I wanted to update the current status of Kevin's condition since we're at 2.5 months in and I haven't at all yet. Just to let everyone know what's changed, improvements or lack thereof, etc. There will be a lot more detail now than my previous post. I wrote the other one hastily and missed some important symptoms.
AS OF 2014/06/16:
Symptoms:
- Itching: Probably the main problem, always itching everywhere. It can be impossible for him to stop, and it affects his entire day including impairing his sleep.
- Dryness: The skin will dry out until it dies and sheds off.
- Shedding: He is literally always shedding. We have to wipe the bed of "crumbs" multiple times. We have to shake out the blankets twice a day. We vacuum daily and it's always filling up with loads of dead skin. Our kitchen and bathroom floors have skin shed all over. His clothes are lined with dead skin. Might be the second worst part of this.
- Inflammation: Wrists, hands, shins, ankles, and feet are inflamed.
- Discoloration: Arms, hands, legs, and feet are darker shades of his skin color. Lower legs, ankles, and especially feet are almost blackened. Like a burn.
- Smell: There is a slight odor with all the dead/dying skin on him and coming off of him.
- Insomnia: It's hard for him to fall asleep and stay asleep, possibly due to the discomfort of his skin, but might be actual insomnia, too.
- Muscle Spasms: For the first hour or so that he's asleep, he will have muscle spasms ranging from just a light twitch to a full limb spasming. It can happen as often as every 5 seconds to every minute or so.
- Mood: It seems like his mood is suffering. There are times that he is very irritable or easily annoyed, which is not how he is. If he does get annoyed, it will trigger a flare-up in his skin. He describes it as an unbearable tingling and itch that he absolutely can't NOT scratch. It's the worst.
- Cold Sensitivity: This comes and goes, but there are times where I will be too warm but he is very cold. It's summer here and most nights are 't-shirt and shorts weather' but he will need long sleeves + pants + sweatshirt.
- Lack of Energy: Extreme lack of energy. Goes to work, naps on all of his breaks, and comes home exhausted. No energy to do anything at all. Sometimes he will come home, shower, eat, and go straight to bed (attempting to sleep). Lack of sleep doesn't help, but even on days off when he spends 12+ hours in bed he will awake with little energy.
- Loss of Libido: Pretty much nothing. At all. Doesn't matter what I do (really).
- Snoring: Not sure if this is really anything worth reporting. He began to snore a ton when he gained weight (we both put on a good amount of weight while eating SAD) and then lost it all plus more when going paleo. Oddly, the snoring never stopped. It doesn't happen too regularly, but there are nights that it is SOOOO LOUD, and then nights where he doesn't at all. It might be an allergy and not related to eczema at all, but I figured that I would mention it.
Changes / Unchanged:
- Itching: Not much progress here at all.
- Dryness: His upper body has progressed well. It still dries out constantly (leading to shedding), but the new skin will be completely new, almost as soft as mine. His back, front, and upper arms are usually clear with just a bit of dryness. Hands, legs, and feet are still very dry, though.
- Shedding: The shedding is still a real issue. It's not as bad as before, but still extremely chronic. It's hard to tell if it's trying to heal and that's why it will keep shedding.
- Inflammation: Very great progress on the upper body. Only the hands appear to have slight inflammation still. It goes down but never completely, and sometimes will come back. But his back, front torso, upper arms, and neck are no longer inflamed at all. His thighs are not inflamed, but the lower on the legs, the worse it will get, and his feet are still the worst of all parts.
- Discoloration: Improvements in the areas that have improved in dryness. Lower legs and feet are still blackened.
- Smell: There used to be a really awful dead skin smell. Either we're just used to it, or it's significantly better. Hopefully the latter.
- Insomnia / Muscle Spasms / Mood: No changes here.
- Cold Sensitivity: This has improved. Before, it was a constant issue, but now it comes and goes. Seems to improve greatly after a liver flush.
- Lack of Energy: Still a real issue. I don't think there's been much of a change.
- Loss of Libido: There's been a slight improvement. But minimal. Even eating a plate of oysters didn't do anything to help 90% of the time.
What We Are Doing / What We Have Done:
- Eating 99.9% RPD (more accurately - 99% raw, 100% paleo).
* To be a bit more specific, eating mainly fresh raw seafood (fish and shellfish, includes meat, bones, and some organs when provided LOTS of diversity), red meat and fat, beef liver, egg yolks, fresh fruit (LOTS of diversity), and raw nuts.
- Living as cleanly as possible (e.g. No chemicals or household cleaners, only soap is diluted, organic, castille soap for dishes which only I touch and for laundry, using a chlorine water filter, neither of us smoke or drink, etc).
- Doing our best to get outside for fresh sunlight, air, and being with Earth / Nature.
- Flushes / Cleanses (working on them).
* He has done many colon cleanses, two kidney cleanses, and we're up to four liver flushes - all being guided by GS (much appreciation goes out to him for his help). Intending to get up to ten liver flushes, and also to do an enema (hoping we can get that done) and the orange juice fasting for leaky gut, also all with GS' guidance.
- Uropathy (drinking it 90% of the time).
- He uses 100% raw cacao butter to moisturize his skin. In a pinch, he will use coconut or olive oil.
