 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 989	You never know here..... Maybe it was lemons. Jennifer

06-20-2009, 05:13 AM	#26 (permalink)
dinc Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 132	Been a while, but I finally updated! Results and emotions are mixed . You can kick me if you want to. Final No Scratching Post

Personal Development for Smart PeopleTM Forums

Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums

06-22-2009, 10:26 PM	#27 (permalink)
Smartass Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 200	Hello Dinc, you should make it clear to yourself that subconscious scratching is not allowed anymore. You can do this by giving yourself a task to do, right after you catch yourself scratching subconsciously. An example: walking 30 rounds around the kitchen table Hope it helps and gets you back on track

06-23-2009, 02:57 PM	#28 (permalink)
goodsamaritan Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 14	Dinc, Try following my eczema cure protocol given away freely at my website Eczema and Psoriasis is Curable - Teaching you the MANY FINAL CURES for ECZEMA and be cured for the rest of your life. I've been eczema cured since 2006.