I think my BP may have cured me

This post requires a bit of back story, but please bear with me because I would really like to get others' opinions on this. About six years ago I somewhat spontaneously developed a condition called dyshidrotic eczema. This is basically a fancy word for horrible rashes and itching, typically on palms of the hands and soles of the feet. A quick google search will confirm this is a nasty problem to live with. I saw various doctors and dermatologists, who all tried prescribing me different creams and steroid treatments, all of which were only mildly effective and provided only temporary help. None of them could tell me what caused it, apart from the fact that a whole range of factors can contribute and that there is no known "cure" or means of correcting it. One of them theorized that it was caused primarily by internalizing stress, a fancy way of saying that the stress I was not actively recognizing was manifesting physically. The itching and swelling was bad enough that I even landed in the ER on a couple of occasions when the swelling got so bad I could not bend my fingers. Again, this has been going on, with nothing seeming to help for years. I didn't really buy the stress explanation for quite some time, but during one of the worse times I had been told my wisdom teeth had to be extracted and was freaking out about it. Much to my surprise the day after the procedure, during which my hands had been horrible, I woke up to find symptoms virtually gone. They came back a week or so later, but it really made me wonder if stress may be the cause. The problem was that I usually had no idea what I was even stressed about, so had no simple means of facing or otherwise dealing with it.

Last night my son was pointing out that I haven't had any problems with my hands for almost a year. It is common for them to get better during winter as the cold air seems to help, but in summer they are always terrible. Here we are sitting in 100 degree temps and I am still having no trouble whatsoever. I agreed with him that it was really interesting and that it had been much better this year. Jokingly I told him that maybe Shesha (my pastel boy who I have had for about 10 months) had cured me. We laughed it off, but later that night I started thinking about it. It really does seem that getting him lines up with the time that things started improving. I have noticed since he came home that I seem to feel instantly calm when I am handling him. It isn't like I am just distracted from the things that usually bother me, it is more like I sit and relax enough to realize they aren't worth worrying about. I really can't remember ever having felt as calm as he makes me. I guess the best way to say it is that he seems to transport me away from all the trivial daily stress and I am able to just let things go. Given the link between stress and this condition I am really becoming more and more convinced that he may be the reason I seem to have miraculously recovered.

So what do you all think? Could it be possible that he really made such a huge difference in my health? Has anyone else noticed any unusual benefits, even just developing a calmer or more positive overall state of mind, since taking up the hobby? :)

I can definitely see the less stress thing. My Ball Pythons do a ton for me in that area (except on bad feeding days ;-P ).

Snakes can definitely be a stress-reliever. You can be affectionate toward them, but they don't demand an emotional connection when you don't feel like it and are low maintenance compared to a dog or cat.

Without getting into too much detail, I have some pretty severe health problems and taking care of my reptiles is literally the only thing that gets me out of bed some days, so I think they definitely can have therapeutic value.

My husband has the same issue and it would not surprise if it is stress. Between his job, our children and living situation, stress comes hand in hand with these things. But even owning our snakes does not stop him from get it, and your right about the summer winter thing. I have theorized that my husband could be allergic to his own sweat simply because it becomes worse the hotter it gets but doctors ruled that out. Even though our snakes do not calm my husband down, does not mean it doesn't for you though and I am happy that it works for you. I know how painful it can get sometimes, so I am happy for you.

It seems like a lot of people find tending to their reptiles calming. I think for me it was just not knowing how to disconnect and move on from the problems that would come up on a day to day basis so it would wind up just building up and never being dealt with. I think I find an unusual sense of calm just sitting with my little guy. He is so graceful and so calm himself it is hard not to be pushed into the same mindset. I can't of course say with certainty that he is what is behind the sudden change. I just can't find anything else I can attribute it to. Life has not suddenly gotten less stressful. Some perhaps, but not enough to account for such a dramatic improvement. I just find it amazing that after so many attempts to correct the issue failed, something as simple as having an animal around that I admire could have been all that was needed. Too bad pythons aren't a common treatment.

