Monday, February 13, 2012
Tuesday, October 07, 2008 painlady asks

Q: Is my diagnosis incorrect:? Do I have stress eczema?

I was diagnosed with stress eczema while I was in the hospital for 110 days-my Dr. had prescribed 240 mg of methadone/day!!!; & when she was caught, no more methadone. They  told me it is THE most difficult medication to detox from. I'm 60yrs old now-this was Nov.'06-Feb.'07. My HMO(who put me there) charged me $200/day. I lost EVERYTHING. My house, my insurance, my retirement accounts-nothing left. So I haven't been to a Dr. since June of '07. I have fibromyalgia, migraines, IBS-to name a few-& no meds-so constant pain. I thought the eczema would go away when I go got out of the hospital; but it has only gotten worse. Anyway, to make long story short; I read the definition of eczema on this site. It said it is the itching that causes the rash. Actually scratching the itch. Only the rash on my chin is itchy-& I stop it with hydrocortizone(which I use on the rest of my face, as well). So I almost never scratch-& yet it is all over my forehead,sides of my nose, & temples(sometimes more of my face). Since I don't meet the definition; do I actually have stress eczema? If not, any idea what it could be?

The hydrocortizone isn't working as well as it did in the beginning. I read that it it could be dangerous if I use it too much. What should I do? THANK YOU, PAINLADY(JANE)

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10/13/08 5:42pm

It may be eczema - we don't call it stress eczema because though stress can make it worse - it is really an auto-immune type of condition.  You might need a stronger steroid cream so I would get a dermatology consult.  i would also switch to a non-soap cleanser like Cetaphil and a gentle non-irritating moisturizer.  Get the doctor to examine and prescribe an appropriate skin regimen and good luck.

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