Today I went in to see my dermatologist and told him all I knew about TSW. He tried to convince me to use steroids and although he did know of Topical Steroid Dependency, he still didn't think that what I am going through, is actually TSW. His explanation of why he thinks this is not withdrawal were pretty vague... something about the inflammation and redness being active eczema, or just hyper-pigmentation (I'm brown! I know what hyper-pigmentation looks like but I've never been this purply red before, I swears it) but nevertheless he said he will look into Dr Rapaport's papers and that if I think this is good for me, he will try to support me through the withdrawal.
This surprised me somewhat because the other dermatologists I have seen weren't even willing listen and scoffed at my research (Ohhh you-are-not-a-doctor-how-can-you-possibly-conduct-research-blah-blah) so I had come in expecting this to be a battle ....but it wasn't, I am pleasantly surprised. He even knows of Dr Rapaport, THE Dr Marvin Rapaport from Beverly Hills, and said he was a famous dermatologist and well... I just feel a bit giddy with relief.
Gah.
Monday 30 December 2013
Friday 27 December 2013
5 weeks in. Le sigh.
I feel like two face Harvey from Batman... As in the right side of my face is more affected than the left. I don't know if the photos are giving you guys an accurate picture of how bad I look right now. It's so hard to believe that I will heal but I can't turn back now.
It's the first time I've taken pictures and not tried to look pretty. :\. I'm in my pyjamas and everything. Kinda therapeutic in a way. I'm not using any moisturisers either just because it just makes me itchy.
Saturday 21 December 2013
my face.... it hurts
My face is all flaky and weepy. I'm using sudocrem (an antiseptic cream) on the weepy parts and been given antibiotics (erythromycin) which I've been taking
I'm so worried about hyperpigmentation too, with my skintone, I bruise like a peach. *sigh* Why does it have to be on my face? *shakes fist at universe*. Okay enough of the self pity. It will heal. Insha'Allah.
I'm gonna watch some Christmas telly to make myself feel better.
I'm so worried about hyperpigmentation too, with my skintone, I bruise like a peach. *sigh* Why does it have to be on my face? *shakes fist at universe*. Okay enough of the self pity. It will heal. Insha'Allah.
I'm gonna watch some Christmas telly to make myself feel better.
Thursday 19 December 2013
a picture is worth a thousand words - TSW 4 WEEKS IN
Please do not use the pictures on this blog without my permission.
Well hello there... T_T .... First a bit of background.
Hi guys,
This blog will chart my journey through the infernal waters that is Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW from hence-forth). One day about 3 years ago, I woke up with a very itchy eye bag, I kept itching and it turned red and angry and wouldn't settle down, I looked like I had gone through a boxing match, twas not a good look. I skipped all the way to my doctors and was diagnosed with atopic dermatitis and prescribed hydrocortisone 1% (A steroid cream) to use twice daily until it cleared up for about a week. This is where it all began...
After a week the small rash had disappeared, I stopped using the Hydrocortisone cream thinking that I was cured, but alas, only a day later, the rash was back, so I just treated it with Hydrocortisone cream again and started a vicious cycle that would last about six months.
After six months, my super magic cream stopped working and I started reading about how using topical steroids could thin the skin. This got me worried as I had been using it on delicate skin around my eye which is already pretty thin. I then sought to find a none steroidal solution and went to a chinese doctor to find a magical cure to my itchy red eyebag.
The chinese doctor gave me some herbal pills and this small tub of herbal cream, it was a brown coloured cream and he assured me that the cream contained no steroids, I used the herbal cream and the first night i used it, it cleared my itchy sore eyebag. I continued to use this "herbal" cream from then on until January 2013.
In January 2013, I lost my brother... I had rushed back to my family home without bringing any creams with me, I didn't care if I had an itchy eye bag, I guess at that point I just wanted to be there for my family. And then I had a major flare, except it wasn't just an eyebag that got a bit itchy, both my preorbital areas and my cheeks turned a flaming red. It was scary. I went home to get my "herbal cream" and i applied it to now ever increasing areas of my face.
