then you know I’ve been itching since last week and can’t see my doctor until tomorrow afternoon. I’m not sure how it happened, but something triggered a sizable eczema outbreak. (Remember what I said about the need for cotton undies not too long ago at Pursed Lips?)

It started on my hands, just a dot here and there, ala topical dermatitis. At first, I thought I had managed to get a bit too much sun. (Yes, I’m photosensitive too.) But I couldn’t peg when I’d been in the sun enough to trigger a rash. And then it began appearing in places where I hadn’t sunned myself. (No, not where the sun don’t shine. My torso, which hasn’t seen the sun yet this summer.)

Its spreading pattern was different than a photodermatitis rash. The spots on my face were a touch too weepy and elevated. The spots on my right arm grew into distinct patches.

Eczema. Yuck.

I was born with the condition and spent my first year in bandages. I’ve had two huge systemic outbreaks in my life where large patches covered my body and I needed a course of prednisone to overcome it. While this outbreak isn’t yet that extreme, it might become so if I don’t get treatment.

So I wait. I shower enough to keep my skin free of sweat but not so much that my skin dries. I rub cortisone cream on spots when they flare. I try to stay out of the heat and sun. And I faithfully continue to wear cotton clothing, something I’ve habituated thanks to a lifetime of skin problems.

Still, tomorrow can’t come soon enough!