Bare legs

Today, I wore a knee length skirt to work. Wow. Big deal. No really, it is.

You see, it's been half a year since the last time I did so. Late last year, I developed a terrible eczema-like patch on my left ankle. It started out tiny, but over the months it steadily grew. I think it reached right round my leg three months ago. That rash also spread to other places - my outer thigh, left elbow, right shin. But my legs were the areas most affected.

The patches would itch, but only in the night when I went up to bed. It. Was. Excruciating. The only thing more excruciating than it was the pain that stayed after the itch was scratched away. No, I could not not scratch. At one point I was in constant pain.

Needless to say, I sought medical attention. I got tubes and tubes of steroids that were supposed to be so strong, a rock would shrivel up. In January a short term dose of oral steroids were prescribed. Sometimes it seemed to help and I'll begin to hope that it'll be over soon but that a relapse would happen. Every day I'll cover my legs and told myself to be patient, sometimes skin conditions need time to blow over.

Of course my family and boyfriend knew about it. They were concerned and supportive, and that made it more bearable at times. Yet, I didn't talk much about how disfigured and despairing and "cursed" I felt. Or how it was hard to sleep some nights because of the pain. It was still an experience that I had to go through alone.

A month and a half ago I went to a different doctor and he prescribed an antibiotic. Within two weeks, it cleared up. I'm still applying the cream to make sure the infection is completely gotten rid off, and the scars that developed will take a long time to completely fade away. But I'm not complaining at all. I am so so thankful that I do not have to endure that hell anymore, and promised myself that I will write about this the first day I show my legs again so that I remember to be thankful every time I put on a pair of shorts or skirt for a long, long time.