Day 324 Morning Brew Blog

Another Red Skin blog has come to my attention and has been added to my ever expanding list on the right.

http://morningsbrew.blogspot.co.uk/ is one to check out. The lady who writes the blog is 5 weeks into withdrawals, so early days indeed. I wish her speedy healing.

I'm so happy that people are writing about this subject. We are buiding a huge body of evidence that cannot be refuted. Remember to take lots of photos folks, even if it the last thing you feel like doing. The improvements are amazing. I saw a photo on the itsan site of a young boy who had been desperately ill at the beginning of withdrawals, even needing hospitalization. These days, he is like a different child, with lovely, healed skin! Pictures paint a thousand words.

Day 323 Josh’s Blog

Apologies again for the lack of updates, I've had a crazy, busy week again.

Skin-wise, things are better than ever. Each morning I wake up and notice more improvements. The stubborn areas on my inner arms and legs have faded right down to pale pink and it won't be long before they are completely normal. My skin is lovely and soft with a lot less flaking.

My mantra throughout this process has always been to use the minimum amount of moisturiser possible. I cannot stress this point enough. I got through many tubes of cream in the early months, as I needed them in order to move my arms, neck and legs. Over time, the amount needed has diminished. At this 10 month stage, the only area that I moisturise is the area around my mouth, which can be a little flaky first thing. The body knows what it needs to heal and does not appreciate being slathered in potential allergens. Once this process is over, I hope to be off the moisturisers completely.

Over time, the amount of people blogging about Red Skin Syndrome has increased, and I am glad to list my fellow bloggers on the right hand side of the page. Please visit their blogs as they are all written from different perspectives and are most valuable to those starting off on the steroid-free road.

The newest blogger on the block is a guy from Australia called Josh, who has rather bravely included video excerpts on his blog. Reading it, I noticed so many similarities between what he is going through (swollen, red skin) and what I experienced in the early months. It will be great to see how he improves over the coming months.

Blogging is great therapy and gives us power when we feel helpless. More bloggers, please!

Day 316 Improvement

I know the gaps between the blog posts are getting bigger. I suppose it is just a sign that I am doing well and that my skin is no longer the big issue in my life.

I had a nice compliment today from an elderly friend who I went to visit today. She said that my skin was looking great! It is lovely when others notice the improvement in my skin and it is a big confidence booster.

I feel like I am chugging to the finish line slowly. My fellow blogger Rochelle is seeing major improvements at 16 months off the creams, so I am confident that my skin will soon be 100% better.

My arms and legs are continuing to improve dramatically, but my face is looking a bit "sunburned" this week, with pinkness on my cheeks and a bit of peeling. Nothing major though. I think it may be due to the cold, wet weather as I am outside a lot. Better than being stuck ill on the settee indoors though.

Day 310 Shedding Less

I am noticing that I hardly need to use any moisturiser these days. My skin seems to be regaining its natural oils and is becoming smooth and supple. I am also shedding and flaking a lot less, which is good news for my floor and computer keyboard. I'm still not quite right though, because when I use the ipad, I still have to wipe off the dead flakes after use! I have often joked that I could build a clone of myself out of all the dead skin I have hoovered up over the last few months!

It will be interesting to see how the winter weather affects my skin. We will be using the central heating more and wearing more layers of clothing. The harsh outdoor weather may also affect it adversely. I am definitely noticing a nip in the air. I started steroid withdrawals in the wintertime, but in the early stages, didn't go out much. I remember that at the time I enjoyed the sensation of the cold wind on my face because my skin felt like it was burning.

A few people are posting photos on the itsan site. Photos are a great way to chart progress. Some of them are really hard to look at because they bring back memories of how my skin used to be and I really empathise with these people. I hope they heal soon and are able to post some great photos of their "new" skin in the coming months.

Day 307: Before and After Photos

Today I want to focus on some problem areas that have given me trouble since day one of withdrawals. Whilst my skin is looking good generally, these stubborn patches will be the last to heal.

Hopefully, as these before and after photos show, there IS progress, albeit slow. I am almost 10 months into withdrawals and seeing improvements every day. I hope these photos encourage people who are going through the same thing. Photos are a great way to gauge your progress.

This a a photo of the palm of my hand a few months ago. I had watery blisters on my palm and my hands were very itchy and red. I was rubbing them all the time.

Here is my hand today. You can see that the redness has faded and there are no blisters. The area on the right is slightly dry, but easily remedied with a little hand cream to keep the skin supple.

My leg early in withdrawals. At this point I could not walk very easily.

My leg today. Sorry about the weird angle, but taking a photo of the back of your leg isn't easy! I scratch this area quite a lot, so it is a little blotchy due to scratching. Again, a blob of moisturiser when I get an urge to scratch is the best therapy.