In your husband's case, even if an allergy to sweat isn't the issue, many dermatologists I saw told me that it was a condition linked to a sweat dysfunction at the very least. I hope your husband finds something that works for him, it really is a nightmare to live with. Who knows, maybe some day my stress will increase enough that it will come back full force. For now though it really seems that having some outlet to put all that stress in perspective is helping tremendously. I just happen to be one of those people who has a very hard time just sitting and calming my mind by choice. I tend to obsess about things, but for some reason snake handling time just kicks me right out of that cycle. None of the problems seem to matter enough to take away from the happiness I get from interacting with him. Maybe it provides just enough of a time out from the panic cycle that I can move past it. Very interesting either way, just never would have expected that particular benefit to having him.

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Originally Posted by Creepy Alien

I can definitely see the less stress thing. My Ball Pythons do a ton for me in that area (except on bad feeding days ;-P ).

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Bad feeding days are the worst aren't they?! So far none have gotten me quite upset enough to have any kind of catastrophic outbreaks (then again he hasn't given me too much trouble, everything is always fine by morning and I can relax) but sometimes it seems like he is just out to do everything in the most difficult fashion possible. :rolleyes: Maybe he is trying to teach me patience and faith that things will sort themselves out. He may succeed yet. ;)

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Originally Posted by kiiarah

In your husband's case, even if an allergy to sweat isn't the issue, many dermatologists I saw told me that it was a condition linked to a sweat dysfunction at the very least. I hope your husband finds something that works for him, it really is a nightmare to live with. Who knows, maybe some day my stress will increase enough that it will come back full force. For now though it really seems that having some outlet to put all that stress in perspective is helping tremendously. I just happen to be one of those people who has a very hard time just sitting and calming my mind by choice. I tend to obsess about things, but for some reason snake handling time just kicks me right out of that cycle. None of the problems seem to matter enough to take away from the happiness I get from interacting with him. Maybe it provides just enough of a time out from the panic cycle that I can move past it. Very interesting either way, just never would have expected that particular benefit to having him.

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He definitely is happy holding on to our snakes, but it doesn't necessarily stop him from stressing.

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Originally Posted by BCS

He definitely is happy holding on to our snakes, but it doesn't necessarily stop him from stressing.

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Maybe they are at least lessening it somewhat. Hope the stress levels lower soon though. At least it seems like it always goes in waves. It will be bad for a while but it always gets better too. :)

Seriously though, petting my cats more was a treatment thought offered by my psychiatrist a couple years, for anxiety and depression... My snake helps a lot too now....

Nothing helps me calm down like taking my snakes outside on a warm evening. I like just sitting quietly with them and letting them run through my fingers. Lately I've been using my boa for this. He is a bit more interactive with me than the others. Plus he's so soft :)

I have noticed that watching my snakes, and holding them is very calming. The patterns on a snake are almost hypnotic, and really are soothing to look at. They really are a great pet to de-stress with.

I get swollen itchy knuckles on my hands sometimes. The skin get itchy almost like poison ivy and swells up and gets tender. It makes bending that finger a little uncomfortable. Never figured out what it was from though. Wonder if it's the same thing.

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Originally Posted by Izzys Keeper

I get swollen itchy knuckles on my hands sometimes. The skin get itchy almost like poison ivy and swells up and gets tender. It makes bending that finger a little uncomfortable. Never figured out what it was from though. Wonder if it's the same thing.

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If it is the same thing and you look closely you can see tiny blisters. For a long time my hands would just get really itchy and feel hot almost and the blisters were only visible if I looked very closely. At it's worst they were more obvious, but unless you know what you are looking for it is easy to miss. I would take a close look and see if you can find areas that look like a little bubble. It could very well be the same thing.

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Originally Posted by lorrainesmom

I have noticed that watching my snakes, and holding them is very calming. The patterns on a snake are almost hypnotic, and really are soothing to look at. They really are a great pet to de-stress with.

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I find it so amusing that snake-keepers have such a completely opposite reaction to being close to them. I have been lying in bed with Shesha before and he will slither up with his head between my head and the pillow and it is just the happiest feeling in the world. Then I think about it for a moment and realize that most people would think that was a nightmare situation. So funny how people can view the same thing so differently, isn't it? :snake: