It was in 1998 that I began one of the most difficult challenges of my life. What began as a large ugly red spot on the top of my left hand turned into something I would never have imagined.
Because my husband urged me to go to a doctor, I finally did. But I was reluctant to go. I was pretty sure the ugly spot was eczema, and I knew that medical doctors prescribe steroid creams for such things.
My brother Robert had warned me about steroids. He suffered from eczema on his hands for many years and had studied remedies and their effects.
What I remember him saying was that at first the steroid creams work well. But continued use just makes the eczema worse. So he chose to use natural remedies.
What should I do?
With Robert’s words in mind I chose to go to my allergist rather than a dermatologist. And I ended up with a steroid cream prescription. So I used the cream, and it was working well.
And then the eczema got worse…much worse… and it spread to my right hand.
It was months later, and we had a holiday weekend trip planned. The eczema was so bad that I wrapped my hands in gauze because the skin on my hands was so raw.
So on Labor Day weekend we were in Corpus Christi, Texas. My husband insisted on taking me to the emergency room to get my hands checked. Although I was fortunate to be free of pain, we endured a long wait for patients with urgent needs to be treated.
Have you ever had to wait in an emergency room?…
Finally, I got my turn. The emergency doctor recommended an antibiotic to prevent infection, so I recited a long list of antibiotics to which I was allergic. He then prescribed an antibiotic which wasn’t on my list.
And I faithfully took the pills.
Several nights later, back in Houston, I had an allergic reaction to those pills…..not a severe reaction… just a rash, but I was a bit worried about it. So my husband drove me to a clinic that was open at night.
At the clinic I told the doctor what had happened. His remedy was to give me a cortisone shot. I told him that I was reluctant to take any more steroids because of my experience using steroid creams.
But he assured me that this is what’s best for my situation, and he would give me a low dose.
Well, he was a medical doctor, far more educated than I was about the human body. So I accepted his remedy.
Did I make the right choice?
