I have mentioned before on this blog about the risk of eye complications with topical steroid usage. This was made painfully aware to me when a young teenage skin-friend had to have cataract surgery due to complications from using steroid creams for her eczema.
Despite this, I read of a case on the Itsan forum today where a patient asked their doctor about cataract risk and the doctor denied that steroids cause cataracts! Google "steroid induced cataracts" and you will find lots of evidence that can be printed off to show any GP or dermatologist that doesn't know about this.
Today I discovered an article online that shows that kids who use topical steroids are also at risk from glaucoma. Yes, it seems that as well as steroid-induced cataracts, we should also be worried about steroid-induced glaucoma too.
Eyesight is precious. If you know anyone who regularly uses steroid cream or has a child that uses steroid cream, encourage them to have regular eye check ups to ensure that their medication isn't causing any nasty side effects, especially if they use these creams around the eyes or on the face.
Wednesday, 24 June 2015
Monday, 15 June 2015
ITSAN on Instagram
For those of you that use Instragram, you can now access the dedicated Itsan Instagram site and follow, tag or share Itsan. The Instagram profile name is @itsan.nonprofit.
Many thanks to fellow blogger Heather for setting up the site. You can follow Heather on her eczemancipated blog and also on her guest spot at just glowing with health, where she is doing a raw vegan food challenge to raise awareness of TSW, as well as sharing some yummy healthy recipes!
Many thanks to fellow blogger Heather for setting up the site. You can follow Heather on her eczemancipated blog and also on her guest spot at just glowing with health, where she is doing a raw vegan food challenge to raise awareness of TSW, as well as sharing some yummy healthy recipes!
Saturday, 13 June 2015
Latest Scholarly Article about Children And Topical Steroid Withdrawal
Another resource for you to print out and share with doctors, dermatologists and medical professionals.
A Systematic Review of Topical Steroid Withdrawal in Children Diagnosed with Eczema
The article may be the first of its kind in methodology and subject matter and the results will hopefully make researchers and doctors want to work on more effective measures for prevention, early detection, and treatment of TSA/TSW in children and adults.
A Systematic Review of Topical Steroid Withdrawal in Children Diagnosed with Eczema
The article may be the first of its kind in methodology and subject matter and the results will hopefully make researchers and doctors want to work on more effective measures for prevention, early detection, and treatment of TSA/TSW in children and adults.
Monday, 8 June 2015
Amazon Smile: An Easy Way to Donate to Itsan
I'd actually forgot about this, but a while ago, Itsan set up a link to Amazon Smile, which means that anyone registering with Amazon can select Itsan as a nominated charity and they can receive a small percentage from all purchases.
As far as I know, it only works with purchases from Amazon.com, so users outside of the U.S. will not be able to use it unless they are shipping items.
I hope this link can be used by blog readers, as it has the potential to help Itsan by users buying what they normally would anyway.
Please nominate Itsan as your chosen charity on Amazon Smile today. It won't cost you anything but it will really help Itsan reach more people and spread the word about TSW.
As far as I know, it only works with purchases from Amazon.com, so users outside of the U.S. will not be able to use it unless they are shipping items.
I hope this link can be used by blog readers, as it has the potential to help Itsan by users buying what they normally would anyway.
Please nominate Itsan as your chosen charity on Amazon Smile today. It won't cost you anything but it will really help Itsan reach more people and spread the word about TSW.
Monday, 1 June 2015
Update at 42 Months With Photos
TSW is slow. Painfully slow. I'd been doing so well up until December 2014 and then I hit a flare that never really went away. previously healed areas like my legs started flaring again and also, unusually, my hands, which up until recently had been problem-free.
I've been steadily improving since the weather has changed, but improvements are gradual and I'm still not fully healed. I thought I'd post today's photos next to the last ones so you could compare them. The "befores" are from my 40 month update; two months ago.
I'm now 3 and a half years into TSW.
As you can see, my neck has calmed down a lot. Movement has improved considerably and the oozing has stopped.
My arm isn't so tight and dry now on the elbow crease and the rash is much paler, almost gone.
The red demarcation line on my hand has disappeared, but there is still some puffiness compared to how my hand normally looks.
My face is a bit pink still, but not as rashy. The skin doesn't feel tight anymore and flaking is not a problem right now.
