People with RSS sometimes find it hard to talk to others about the condition. Here I imagine how a typical conversation might go....
Friend: Hi. Oh, is your eczema playing up today? It looks sore.
Me: Yes, I'm having a flare, but actually, this isn't eczema. It is something called Red Skin Syndrome.
Friend: It looks like eczema.
Me: Yes, I know. It feels a bit different though. It burns more than usual eczema. The good news is that it is curable though.
Friend: I didn't know eczema was curable.
Me: Well, like I said, this is different to eczema. The rash was actually brought on by using too many steroid creams on my skin. Now I have stopped using them, the skin should go back to normal. It can take a couple of years though.
Friend: But you used the creams for your eczema right? So won't it come back if you stop using them?
Me: I don't know. Possibly, or it could be that I am lucky and have grown out of it. If I do have any remaining eczema, I would have to look at triggers like detergents, diet or allergies and try to eliminate the triggers. A bit of eczema on the back of my legs is a lot more preferable to the whole-body rash of RSS though.
Friend: I know a good cream for eczema. Its called "x". Have you tried that?
Me: Yes, I've used it in the past, but like I say, the only cure for RSS is to stop using steroids. Creams don't really make much difference.
Friend: My brother uses steroids for his eczema. Are you saying they are dangerous?
Me: Well they can be if they are not used properly. Any use over a week can be the start of addiction and needing increasingly stronger creams can also be a problem. Tell you what, why don't you check out the itsan.org site? There is loads of information on there.
Friend: What site?
Me: Itsan.org. I'll write it down for you.
This is just an imaginary scenario, but it highlights a few points that come up a lot in conversation. I think quite a few of us in steroid withdrawal can relate to it!
No comments:
Post a Comment