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Dry hands, skin cracking on fingers

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
Does anyone else get this too.

I'm having a flare up at the moment.
Last night I realized I was going to need about 5 plasters on one hand and 3 on the other :rolleyes:
I used a bandage instead.

I've tried different creams and ointments OTC and prescription over the years without much success. Has anyone found anything that helps. A really good cream or ointment ?

I sometimes wonder if this is part of an immune system problem.
 
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rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
Hi Iansbergen
Yes I think my mucosa linings aren't right also. I have temperature regulation problems. I feel hot and dehydrated a lot.
 

Marco

Grrrrrrr!
Messages
2,386
Location
Near Cognac, France
Hi Rosie

Yes I've had this myself for many years. It only affects my left hand and has now become a permanent problem. The skin also flakes, I often get a sort of spreading (non itchy) rash and there's a degree of numbness in that hand. I'm afraid I can't offer any solutions - I've tried just about every type of cream and the only things that helps stop the cracking is a paint on crack repair fluid that at least stops them bleeding and getting worse. I also have severe heat intolerance.

I'm due to arrange an appointment with a dermatologist (for another issue) but I also intend to mention the skin cracking although frankly I suspect it may be more to do with impaired peripheral circulation (which might also explain the heat intolerance) rather than a skin problem per se.
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
Hi Marco

It's a nuisance isn't it :rolleyes:
I have had it many years too. Even before my collapse with ME which was 12 years ago. Although in saying that,
I was having mild symptoms of ME many years before my severe onset.

I think you are right about the vascular problems that could be causing it. There's something not right with my vascular overall. I had small veins in my hands bursting in the severe years - very odd for a young person to have that happening. Also in the severe years it felt like I had poison circulating in my blood vessels.

I have heard about that repair paint that is good for stopping bleeding. Thanks for reminding me about that product. I might ask my pharmacist if he has it.
Yes, my fingers have a numb feel as well with also a stiff feeling.

If you hear anything interesting from your dermatologist, can you let me know. Any treatments etc. Thanks Marco.
 

lansbergen

Senior Member
Messages
2,512
Hi Iansbergen
Yes I think my mucosa linings aren't right also. I have temperature regulation problems. I feel hot and dehydrated a lot.

Burning hot without core fever? Icy cold on a hot day?

Natasa posted a paper on metabolic features of the cell danger response. Without realising it I have been treating one major aspect of it and that gave me slow overall improvement. The immune modulator I use is not for everybody but maybe if you read the paper you find something to put you on the right track.
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
Burning hot without core fever? Icy cold on a hot day?

Natasa posted a paper on metabolic features of the cell danger response. Without realising it I have been treating one major aspect of it and that gave me slow overall improvement. The immune modulator I use is not for everybody but maybe if you read the paper you find something to put you on the right track.

What level of ME would you be at now lansbergen. Pleased you have had some benefit - any improvement is a huge relief.

I will take a closer look at Natasa's thread. Thanks for pointing it out.
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
I think pure chimp super body cream can be helpful for you.
It's natural and handmade and makes your skin smooth and well-moisturized.

That cream does look nice ! Thanks.

Did you have this same problem with your hands too ?
 

lansbergen

Senior Member
Messages
2,512
What level of ME would you be at now lansbergen. Pleased you have had some benefit - any improvement is a huge relief.

I will take a closer look at Natasa's thread. Thanks for pointing it out.

I was dying. Now I can do some gardening every day, prepare food and doning some household chores I sleep like a bady and wake up refreshed. My waist size has dropped and my berllywall is becoming supple again. The pain has gone from unbearable to just annoying.
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
I was dying. Now I can do some gardening every day, prepare food and doning some household chores I sleep like a bady and wake up refreshed. My waist size has dropped and my berllywall is becoming supple again. The pain has gone from unbearable to just annoying.

Yes, I know what you mean about dying. I am no stranger to it. So glad you are much more comfortable now.
 

Marco

Grrrrrrr!
Messages
2,386
Location
Near Cognac, France
I forgot to mention that when I mentioned this to my GP he wrote a prescription for a single very high dose vitamin D supplement and for vitamin A enriched hand cream.

I didn't find any benefit from the vit D but the pharmacy didn't stock the vit A cream so who knows?
 

merylg

Senior Member
Messages
841
Location
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Four things helped:

Avoiding white potato. Do one week trial & replace with Kumera if need a replacement.

B2 (Riboflavin) Nature's Own, 1/4 x 100mg day.

Short course Doxycycline.

If Doxy works, start thinking about Lyme & co-infections. See a Lyme literate Dr.
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
I forgot to mention that when I mentioned this to my GP he wrote a prescription for a single very high dose vitamin D supplement and for vitamin A enriched hand cream.

