Life with eczema

Eczema is more than just red skin, rashes,  and itches...

It's many sleepless nights when your child tosses and turns incessantly because she was awoken by the itch and could not go back to sleep
It's hours and hours of crying because your child wants to scratch her skin but could not
It's figuring out ways to keep your child who is no longer a baby swaddled so she doesn't rip off her skin
It's waking up to blood-stained bedsheet, clothes, and mittens
It's cutting out bandages to put on your child's face before going to bed to protect her skin during sleep
And cutting it out again in the middle of the night when your child manages to get out of the swaddle and pull off the bandages
All of this happening while your other child is at the other room, and you pray he doesn't wake up and realized he is all alone
It's keeping your eyes on your child AT ALL TIMES to make sure that you catch her everytime she wants to scratch
It's wrestling with your child when she tries to scratch and you have to use all the strength you have to hold her down
It's leaving your other child unattended when you need 2, even 3 persons to hold your child down to reapply moisturizer on her itchy skin while all she wants to do is scratch the itch away
It's those stare you and your child gets in public places
It's the questions you get from people who can't hold down their curiousity.."What's wrong with her face?", or "Why is her face so red?"
And the insensitive comments like "Oh she's allergic to heat? So what's going to happen when she goes to school in the future?"