Hi everyone,
I'm lucky enough to, after two gap years, have four offers to study Veterinary Medicine. I'm obviously very excited to start the course, but one of my main worries is how I'm going to keep my eczema under control.
My eczema is concentrated on the back of my hands, and in the inside of my wrists/lower arms. It seems aggravated when on work experience placements, which I think is an effect of frequent exposure to dirt, lots of soap contact, and lack of opportunities to moisturise. I intend to cope by bringing my own soap substitutes and emollient creams to EMS placements.
What I'm especially worried about is the clinical years of the course, and having to scrub in for surgery, exposure to different disinfectants, etc. I know from working as an animal nursing assistant that chlorhexidine is especially irritating on my wrists, so I'd imagine I'd need to use a substitute. From researching on the Internet and reading the stories of medical surgeons with eczema, I know there must be alternatives available. I worry about how accommodating the university would be.
How should I go about talking to my chosen university about it? I know they send out occupational health forms nearer to the time of starting, but I'm wondering if I should email them now about it.
If anyone has any experience with this, I'd be really grateful to hear some insights. I can't imagine I'd be the first veterinary student in the UK to struggle with eczema(!).