I didn't find any benefit from the vit D but the pharmacy didn't stock the vit A cream so who knows?

I think there is something in that as "Ungvita Ointment" which has Vit A was the most helpful of all the things I tried. The only thing is it really smells, fish oil smell. So I didn't apply it as much as I should have. Be interesting to see what you think of it if you can get hold of it.
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
Four things helped:

Avoiding white potato. Do one week trial & replace with Kumera if need a replacement.

B2 (Riboflavin) Nature's Own, 1/4 x 100mg day.

Short course Doxycycline.

If Doxy works, start thinking about Lyme & co-infections. See a Lyme literate Dr.

Thanks Meryl. Out of interest to make a note of - what would be the best dosage for Doxycycline ?
I realized only recently that my doctor gave me a very low dosage in the early years of ME and it really wasn't up to the job at the time.
 
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merylg

Senior Member
Messages
841
Location
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Thanks Meryl. Out of interest to make a note of - what would be the best dosage for Doxycycline ?
I realized only recently that my doctor gave me a very low dosage in the early years of ME and it really wasn't up to the job at the time.
Hi rosie26,
I was prescribed the Doxy at 100mg/day for ?SIBO by my Gastroent. By chance it cleared up my hand eczema, but did not seem to help my gut at the time. (To be honest I probably did not give it a long trial. The intention had been to pulse treat me with it)

Irony is my LLD now has me on 200mg/day continuous Doxy & Nilstat, plus Azithromycin once/week.
 
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xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
My hands crack during the winter unless I use a lotion and wear gloves to bed. I started doing this year round a couple of years ago. I'm currenly using Alaffia shea butter because it's gf and mild. I prefer thicker creams tho.

Switching to milder natural dish soaps helped too. My hands became worse using dish soaps, like Palmolive, that are advertised on tv as being good for your hands.

I'm ok with original Dawn, called simple, but not the concentrated.
I found I needed Dawn to break up meat fats. The natural ones left a film.

Tc ... x
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,820
That cracked skin could be psoriasis.

I developed psoriasis a few years after catching the enterovirus that precipitated my ME/CFS. A number of friends and family who caught the same virus as me also developed psoriasis from it a few years later.

I have noticed that certain supplements and medications will rapidly (with a few days) almost completely clear up my psoriasis. These psoriasis-fixing supplements and medications are:

• 3% hydrogen peroxide topically applied

• Genistein

• Low dose naltrexone

• Bupropion (Wellbutrin) 75 mg tablet daily

• Progesterone (as transdermal cream) 1 grams daily

• Alpha acids (Perluxan) supplement 500 mg

• Bacopa monnieri 5 grams

• Amoxycillin

When I looked up each of the above supplements and drugs, I found that most were in fact known treatments for psoriasis. So that would explain why I found them to be effective.

If your cracked skin is indeed psoriasis, the above should help.
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
Hi rosie26,
I was prescribed the Doxy at 100mg/day for ?SIBO by my Gastroent. By chance it cleared up my hand eczema, but did not seem to help my gut at the time. (To be honest I probably did not give it a long trial. The intention had been to pulse treat me with it)

Irony is my LLD now has me on 200mg/day continuous Doxy & Nilstat, plus Azithromycin once/week.

I was prescribed 100mg as well. I only recently learnt that Doxy is only bacteriostatic at doses lower than 450mg and only over that dose when it becomes bactericidal (hope I spelt that right). Member Ema mentioned that on a thread. I can't remember which thread now. Hope I remembered that correctly ?

I think these fixes are more temporary Meryl, I don't know what you think about it. It seems to me our problems with the gut and sinuses and everything else is constantly flaring with the ME fluctuations and so you help ease a symptom for a while and then it comes back with the next ME deterioration fluctuation. But worth getting some easing of symptoms for a while. It will be so good to get a proper fix. :)
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
My hands crack during the winter unless I use a lotion and wear gloves to bed. I started doing this year round a couple of years ago. I'm currenly using Alaffia shea butter because it's gf and mild. I prefer thicker creams tho.

Switching to milder natural dish soaps helped too. My hands became worse using dish soaps, like Palmolive, that are advertised on tv as being good for your hands.

I'm ok with original Dawn, called simple, but not the concentrated.
I found I needed Dawn to break up meat fats. The natural ones left a film.

Tc ... x

I found a good dishwashing liquid too. Palmolive was way too harsh. I still haven't found a soap for the shower that I'm really happy with. We do have Simple soap here, can't remember if I have tried that one.

I might have to do the white gloves in bed lol, thank goodness it's not a permanent thing. Be good way of frightening off any intruders in the night aaaarrrgh with my white gloves.:D