This is my leg wound that has plagued me since January. The skin would scab over with a papery scab and then the scab would drop off, leaving a wet wound that would not heal. I had to use moist healing methods to treat it, but the wound would keep coming back. I had an identical wound on my other calf too.

This is the same area of skin today. I apologise for the difference in lighting between the two pictures, but the old photo was taken in artificial lighting whereas today's photo was taken in natural daylight. The goosebumps on my skin are due to the sudden cold spell we are having here in the UK! The wound has almost healed and I estimate that if I can hold off the scratching, this area will have normal skin in a few months time. It is quite itchy still, though.

This is a picture that I call "werewolf attack". It shows how strong the urge to scratch can be and was taken a few months ago. My inner arms from the inner elbow to wrist have been really slow to heal.

The same area today. Notice how the redness has faded significantly. It is slightly blotchy and pink, but almost there.

I am so pleased with the way my skin has responded to stopping steroid creams. I expect that within the next few months, things will improve further. I am due a medication review with my nurse next month and plan to show her how well I am doing without the creams. It may make her think twice about prescribing them so often.

I hope the medical establishment wakes up soon and realises the truth about overuse of steroid creams and steroid addiction.

Day 302: Progress Photos

I was hoping to wow everyone with some amazing skin photos now I have passed the 300 day milestone. Unfortunately, for the last 3 or 4 days, I have had a couple of minor flare-ups, so the pictures are not as great as I had hoped for. Still, I reckon they are quite good and they do reflect the progress that my skin has made.

Mug shot again! You can see that the flare on the one side of my face that I showed a few days ago has faded. The redness has subsided quite dramatically and the normal colour is returning. I have slight dryness around the mouth, which I treat with a little hemp cream.

My hands and arms are brilliant! More than happy with the progress here!

More perfect skin on my legs and feet!

My problematic neck is also improving, although the area just below this is a bit red and blotchy.

I just need my flaring areas to catch up with the good bits!

I still have blotchy rashes on my inner calves and inner arm. The rest of me is OK. I can hide the blotchy bits with clothing when I go out, but I like to try and get the sun on my arms to try and heal the few remaining stubborn bits.

I hope these pictures encourage those in the early stages of steroid withdrawal that healing IS possible. I used steroids on my face for 15 years and now I am getting my face back! There is light at the end of the tunnel. I know I still have a long way to go though. TSW is one S...L....O...W  process!

Day 301 50,000 Views

Today my blog viewership reached the 50,000 mark. Thank you everyone!

My skin is in a weird phase at the moment. Some parts are flaring mildly and some parts are brilliant! My legs are virtually clear, but I have a bad flare on my chest again and it has even started oozing. When, oh when will the ooze end?

The flares are quite short lived and I think partially due to the fact that there are generally more allergens in the atmosphere. At this time of year my asthma gets a lot worse and my eyes and nose are irritated. It is understandable that my skin is not happy either. I think I may start back on the antihistamines to help me get through this.

Day 299 (photos)

My skin is flaring for the first time in months, one day off from my 300 day milestone. Boo.

I was out shopping in the supermarket and the left side of my face felt hot. When I looked in the mirror, the skin was red, rough and burning. The other side of my face was fine.

It was disheartening to say the least. I really thought I had put the whole flaring thing behind me. I have no idea why my skin is flaring, or why on that particular side only.

I hope it is just a short phase. The skin is itchy, burning and it feels like the nerves are tingling. It is horrible.

I don't think there is much chance of being completely healed by my 1 year milestone in November.

I guess my skin is reminding me that this journey is not over yet.

Compare this side of my face........

....with this side! It gives a whole new meaning to the photographer getting my "good side", doesn't it?

Day 298

The sun is shining today after weeks of rain in the school holidays!

The kids go back this week and I bet the weather will be glorious!

Had an hour in the park with the kids and my friends, letting the hot sun do its healing magic on my bare arms.

The sunshine is great for skin with RSS as it really seems to heal up the dry areas and smooth out the skin. Avoid the sun in the early months of withdrawal though.

My arms are now a nice pale brownish colour and the RSS is mainly confined to the inner arms between the wrists and elbow crease. The same goes for my legs, with rashes confined to the backs of my legs and inner calves. My face continues to heal a bit more every day and the rest of my body had normal skin.

Let the sun shine!

Day 296 Theme Park Visit

Day 300 fast approaching.....

Went to Alton Towers for the day yesterday.

My skin coped fine, but I avoided the wet rides because water can still sting me a bit.

I used to have a problem with sensitivity on my face when cold wind blew on it, which would cause my cheeks to break out in hives, but this seems to have improved since I stopped the steroids, probably because the skin on my face is thickening up. I managed to ride the Flying Chairs with no breakouts on my face!

I am also tolerating cosmetics on my face, so I can look semi-normal again when I go out. I am still careful about what I use though, and try to use mineral makeup where possible and usually limit myself to a bit of mascara and lipstick.

Lots of baby steps add up to progress and I am moving forward every day.