My doctor said it is a chest infection and gave me antibiotics, telling me to return promptly if there is no improvement to get a chest X ray. I was telling my friend about this, when she mentioned the likelihood of being prescribed steroid tablets to treat the condition. Apparently, her asthmatic son used to get repeated chest infections and the doctor always gave him a short course of steroids.
*Cue alarm bells*
This put a huge question into my mind (which I will illustrate by using huge letters!):
Do Steroid Tablets "reset" the withdrawal process in Red Skin Syndrome?
In other words, if I am prescribed oral steroids, will it send me back to square one and all the oozy redness of the early months, because I really cannot go back to that place.I posted my question on the Itsan forum and the lovely Kelly Palace decided to email Dr Rapaport to find out his opinion. here is the response:
"If the doctors use the word "infection" then there is no place for steroids- just antibiotics- if it is asthma etc let them try other drugs first- she will flare if steroids are used- if it is life and death then we live with a little more flaring for a while Always steroids as a quick fix- go at it from a different approach."
A great point to remind everyone here that we have talked about before....if doc want to use antibiotics then steroids should not be used!
Thanks to both Kelly and Dr Rapaport for clarifying the situation. It seems that if I take oral steroids I will flare up. It is a good idea to have a balanced approach to this and as Dr Rap suggests, not to dismiss oral steroids completely if the situation is life or death.
Luckily, I don't think I am ready to keel over just yet, so I think I will go for the "no steroids" approach if they offer it. I actually think that the troublesome cough is likely to be whooping cough, in which case I think it is unlikely that they would offer steroids, but it is always best to be prepared and have an answer in mind for every possible eventuality.
Thank you Itsan.
2 comments:
Interesting! Another thing to point out my theory ( I'm no doctor of course) and this is from experience, once you are withdrawing from topical steroids, if you use oral steroids, indeed, it's a quick fix, but once you come off you will flare. However, I remember years back, probably around 10 years before I started using topicals, I had contact derm. from hair gel that made my lower scalp itch so bad that I've broken the skin. Anyways, my doctor prescribed me prednisone bare in mind this is the first time using ever (I have never used topicals) and it worked and my condition never came back.
That brings me to my experience of if you have never used topicals then the chances of flaring won't happen with prednisone? Since all of us has used topicals for years and going thru withdrawal then oral steroids would most likely make us flare???
I don't know, seems interesting but I would like an answer to this.
-Ryan
I was 8.5 months in to withdrawal of T.S. and I began to flare with horrible blisters that looked to be you Herpes outbreak. It was spreading rapidly and moving fast. I was hospitalized and they prescribed a shot of steroids and antibiotics and valtrex in case. 10 days after you flare a lot. I have been in touch with Dr Rap and he claims its like a reset. I do not agree because even when under the influence of prednisone my underlying withdrawal skin was present yet subdued. I believe that it sets you back a couple months however, not an end all.
I am just coming off the flare I predict another week and i should be more comfortable. The first 4-6 days of the flare are HORRIBLE. 3 baths a day cold water, aquaphor, tylenol, atarax at night etc.
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