Monday 17 November 2014

Anniversary Blogpost: 3 Years Off Steroids-Review of the Year (photos)

Hi everyone. It's that time of year again where I sit back and review the previous year.

I started my steroid cream withdrawal on 21 November 2011, so I am coming up to 3 years off steroid creams. I thought I'd pop on some photos, to give you all an idea of how my skin is right now.

Seeing as it is November and VERY cold, my face is doing surprisingly well. I was expecting a big winter flare but have had nothing so far. You can see that I have nicked the skin on my cheek with my fingernails in my sleep, but I think that is more due to habit than anything else. The skin is looking much more normal in colour than previously and the mild dryness is easily controlled with a thin layer of moisturiser. I'm optimistic that my face will go back to its previously healed state when we get some sunny weather. My face is really the only part still affected by TSW at this stage and the symptoms are VERY mild. I feel I'm close to being healed for good.

 
My hand and arm are normal

This is a side view of my arm and hand to show that the previously rashy area is completely clear.
 
 
 
The rest of my body is the same; just normal skin. My neck is similar to my face, with some small patches of redness. Compared to this time last year, this is fantastic!
 
 
Review of the year:
 
This time last year, November 2013, I was going through a flare period following a good summer of healed skin. The highlight of my month was a lovely get together with local skin friends and TSW bloggers, including the brilliant Miss Kitty. It really cheered me up and set the tone for the year. I met a lovely, inspirational teenager with TSW who helped me feel more positive.
 
In December, I tried the much-touted Moisturiser Withdrawal method. I really hated it and it made me look like a flaky pastry. Still, for the sake of research and experimenting on myself, I carried on the experiment into January, before finally giving it up as a lost cause. Although it was a pretty hyped method at the time, the general consensus seems to be that moisturiser withdrawal is not all that effective for TSW, although some people do prefer this method and say it has helped tremendously. I don't think it suits everyone, but if it does help you, then by all means go for it.
 
In February, my skin was doing OK and I even put the blog on hold while I lived life and enjoyed myself. I didn't blog in March at all, as my skin just got better and better. The Itsan forum hit the 1000 member marker.
 
In April, I briefly returned to the blog to post some great skin photos and to let people know the news about the INSTED initiative where doctors in India were taking TSW seriously.
 
May was another quiet blog month for me, although I was very sad to hear that my teenage friend that I met in November was suffering from steroid-induced cataracts due to her use of creams on her face. She had the operation and is doing OK.
 
In June, I published one of my all-time most popular blogposts as my skin healed completely for the first time since stopping steroids. It was GREAT!!! As a result, July and August were very quiet blogging months as I got outdoors and enjoyed summer.
 
September marked the end of summer, the anniversary of Itsan and the return of the flares! After three months healed, my skin had a crazy flare, but it only lasted a week. Weird.
 
October was a dread month for me, as I always flare in October. But lo and behold-I didn't! My skin stayed clear, which was amazing.
 
Which brings us back round to November and I'm doing well, as you can see from the photos. The winter has taken my skin a small step back, but nothing really to worry about. I truly feel that this is the end of the road now for my TSW.
 
Looking back on the year, I realise how little I have blogged. Some months I didn't blog at all. This is a sign of healing, of moving away to new priorities. I've been homeschooling my autistic son too, so time is at a premium for me now.
 
I want to do a couple of landmark posts about Steroid Phobia and Anniversary Flares. I'd also like to finish up my A-Z of TSW over the coming year, but then I will probably wind down the blog completely. I don't want to be blogging about TSW forever. I slowly want to wean myself back into the real world and away from TSW world.
 
Best wishes to everyone and I hope your year has been as good as mine. I can't get over the amazing ability of the skin to heal if you just leave it alone.
 
 
 
 
 


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello,
Thank you for your blog. My daughter is 3 and she is 1 month Tsw. It's hard to see. I have another daughter that is 8. She Is a
Bad asthmatic since 3. She is on steroid inhaler with mask for flare like colds maybe 3 times a winter thid year. Last year she was u s ing mask twice daily due to her age.. She uses a maintenance
one via mouth daily. She has no eczema.I
have removed her mask and only let her
use spacer via mouth and wash her face
and rinse her mouth thoroughly. I became
very worried after reading a post on itsan
re a child that developed tsa with mask. I
know you are an asthmatic. Do you think
to prevent issues the washing face and
rinsing is enough? Now I constantly look at her face. She does not itch. There is no
rash. Just a some red blemishes herevand there like a pimple no pus here and there
which I attribute to her glasses or her hair
rubbing against her skin. I am sorry but the fear of tsw is overwhelming. I would appreciate your input. Thank you - worried mom

Louise said...

We love our kids and want to do what's best for them, it's only natural.

I wouldn't worry too much about TSW from inhalers. Your child obviously needs them to breathe and that really is the priority. Taking precautions like rinsing is a good idea. I don't think there is any more you can do.

Please don't worry yourself too much. You sound like a very caring and loving mom and your kids are in capable hands.

Anonymous said...

Louise,
Thank you so much. I have tears rolling down my face. Yes I just want to do the best I can for both of them. Sometimes you just need some reassurance from a person that understands and has been through this. Bless you.

Louise said...

No problem,
Please keep in touch and let me know how they are doing. X