Eczema, Dairy Free and Me

I've thought about making this post often, but was never sure where to start with it. Now, as my six month anniversary approaches, I figure it's as good a time as any to begin organizing my thoughts.

This is my tale. I apologize that I got long winded.

For as long as I can remember, I have had "sensitive skin" or some form of eczema. My mother was always careful about what she bought for soaps, laundry detergents, shampoos, fabric softeners.

As a preteen, I had it behind my knees and inside my elbows. As a young adult, it was on my hand. Just one. Always my right hand, always my fingers. Never my palm or the back of my hand. Just my fingers.

Shortly after college, I had a very stressful job and was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. My son was born and I finally cracked and got a prescription for my the eczema on my hand. A few years after that and I began seeing a doctor for chronic acne. All of these things can be indicators of a milk allergy, but as these were all different doctors (and the doctor that had diagnosed the irritable bowel has long since retired), no one put these things together.

The last few years saw me watching my diet to avoid triggers for the IBS. It saw me carefully selecting housecleaning products, soaps, shampoos, laundry detergents, fabric softeners. I learned quite a bit about herbalism and began making my own body butters, soaps and solid shampoo bars.

I was avoiding all of the common irritants for eczema and still it would not go away. The breakout on my hand was bright red, inflamed, sensitive and insanely itchy. There were days the itching was so bad, I thought I was losing my mind.

One day while on my lunch break, I started Googling natural remedies for eczema. One of the many articles I read said that if I was already avoiding the common irritants and the eczema was still not going away that maybe I had a food allergy. Dairy allergy was mentioned as being the most common and I thought "What have I got to lose?"

Just before the epiphany, I had begun using a soap a friend made for me made of goat's milk and pine tar - which typically would have helped eczema, but didn't in this case. I primarily used the soap on my face, neck, ears, arms and hands. I also severely broke out in those same places, but it took me several days before I made the "AHA!" connection and got rid of the soap. Too late, my face, ears and throat were irritated and my arms covered in raw scabs because I couldn't get the itch under control. I took huge doses of antihistamines and still nothing cleared up, only marginally looking at all better.

One morning when I couldn't stop itching anywhere, after yet another night of barely sleeping because of such horrid itching, I broke down into tears and called the doctor's office. Imagine my relief when they had an opening that morning only a couple of hours away.

The doctor so sympathetic. She told me to stop taking all the antihistamines and only take claritin. She also renewed my prescription for my hands (as I also have a petroleum jelly allergy, I HAVE to be sure this is in cream form) and prescribed me a short burst of prednisone. Not my most favorite solution, but as she felt my body was too overloaded to fight anymore on its own, we both agreed it was a necessary one at the time.

That was all nearly six months ago. Now? I also know to avoid caramel coloring as well as goat's milk and cow's milk. My reaction time is roughly 18 - 24 hours. My family has been amazing and wonderfully supportive, my husband and son fantastic about trying new things or even old things cooked a new way.

I have to say that my acne is pretty much gone, though the skin is still healing. My irritable bowel symptoms? The ones I thought were "normal" because I didn't know any better? Also gone. And the best part of all? As long as I avoid any and all dairy and caramel coloring? My hand remains cleared up. There's some scarring because the break out was SO bad at the end, but the eczema itself? Still gone.

I'm not sure what I hope to gain from this. Maybe to help someone else with eczema they can't figure out. Maybe to show them that there is hope. Maybe to remind myself that I've come such a long way in these last 5 1/2 months. Maybe all of the above.

If anyone does find this entry and reads it and wants to contact me, I welcome it. You can email me, if you wish: Just click here

Creative excusions

People that know me know I have some wretched allergies that manifest as eczema on my hands. Not fun.

I'm allergic to such wonderful things as shea butter and things that are better left avoided anyway like petroleum (think petroleum jelly & Tide), parabens, sodium laureth/laurel sulfates and things I've yet to identify. This means that my soaps, shampoos, etc are homemade and usually bought on Etsy - which is less than ideal in many ways.

So I've been gathering what I need to make my own soap and learning what I could. I've been following blogs, buying books. I have herbs steeping on my kitchen window sill so I can make herbal infused oils such as calendula and chickweed. I have a wooden soap mold and cutter and I have safety items on their way.

