10 Months TSW

Today will mark my 10 month anniversary of ceasing the use of topical steroids. My skin is still crazily up and down, day in day out, hour by hour, but it isn't stopping me from living so I can't complain.

As you saw from my previous post I have been trialing various lotions and potions to see if they make any substantial difference but nothing seems to really improve my condition. My skin is perpetually dry. In fact the other night I had a horrible itch fit where I was bright red and just could not stop the insane itch, which I was thinking must have been induced by an uptake in moisturiser and so the next day I went moisturiser free. It was manageable. I didn't bother taking a shower or washing myself at all and in fact did some exercise too to try to get some sort of oils going. Exercise was fine and the sweat didn't irritate... I was just very smelly by the end of the day!

The next morning however I looked like a porcelain doll who's face had cracked into a thousand and one pieces. The skin had become taught and wanted to come off in large flakes. I showered to help it along but I just couldn't cope because the dry, tight skin was worse to me than the itchy red skin so I caved in to using a tiny amount of moisturiser. I seem to be on the up again, though incredibly flaky but as I say, I can't complain too much.

I haven't had a day off work on the sick since the beginning of September 2013. That's more than 6 months ago! So I can only commend my body for letting me get this far. Sure, it will take time to fully recover and heal, to be able to wear black clothing again, to wear a bit of make-up, and possibly even dye my hair but I have come a hell of a long way in these 10 months.

I have an appointment with my derm nurse in about a week and a half, I know she'll nag me because the skin is still so dry but I haven't been to the hospital now since January 2nd so surely that must say something in its self? I'll also be told off for not taking my medication strictly but I don't feel I need it any more... she says... until the next mega flare... But no, I'm sure I'm fine.

I'm also interested to see what the summer weather will bring. Last summer and every summer prior to my TSW, I practically died from the heat. I was suffering from heat induced urticaria which has definitely lessened more recently. I can stand to be in the kitchen for longer periods cooking food standing over the hob. Sometimes I will overheat but it is a billion times better than it was initially.

Oh I should mention that I also reached 100,000 page views on Sunday just gone and celebrated with a gorgeous pina colada cocktail! No alcohol has touched my lips since August 2012 because I felt it aided my itchiness what with its dehydrating nature, so this was quite the celebration. I can report that I didn't get itchy afterwards and my skin was alright - Yay! I doubt I will be drinking much these days if at all because I am accustomed to it, but it's good to see that I didn't have the adverse affects I've been so cautious about.

So yes, thank you to everyone who has visited, commented and sent me kind words over this last year. Your support means so much <3 and I'm glad I have been able to create a resource that benefits others who also suffer from eczema.

Happy healing!x

Eczema vs. Weather

I just can't seem to win when it comes to what my skin can tolerate. With the weather patterns the UK gets, be it the cold, wind and rain or the hot, dry heat my body cannot cope! I just cannot handle the extremities of the two.

The majority of eczema sufferers I speak to say that their condition worsens in the colder months and becomes manageable or even restored back to its former glory in sunnier climates. This has never been so for me. I have battled with both the hot and cold - my skin gets no real respite all year round.

Winter vs. Summer

In the summer I am faced with prickly heat type rashes that are eczematous in formation and find myself suffering profusely because I just cannot get cool. These rashes can also follow on into colder months when wrapping up warm to go outside and  to protect the skin from the cold climate is refuted by the extreme heat of exertion or stepping inside a warm building such as a shop. The inability to dress appropriately for every possible temperature regulated scenario proves for a very hectic skin regime indeed.

I find that not only do I suffer from these rashes in the milder months but my skin will also crack and bleed due to the lack of moisture.

Going through Topical Steroid Withdrawal has certainly changed the way my skin acts for the better, but in some ways it is worse because of the unknown ways that the skin reacts to adjustments in temperature and humidity.

As the winter weather begins to settle itself I see a definite change in the way my skin is reacting. I have been attempting to go moisturiser-free as I found this to achieve better effects overall, yet now that the country is faced with harsh winds and bitter cold days I am finding that I can no longer cope with being so dry! However as I mentioned in a previous post, applying moisturiser to my face is causing me to breakout in small, itchy pustules- Argh!


How does your skin react to the extreme climate changes?