Little Luxuries.....

Back in the bad old days of my early withdrawal, I used to have as many as three Epsom salt baths a day to ease the terrible pain and discomfort.

Oh how I used to dream that one day my skin would be tough enough to tolerate the heavenly array of scenty bath products out there...

Well...my patience and persistence have paid off. Tomorrow I will be 21 months off the 'roids and my skin is the best it has ever been. The texture, thickness and smoothness of the skin are all in stark contrast to the "full body eczema" that I had previously suffered at the hands of the steroids.

For the last few months, my healing has been rapid and dramatic. I can't stop stroking my arms!

Anyway...my friend was having a cosmetics party and I threw all caution to the wind and bought some lovely scented products to pamper myself with.

Then it was off for a nice long soak in a deep bubble bath (although I still sprinkled some ES in out of habit), followed by a generous helping of mango body butter all over my skin. I smelled like a fruit salad!

These are things I could never have contemplated using when my skin was bad.

It is nice to know that there is a world beyond Vaseline and Epsom salts.

It's good to have a goal to focus on. Even if it is something as simple as a fruity bubble bath.

Our Taming the Scratchy Monster Book is a Big Hit!

I recently wrote a post about our newly released book, Taming the Scratchy Monster, which was created to help children and families going through TSW by making the process easier to understand. It is also ideal for parents with TSW to share with their children to help them to understand how mommy or daddy is feeling.

Since releasing the book, I have noticed a few reviews popping up on the internet. Thank you very much to all those who have reviewed the book and help to spread awareness.

My favourite review has to be this one from "The Ruminative Me". The blog is written by a parent who has a little boy going through TSW. I loved the photos of him reading the book and the way that the book has helped him to understand what his little body is going through. He is adorable!

My blog friends Miss Kitty and Miss Eczema Excellence have also written reviews on their blogs, which you can access from the list on the right.

I'm so glad that the book is doing some good. It was based on little Keira's amazing healing journey. She is now 100% healed and living life to the full. "Scratchy" was her creation and she should be so proud that she has helped so many people.

Flash Flare!

Just as I thought I was done with flaring....

I am having a few, isolated "mini-flares" on patches around my body. The first one appeared a few days ago on my upper chest.

 Since then, I have had patches appear on my inner arms and on my left cheek. I don't want to upset anyone by writing this. I am always 100% honest about my TSW recovery.

 This is just another blip. These flares are nowhere near as bad as the ones before. I am definitely near the finish line people! TSW just wants to have a final bash at me before it dies!

As you can see, my cheek is pinky red. Yes, a mild flare but nowhere near as bad as before.

Same goes for my arm. You can see the pink flare bits, but there are also lots of normal areas.

I have complete faith that my skin will totally heal. I keep looking at Jake, Rochelle and Julianas blogs and they give me the confidence I need to know that this won't last forever.

Be gone, TSW!!!

BTW, if anyone still hasn't ordered their Scratchy Monster Book from Itsan.org, go do it now! It has already raised lots of money for the charity and with your help, it can raise even more! Visit www.itsan.org and click on the "Children's Book" tab for more info. 100% of proceeds go to the charity.