I've also made my own body butter and have a recipe I recently saw on Mountain Rose Herbs to make a more solid "lotion" - I have to make substitutions since they call for shea butter, but it's a recipe that looks like it has potential.

And I'm excited about this. It's something new and different for me to do and it has a purpose and if it turns out well enough, I'll sell them on Etsy, perhaps. Maybe there's other people like me trying to find things shea free. Who knows?

And if it continues to go well? I'd really like to have my own table at next year's Pagan Pride.

Blessed Lughnasadh

I'm so bummed. Tonight is Sabbat and I don't feel up to it. I'd wanted to do some baking for an offering, then a quiet ritual after the guys were in bed and ... Instead my stomach is churning and I just don't want to take anything out and deal with it. :( Hopefully tomorrow is better and I can do something then.

In the mean time, to those as celebrates, Blessed Lughnasadh.

And! Eastern Maine Pagan Pride Day is October 8 - wanna guess where I'll be? I didn't make it last year and I can't remember why. I *think* it's because I didn't know until after the fact. This year? I am SO there and am bringing my friend Lisa with me. Whee!!!

Preparations

I am so bad about updating this. Bad bad bad.

I have to admit, part of it is that I went back to work this spring after not working for several years. To say it was an adjustment is a huge understatement. I was wiped - had no energy for studying or celebrating, though my intentions were still sure. Things have evened out, thankfully, and I've been studying again and am now excited for Lughnasadh.

I have been having a great time planning my ritual. I have incense that I've ordered that I'm excited about and would love to get a lovely fallish candle for it, too. I'm also planning to bake, though I'm not sure what as the heat recently has been crazy and it's a work day, but there will be something yummy for sure.

Mabon also marks my first turn of the wheel and I'm excited. I would love to do some sort of commitment ceremony as part of my Mabon ritual, so I'm also looking up things for that, too.

In short, much excitement going around and fun to be had!

Yule, Crafts, etc

The best news I have is that I finally appear to be on the mend! I can't tell you how happy this makes me. I truly prefer my herbal remedies, but sometimes modern medicine needs to intervene and this is definitely one of those times. For the first time in weeks, I am barely coughing and feeling human once again.

My Yule is going to be very quiet this year. I'm going to bake, light some candles (must remember to pick some up!) and do my ritual. I have some new tools to bless as well and will do those then. There are times that I think I would love to have other Wiccans to gather with, but at the same time, I also love celebrating in my own quiet way.

I have some crafts I've been making for the holidays as well. A friend asked me to make her a pair of socks and I have those finished, but now must wait for the weather to be more cooperative before I post them. They're posted below. I'm also taking a break from knitting for someone else's Christmas gifts to make myself a much needed hat.

These are the socks, which I'm having a hard time parting with:

And this is the new hat in progress. It's not much, yet, but I have high hopes! :D

*dusts this off*

It's been a bit quiet around here lately, hasn't it? It's not because I've forgotten about posting. Far from it, actually.

I've been battling viral bronchitis, which has really made me not feel like a lot of anything. I've also been brushing up on my herbal remedies - even putting some of them to use while I've been sick.

And as much as I hate to say it, I'm woefully behind on my studies, but that's not entirely due to being sick. I've been busy with crafts for family member gifts - afghans and socks and hats and mittens. Some gifts from me, some that have been purchased by other family members.

But. Yule is coming up! I'm very much looking forward to it this year. What are *you* looking forward to?

Finding my path

Growing up, I went to Mass, went to Sunday school, had Communion. As a teen and adult, I started to feel as though I didn't fit in. I had Confirmation, hoping that would help to build a sort of connection. It didn't. If anything, it only helped me to feel more apart than ever.

And so, I struggled. I wanted to find something, somewhere that I fit in, but instead I only felt more apart than ever...

And now? Now I study Wicca. I'm only just learning, just starting my studies, but I feel as though I'm on the right path. As though I've finally come home, found my place. It brings me comfort and peace and I don't feel as though I'm on the outside anymore.

This post is more for me, as a place to organize my thoughts, than anything else. I'm not asking for acceptance, though it would be shiny, nor am I going to welcome people trying to talk me away from it. If it's not for you, then fine. But it *is* for me, which is the part that counts. :D