Tuesday 24 January 2012

Day 65 Adrenal Fatigue

My skin is still in a good condition post-flare and even the backs of my legs seem a bit better today.

I noticed a new symptom that Juliana also mentioned on her blog. I get weepy areas of skin that crust over, but when the crusts come off, there are small pits, or wells underneath that look like open sores. I first had a patch like this on my nose a couple of days ago, and it was like there were small holes in the skin on my nose with water coming out if I applied any cream,

I don't really have an explanation for what this pitting is or what causes it, other than that it is another side effect of steroid withdrawal.

On a totally different subject, another symptom of steroid withdrawal is adrenal fatigue. The adrenals are the glands that make, amongst other things, cortisol, the production of which is supressed by the steroid creams, which trick the body into thinking it has enough cortisol. Naturally, during steroid cream withdrawal, the adrenals have to get used to functioning normally again, which can mean side effects such as depression, odd sleep patterns and mood swings.

That explains a lot.....!

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