I knew something was not quite right but it was only in June that I would discover what was happening to me, in June my "herbal" cream stopped working too and I scoured the internet to find what was going on, why my eczema was getting out of control and spreading! That is when I came across ITSAN (International Topical Steroid Addiction Network) and Steroid Induced Rosacea, looking at those pictures, They looked just like me and I sort off deduced that my "herbal" cream must have had some sort of steroids in it (I tried to go back to the chinese doctor, 'cept he had disappeared).
I knew I had to stop using steroids but I also had to go on an important trip abroad so I needed to clear my face fast and my doctor prescribed me protopic (tacrolimus ointment) 0.1%, an immunosuppressant that is prescribed to deal with eczema when you refuse to use steroids. It worked, sort of, my skin stopped flaring but I did have a bit of hyper-pigmentation which was easily covered using make up.
So lets jump to November, I'm back from my important trip abroad and I continued to use the protopic ointment. I knew I should stop but I was too chicken to do that after seeing what withdrawal did to me in June. But then God made the decision for me because protopic stopped working for me sometime in mid November. I went to doctors and they tried to make me use steroids but I refused.
On 22nd of November 2013 I stopped using all the topical steroids. TSW, come at me bro! >:-|
This blog will chart my journey through the infernal waters that is Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW from hence-forth). One day about 3 years ago, I woke up with a very itchy eye bag, I kept itching and it turned red and angry and wouldn't settle down, I looked like I had gone through a boxing match, twas not a good look. I skipped all the way to my doctors and was diagnosed with atopic dermatitis and prescribed hydrocortisone 1% (A steroid cream) to use twice daily until it cleared up for about a week. This is where it all began...
After a week the small rash had disappeared, I stopped using the Hydrocortisone cream thinking that I was cured, but alas, only a day later, the rash was back, so I just treated it with Hydrocortisone cream again and started a vicious cycle that would last about six months.
After six months, my super magic cream stopped working and I started reading about how using topical steroids could thin the skin. This got me worried as I had been using it on delicate skin around my eye which is already pretty thin. I then sought to find a none steroidal solution and went to a chinese doctor to find a magical cure to my itchy red eyebag.
The chinese doctor gave me some herbal pills and this small tub of herbal cream, it was a brown coloured cream and he assured me that the cream contained no steroids, I used the herbal cream and the first night i used it, it cleared my itchy sore eyebag. I continued to use this "herbal" cream from then on until January 2013.
In January 2013, I lost my brother... I had rushed back to my family home without bringing any creams with me, I didn't care if I had an itchy eye bag, I guess at that point I just wanted to be there for my family. And then I had a major flare, except it wasn't just an eyebag that got a bit itchy, both my preorbital areas and my cheeks turned a flaming red. It was scary. I went home to get my "herbal cream" and i applied it to now ever increasing areas of my face.
I knew something was not quite right but it was only in June that I would discover what was happening to me, in June my "herbal" cream stopped working too and I scoured the internet to find what was going on, why my eczema was getting out of control and spreading! That is when I came across ITSAN (International Topical Steroid Addiction Network) and Steroid Induced Rosacea, looking at those pictures, They looked just like me and I sort off deduced that my "herbal" cream must have had some sort of steroids in it (I tried to go back to the chinese doctor, 'cept he had disappeared).
I knew I had to stop using steroids but I also had to go on an important trip abroad so I needed to clear my face fast and my doctor prescribed me protopic (tacrolimus ointment) 0.1%, an immunosuppressant that is prescribed to deal with eczema when you refuse to use steroids. It worked, sort of, my skin stopped flaring but I did have a bit of hyper-pigmentation which was easily covered using make up.
So lets jump to November, I'm back from my important trip abroad and I continued to use the protopic ointment. I knew I should stop but I was too chicken to do that after seeing what withdrawal did to me in June. But then God made the decision for me because protopic stopped working for me sometime in mid November. I went to doctors and they tried to make me use steroids but I refused.
On 22nd of November 2013 I stopped using all the topical steroids. TSW, come at me bro! >:-|
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