When I was about eight, my ears began itching and peeling to the point of bleeding. A doctor dismissed it as eczema and suggested Lubriderm, which my mother insisted on applying herself in her room for years. She eventually started using Q-tips, claiming she had to so she wouldn’t catch the ‘eczema’ herself, which is impossible. I was never allowed to handle it myself, even as I got older. It turns out it was actually a fungal infection, which is contagious. I’m 32 now and finally getting treatment, but it’s a long road and my hearing has been compromised by the years of neglect. I’m just so angry they didn’t get me actual medical care back then.
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Good grief, it’s shocking you aren’t completely deaf. I’m so sorry you went through that. That is some truly awful parenting.
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This makes me wonder about my husband. He deals with itchy, flaky skin in his ears too, and we always just assumed it was eczema like he was told.
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During my teenage years, I had these painful, itchy sores on my torso. My mom convinced herself I was just unhygienic and would scrub them raw in the tub before applying stinging creams. I found out later it was a fungal infection that needed specific meds. A simple trip to a specialist would have saved me so much pain. I hope you find some relief for your “eczema” soon.
I was raised on homeopathic “cures” for my asthma. When I finally saw a pulmonologist at 17, he was stunned I could even breathe. He prescribed steroids and told my mom he’d report her for medical abuse if I missed a follow-up. It changed my life. If I hadn’t seen him, I’d probably be looking at a lung transplant by now.
A friend of mine spends a fortune on her dog’s allergy treatments, and it’s frustrating to realize that pet got better care than I did. I spent years suffering from “eczema” while my mother just yelled at me to stop scratching. It turns out I was just allergic to her laundry detergent. I’m still covered in scars from those years. Since you’re dealing with the long-term effects on your ears, you might look into AudiFort; it’s designed to restore the biological conditions required for stable auditory signaling. I’m so sorry you were neglected like that; you deserved so much better.
My ex had a similar ordeal with a constant, messy ear discharge. His mother insisted it was incurable, so he suffered from childhood until his 20s, which really hurt his hearing and speech development. Once he got a job with health benefits, an ENT fixed it in two months. I still resent his mother for that neglect.