'I thought my eczema was going to kill me'

Many will understand how much of an impact the skin condition eczema can have on daily life.

The constant discomfort of dry, itchy and red skin can massively decrease someone’s overall wellbeing – ranging from fatigue to low self-esteem.

But for some, the chronic skin problem can also be deadly – leading to potentially life-threatening complications that can kill if not treated properly.

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Someone who knows this more than most is Freya McGreevy, from Chorlton, who has endured severe eczema for as long as she can remember.

It all started when Freya was a child. As her sore skin worsened, her family thought she might be experiencing allergies, but tests showed no evidence of this.

Freya’s eczema flare-ups eventually became so horrific she was forced to take time off school. With open wounds, weeping skin and rashes, even wearing clothes became too painful.

“They couldn’t find any pattern for my eczema,” the 27-year-old told the Manchester Evening News. “So, we just had to be prepared for if a flare-up occurred, which can go from clear skin to open wounds, wet eczema and rashes within hours.”

It wasn’t until the age of 26 that the Afflecks Palace worker learned that her painful skin condition was being caused by a heightened immune system.

The only way she found any relief was through a steroid cream prescribed by doctors. While the treatment is used by many with the condition, it can lead to side effects including thinned skin, skin that bruises more easily and loss of pigment.

“It’s a big catch 22 for many eczema warriors,” Freya added. “But the steroid cream doctors would prescribe is the only thing to calm down the eczema.

“Over the years I was prescribed strong and stronger steroid creams until none of them worked. It also meant I was getting skin infections constantly and I was on antibiotics the whole time I was 17.”

Freya tried countless skin products in a bid to find an alternative to steroid cream, from skin ointments to oat baths, but nothing helped ease her suffering.

“I started on hydrocortisone and over the years have been given Fucibet, Dermovate, Betnovate, Eumovate, Protopic, as well as trying herbal remedies, Aveeno, Child’s Farm, Epiderm, E45, oat baths, wet wrap bandages and solution for my scalp eczema,” she added.

“I have always been in and out of A&E for flare ups, because when eczema is as severe as mine, the whole body becomes inflamed and it’s hard to walk, turn my head, wear clothes and function properly.”

Eczema is the name for a group of inflammatory skin conditions that cause itchiness, dry skin, rashes, scaly patches, blisters and skin infections. It can begin during childhood, adolescence, or adulthood and can range from mild to severe.

Severe eczema, like Freya’s, may include periods of flare-ups that can last many days or even several weeks.

Severe eczema comes with additional complications beyond itchy skin and rashes and can lead to hospitalization if left untreated. People with severe eczema are also at higher risk for food allergy and asthma, a triangulation of conditions that commonly co-occur known as the Atopic March.

Freya’s condition came to a head at age 25 – describing it as “the worst it’s ever been”. She endured an agonising flare-up for 12 months and was forced to take three months off work.

Despite taking oral steroid medication, her infections became so bad she was hospitalised after developing sepsis.

“The nurses couldn’t treat the eczema because there was no dermatologist in the hospital and they were not trained to deal with extreme cases,” Freya added.

“It wasn’t until my sepsis that I was sent to a dermatologist. I feel my body and me can never reach my full potential because of flare-up fears.”

When Freya’s creams stopped working, she was placed on immunosuppressant treatment along with UV therapy. Sadly, these didn’t work and she began taking oral steroids again alongside antibiotics and methotrexate injections used for inflammatory conditions.

Freya has been receiving these treatments for the last 18 months, and while they appear to help, she fears for any long-term side effects.

“They make you incredibly angry, gain weight and sweat a lot,” she said. “It’s not fun. I also have to take folic acid with this and for half the week I am nauseous, hormonal and have no appetite.

“This treatment is causing me liver damage because it lowers my immunity and organ functionality, however, I am on the waiting list for biologics, a treatment which targets specific parts of the immune system to reduce inflammation and improve symptoms.

“These are injections I will have to take for the rest of my life in order to suppress the area of my immune system which causes the eczema. I almost feel like I have had to wait for it to get to a life-threatening/debilitating level in order to get the correct treatment because there isn’t enough knowledge or resources on severe eczema.”

“The only thing that helps my eczema now is big strong medications and love from friends and family. I still moisturise, take oat baths and wear protective cotton layers under clothes to keep my eczema at bay, all on top of the methotrexate injections, but it will always be there.”

Despite the constant physical pain she endures, Freya says the worst part about her condition is the mental aspect.

“The worst thing is the mental side of this condition,” she added. “I feel so ungrateful saying this because people mean well, but having people ask all my life, ‘What’s that on your face?’ ‘Oh, that looks sore,’ ‘Have you tried this? It worked when I was a baby,’ it just makes me feel more alienated.

“I was bedbound for the majority 2023 and had to use a wheelchair in order for me to continue earning money. No one apart from close family and my partner could comprehend that it was eczema causing it.”

Freya says she feels guilty having to go to A&E for her eczema but feels as though it’s the only option she has.

“When even your clothing is a threat of infection, it’s the only option,” she said. “I never picture myself with eczema so it’s always a horrible shock when I catch some spots or scabs when I'm going about my day. Sometimes I can’t wear clothes to cover it up, so the only option is to see it.

“My workplace are understanding and allow me to take time off when I need and adapt my day, like when I have a wheelchair. The love and understanding of my partner is unmatched.

“He steps up into carer mode when he recognises my skin getting worse. He will literally help me in and out of bed and baths when it’s bad, moisturise my whole body and go and get late night bandages if we run out.

“And he is still attracted to me which I struggle with because I am so disgusted by my own skin. If it wasn’t for him, I fear that the mental health issues that came with my eczema when it was at it’s absolutely worst would have been the thing that killed me.

Now my skin is more controlled, I am just so grateful to do normal things like going on holiday, taking part in sport and being able to walk to work.”