A mum has shared her harrowing ordeal after suffering from an extremely rare form of eczema which causes “excruciating popping blisters” – triggered by an allergic reaction.
Ceira Lennon has suffered with “debilitating” eczema ever since she was a baby, where she battled to keep her condition at bay through avoiding certain products and activities.
Growing up, she would often sit out of pool parties and refrained from going to the beach in summer, as the water in both instances would cause her skin to flare up.
As a teen, her self-confidence took a toll and the mum-of-two used to “plaster” her face in makeup, so no one would notice her “oozing” skin.
Soon, after giving birth to her kids, now aged 11 and nine, her skin began to clear – until February 2022 when her fingers began to blister, bleed and pop.
Now, the 40-year-old is sharing her harrowing battle in a bid to help others and raise awareness for the “life-threatening” symptoms related to her condition.
“I’ve thought about chopping off my fingers or putting my hand in a fire, just so I can get rid of the blisters or burn off all the pain,” Ceira, from Glasgow, told NeedToKnow.Online.
“If left untreated, infections can take hold and cause gangrene or sepsis, which can be life-threatening.
“It all started with a few blisters, where my skin started to peel and then, unbearable itching took over and my skin kept ripping open.
“Soon, the blisters started popping and would crust over – then the painful cycle repeated.
“The pain is so excruciating, it’s like having a thousand paper cuts on the tips of your fingers all at once.
“I’m scared it’ll never go away and this condition has turned my whole life upside down – it’s been a year of total hell.”
As a teen, Ceira quickly learned her eczema used to be triggered when she suffered an allergic reaction to harsh chemicals, such as in washing powder, and certain types of makeup.
In a bid to avoid her skin being irritated, her face swelling and eyes stinging, she tried to only use select products and hydrocortisone, a steroid cream, to keep things at bay.
But then, while working in her business crafting keepsakes for weddings and funerals, she started to notice the aforementioned “excruciating” symptoms and knew that it was a reaction.
Ceira works with various materials in her daily career, including inks, cement and most commonly, epoxy resin, which has since been confirmed as an allergy of hers and the cause of the flare up.
Despite using gloves and personal protection equipment, a product slipped through the net and the “nightmare” battle had begun.
In April 2022, she initially sought out medical advice and was given a prescription for a higher dosage steroid cream, but this was unsuccessful.
As her daily life and independence became affected, with her unable to do “basic mum” tasks for her kids, as well as her business suffering, Ceira demanded a second opinion.
Six months later, she received a confirmed diagnosis of pompholyx, a form of eczema characterised by blisters, which affects only the hands and feet.
Sadly, as there’s no cure, she was prescribed more steroid creams and placed on a waiting list for treatment – but her condition continued to worsen.
Now, she’s suffered numerous infections, which have seen her become immune to antibiotics and while she’s undergone phototherapy, a form of UVA light, her battle is far from over.
Ceira hopes she can help to raise awareness by sharing her story and that others going through a similar situation will find the root cause of this endless battle.
The mum added: “It’s taken all my independence away from me, as I’m unable to drive, put my keys in the door – even the shopkeeper has to take my card out for me.
“I’m worried this will never go away, as I can’t see my skin healing, but I’ve just got to remain positive and live with it.
“I want to be better, I want to help myself and my kids, and I’m determined to get back to the work that I love.
“I go out daily covered head-to-toe with gloves, a hat and long-sleeved tops in a bid to not touch anything else I’m allergic to, it’s made me very self conscious of what people think of me.
“I’m reluctant to keep using higher dosage steroid creams, as my skin is already so thin and damaged, but I’m trying to focus on getting better, so I’ll try anything.
“Hopefully something will finally fix it, but my advice to anyone is always push for treatment and find the root cause as soon as possible.
“Keep strong, it’s not going to be your entire life – don’t let this condition beat you.
“I’m living in hope that one day, I’ll be able to start living my life again.”