So you can see some good improvements here and I generally seem to be moving in the right direction again. I'm still having some sleep issues and my allergies are acting up because it's pollen season.
I have some good news about my inhaler too. I'm still having to use a steroid inhaler for my bad asthma, but the nurse has allowed me to go down from a 125 dose to a 50 dose. I'm doing OK on the new dose, but I suppose the real test will be in winter. I'm just happy that I have less steroid load going into my body, as I'm sure it has an impact on my recovery. For now, I can't live without it though and breathing is a necessary part of life!
Hope you enjoyed my update. I'd love to be posting completely healed photos, but this is the best I can do for now.
Hugs to all the brave TSW warriors.
I've been steadily improving since the weather has changed, but improvements are gradual and I'm still not fully healed. I thought I'd post today's photos next to the last ones so you could compare them. The "befores" are from my 40 month update; two months ago.
I'm now 3 and a half years into TSW.
As you can see, my neck has calmed down a lot. Movement has improved considerably and the oozing has stopped.
My arm isn't so tight and dry now on the elbow crease and the rash is much paler, almost gone.
The red demarcation line on my hand has disappeared, but there is still some puffiness compared to how my hand normally looks.
My face is a bit pink still, but not as rashy. The skin doesn't feel tight anymore and flaking is not a problem right now.
So you can see some good improvements here and I generally seem to be moving in the right direction again. I'm still having some sleep issues and my allergies are acting up because it's pollen season.
I have some good news about my inhaler too. I'm still having to use a steroid inhaler for my bad asthma, but the nurse has allowed me to go down from a 125 dose to a 50 dose. I'm doing OK on the new dose, but I suppose the real test will be in winter. I'm just happy that I have less steroid load going into my body, as I'm sure it has an impact on my recovery. For now, I can't live without it though and breathing is a necessary part of life!
Hope you enjoyed my update. I'd love to be posting completely healed photos, but this is the best I can do for now.
Hugs to all the brave TSW warriors.
Thursday, 28 May 2015
New Itsan Website
The Itsan Website has had a new makeover and is looking fantastic. It has come a LONG way from the very first Itsan website published.
The new site looks slick and professional and is geared around the idea of building bridges with the medical community. This makes it the ideal website for patients to direct their doctors and health care workers to.
The site has dedicated areas of articles on TSW, before and after photos and FAQ's, as well as links to the lovely forum, where you will find me most days!
Congrats to all the hard workers that remodelled the new site for a new generation of Red Skin patients. Red Skin Syndrome is no longer a "fringe" condition, but is being taken seriously by the medical community since the NEA published their findings and Itsan became a member of the coalition of skin diseases. Itsan have also been in talks with the American Academy of Dermatology, so awareness is spreading amongst doctors and dermatologists, which will lead to better patient outcomes.
On a more personal note, it looks like this blog is just about to hit the milestone 600,000 page views today, so many thanks to all the readers, old and new as we rocket toward the big million.
I will also try and post some photos next week when the kids are back at school and I have some free time. My skin is looking GOOD right now!
The new site looks slick and professional and is geared around the idea of building bridges with the medical community. This makes it the ideal website for patients to direct their doctors and health care workers to.
The site has dedicated areas of articles on TSW, before and after photos and FAQ's, as well as links to the lovely forum, where you will find me most days!
Congrats to all the hard workers that remodelled the new site for a new generation of Red Skin patients. Red Skin Syndrome is no longer a "fringe" condition, but is being taken seriously by the medical community since the NEA published their findings and Itsan became a member of the coalition of skin diseases. Itsan have also been in talks with the American Academy of Dermatology, so awareness is spreading amongst doctors and dermatologists, which will lead to better patient outcomes.
On a more personal note, it looks like this blog is just about to hit the milestone 600,000 page views today, so many thanks to all the readers, old and new as we rocket toward the big million.
I will also try and post some photos next week when the kids are back at school and I have some free time. My skin is looking GOOD right now!
Monday, 25 May 2015
Another TV News Item about Topical Steroid Withdrawal
TSW makes the news again! It's great that the local news channels are starting to run items like this to raise public awareness. I was also really happy to see that the dermatologist featured on the item was supportive of TSW. Itsan is working hard to foster relationships and build bridges with the medical community.
Well done for all who took part.
TSW news item
Well done for all who took part.
TSW news item
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