A nurse has revealed how she spent $50,000 and nine years attempting to get her eczema under control.
Vicki Layton was 32 when she woke up at 4.30am for her morning shift and noticed a rash on her stomach in a ‘day she will never forget’.
‘I sat in the dim light staring into a coffee for a good half-an-hour before I flicked on the light to get dressed and noticed a raised red rash across my stomach,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
Vicki Layton was 32 when she woke up at 4.30am for her morning shift and noticed a rash on her stomach in a ‘day she will never forget
‘I sat in the dim light staring into a coffee for a good half hour before I flicked on the light to get dressed and noticed a raised red rash across my stomach,’ she told Daily Mail Australia
‘I was a bit shocked for a few seconds but, as I’d been out the day before mowing the lawn and trimming some trees, I quickly wrote it off as something I must have brushed past in the garden and been allergic to.
‘I took off out the door to work, thinking nothing more of it.’
The rash continued to itch and spread over the Brisbane woman’s arms and legs, and she tried every over-the-counter cream she could get her hands on.
‘My sleep was starting to be disrupted and I was finding it hard to find clothes that wouldn’t irritate my skin further,’ she said.
‘There was nothing I could do to get comfortable. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t exercise, I couldn’t concentrate on anything over the itch and exhaustion. Life started to spiral away from me.’
Ms Layton tried different diets, allergy tests and miracle creams over the next year and she continued to become more unwell.
Her skin became infected and her temperature soared to put her ‘in a delirium’.
The rash continued to itch and spread over the Brisbane woman’s arms and legs, and she tried every over-the-counter cream she could get her hands on
‘A friend dropped in to see me and found me on the floor, confused and unable to help myself. Not knowing what to do, they got me to an after-hours GP, who called an ambulance and I was taken to hospital,’ she said.
Once she was in hospital she was diagnosed with eczema and a dermatologist wanted to immediately start her on immunosuppressants.
‘I guess I was just so naive to how serious eczema can be. I didn’t accept the treatment straight away. I still thought I could fix it myself somehow,’ she said.
She suffered for another year and now, at 41, her biggest regret is not listening to her dermatologist immediately.
Once she was in hospital she was diagnosed with eczema and a dermatologist wanted to immediately start her on immunosuppressants
‘I have been quoted in the past as saying I have spent between $30,000 and $50,000 on different types of lotions, pills, diets and treatments but, to be honest, the figure is much more than this,’ she said.
‘I feel like such a fool for spending this much money on every new elimination diet or cream I came across, particularly as I am a health professional.
‘But when you suffer so relentlessly for so long it’s hard not to want to believe you have finally found a cure and the “what if this works” is hard to go past every time – you see something new advertised on social media or see a new guru who promises they can help.’
She said it is important to find simple and harmless solutions that are best for you.
Ms Layton said every day is still a battle and she is just focusing on preventing serious infections, preparing herself as much as she can so she can go to work every day.
‘A good day for me is one where I can go to work for the whole day. My goal is to be well enough to sleep all night and then be able to work five days a week. That to me sounds like a good life,’ she said.
She also has a makeup artist who does her face for special occasions.
Over the years her mental health has deteriorated, she felt anger, she lost her faith several times and she felt as thought she wanted to die.
‘I lived for years in near isolation from the world. I had to work night shifts doing paperwork as I couldn’t handle working days, plus my face and body was constantly raw and weeping,’ she said.
Ms Layton said every day is still a battle and she is just focusing on preventing serious infections, preparing herself as much as she can so she can go to work every day
‘I have been quoted in the past as saying I have spent between $30,000 and $50,000 on different types of lotions, pills, diets and treatments but, to be honest, the figure is much more than this,’ she said
‘I withdrew from the world. I had no friends, and no life outside my house, where I lived alone. I was desperately lonely but I was so absorbed in my illness and exhaustion that there was little time for anything other than trying to breathe through the itch and steal some sleep.’
Things began to turn around for Ms Layton when she started to take new medication that helped settle the itch.
‘The biggest turning point in my life was reaching out to Melanie Funk and Eczema SUPPORT Australia,’ she said.
‘For the first time in nearly ten years I had someone to just hear me and be there with me without any fear I was going to be lectured or have my experience minimised.
‘For the first time in a long time, I had found my hope – hope that I can live a good life now that I don’t have to do this alone.’
The organisation linked Ms Layton to people who alone thought they were suffering alone but weren’t.
Over the years her mental health has deteriorated, she felt anger, she lost her faith several times and she felt as thought she wanted to die
Melanie Funk, Eczema SUPPORT Australia Managing Director, said: ‘It is a privilege to do what we do at Eczema SUPPORT Australia because, from experience, I know it is often harder to accept support than it is to give it.
‘I was fortunate to receive support when my little family was at its lowest and I am now privileged to provide that support to others who desperately need it.
‘Vicki’s story is a sadly familiar for people with eczema. For too long they suffer the physical and emotional trauma wrought by their condition because they dismiss the condition, search for a miracle cure or simply have no one to turn to.
‘Fortunately, thanks to Eczema SUPPORT Australia, Vicki and many others now have a hand to hold as they battle their conditions.
‘We are working hard to reach as many people and families in need as possible because experience tells us our support will help change their lives for the better.’
Ms Layton said eczema is something everyone knows about but so rarely understands the severity of.
Ms Layton said eczema is something everyone knows about but so rarely understands the severity of
‘I had eczema on my face for over ten years,’ she said.
‘My face was always red, weeping and swollen. When it finally cleared, I didn’t recognise myself in the mirror.’
She said when you are unwell for so long you’re unaware anything has passed.
‘I felt completely detached from myself, It was such a complete and sudden realisation of how many years had past, and how much of my life I had lost.’
For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14