Taking a shower used to be a nice, peaceful, enjoyable routine. NOT ANYMORE.

In this episode I share my experience of how water feels like acid during some of my months going through TSW, and how you can listen to your body and cope with this stage of healing.

Key takeaways? 

Christopher Ignas got brave and put it all out there because his mission to spread awareness was too big not to! 

Chris's story is powerful and one you want to be sure to tune into.

Show Notes:

Chris's Top Tips:

Contact/Follow Chris:

https://www.tiktok.com/@topicalroidrage

If you're new to the show, or have been tuning in every week for new episodes, I wanted to take a minute to pause and actually define TSW and answer the question to What is Topical Steroid Withdrawal. 

To read more about this, visit the What is Topical Steroid Withdrawal blog post here.

------------------

What is Topical Steroid Withdrawal?

Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW) Syndrome is an iatrogenic condition that is caused from the use of topical steroids to treat a skin problem, such as eczema. But someone without prior skin problems can also be affected by Topical Steroid Withdrawal. Cosmetic use of topical steroids used to treat things like acne or hyperpigmentation can also suffer the consequences and experience TSW. And how about mothers who put medicated ointments on their babies? Or Put OTC creams like cortisone on for bug bite relief? Yep. That can get you into Topical Steroid Withdrawal too.

Topical Steroid Withdrawal is sometimes also referred to as Topical Steroid Addiction (TSA) or Red Skin Syndrome (RSS), and although these terms are often used interchangeably, they do have slightly different meanings.

This article is going to focus on What is Topical Steroid Withdrawal, but for your reference and education, I’ll explain what the other two can be defined as.

Simply put, Topical Steroid Addiction (TSA) is when you know you’re in trouble, as it’s when your TSW journey to healing will begin. Your skin builds up a high tolerance to the topical steroid, starts wanting more of the drug to achieve the same results and benefit, and when you deprive the skin of the drug, it rebounds and goes into withdrawal.

The “flare up” that occurs once you lessen the dosage or stop the drug all together gives you the symptoms you had experienced before taking the steroid, and often times, as is with mostly all Topical Steroid Withdrawal sufferers, the symptoms have worsened by a lot (and that’s a huge understatement).

RSS, or Red Skin Syndrome is something that can happen as a steroid withdrawal symptom. As the name states, your skin becomes inflamed and turns red because of the vasodilation of capillaries. The red color of the skin is accompanied by a very painful burning sensation.

There are MANY symptoms of TSW, the most common being relentless itching, burning, weeping, flaking, shedding, peeling, spreading, swelling, redness, wrinkling, thin skin, pus-filled bumps, cracking, itching, nodules, swollen lymph nodes, pain, insomnia, hair loss, shivering thermoregulation, fatigue, depression and more.

After a while (and sometimes a very short while) the application of steroids begins to work less and less and the original problem comes back and spreads to other areas of the body. For me, when this happened, I got the misdiagnosis (from multiple docs) that what I was experiencing was worsening eczema.

Topical Steroid Withdrawal is debilitating physically, mentally and emotionally. It can leave you bedridden, jobless, hopeless and depressed.

The good news? You now know the answer to the question, What is Topical Steroid Withdrawal! And you can now begin educating others and getting the help you need to heal.

While there are currently no proven treatments to speed up the Topical Steroid Withdrawal recovery, there are things you can do to help comfort yourself and lessen some of the severity of the symptoms. Check out the Body & Skin products (https://bit.ly/tswbod) and the Health & Wellness products (https://bit.ly/tswwellness) for some of my top suggestions that have helped me and many others.

------------------

Please subscribe, share the show and leave feedback!

Sandra joins us from Ireland and discuss everything from how to use Aloe Vera Plant gel for itch and burn relief, as well as sleep, stress and more!

Her Biggest Tip: try not to stress!! & Remember... time heals - don't give up

--------

2:55 - stopped taking steroids June/July 2021. Things were fine until November. After November thats when the real issues started. Flares started getting bad, itching, bleeding, hot and cold sweats, oozing, smell, nightly sweating (had to change clothes multiple times a night).

4:00 - Since then, have healed a lot. She is able to function but whenever around dust or perfume or animals, still flares up.

6:30 - A woman in the airport told her to try aloe vera. She started using 100% natural gels but thought that didn’t do much. In Jan/Feb 2022 her mom gave her aloe vera plant, and since then she's been taking the gel from the leaf on her face, arms, skin, and it helped the itchiness and burning a lot! Since February 2022 her redness went down, has no more scars and skin isn’t as tough.

8:10 - started using tea tree shower gel with mint, fragrance free, natural, showering with it gives skin relief

13:45 - The difference between eczema and steroid withdrawal? -- the doctors couldn’t tell her. By her definition... Eczema has different patches on the skin, while steroid withdrawal is red sleeves. Eczema is itchy but not as bone deep, not nearly a intense. Steroid withdrawal you get oozing and burning and smell and shedding skin.

28:40 - Water based makeup - they don't stick to your skin or dry out, they stay oily.

30:30 - Sandra couldn’t imagine going through this without moisturizing. She found that coconut oil dries into the skin but her moisturizer stayed moist. She uses emulsifying ointment.

34:00 - “what I want to do is change this into a lifestyle change to be healthier, rather than look for medication as a substitute”

40:13 - Recommendations for sleep?

43:00 - Breath work!

I remember the night I felt like I wanted to die...

I dive into memorial day weekend here in the states and how the reminder of those who's lives have been lost made me remember one of my darkest days battling Topical Steroid Withdrawal Syndrome.

You are not alone when you have dark thoughts and are feeling hopeless. I see you friend. 

Remember... You CAN beat this.

Resources:

Suicide Prevention Number: 800-273-8255

Visit the blog for more: https://www.tswjourneytohealing.com/ 

Want to share your story? Be featured as the next guest on this Podcast!  

Email: [email protected]  

Listen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mgsBSZFlWIE 

#physicalmentalemotional #tsw #topicalsteroidwithdrawal   

-----------------------------------  

The information provided on this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute advice from your medical practitioner. If you have health concerns, please always seek the advice of a medical professional.

In this episode, Claire Bailey joins me as we discuss all things gratitude, empathy for others, and her take on trusting pharmaceutical companies.  We would love to hear your feedback! 

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave feedback! Share this episode with anyone who could benefit!  

And be sure to check out the blog for more helpful resources and tips at https://www.tswjourneytohealing.com/ 

#tsw #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #pharmaceuticalcompanies #tswjourneytohealing

In this episode I discuss my journey with weekly infrared sauna sessions and cryotherapy! The infrared sauna benefits for skin are HUGE and I want to share my experience with you!

My sauna and cryo sessions started on January 18th 2022 and I whole heartedly believe that much of my healing progress is thanks to these two treatments.

Check back here and the blog at https://www.tswjourneytohealing.com/ for a list of at home saunas you may wish to invest in!

Show Notes:

Brenda is from Colorado, USA.

Her daughter had eczema and peanut allergy.

She has been taking care of her husband who has been in TSW since October 2021. He is 54 years of age.

Suppressant drugs are western medicine.

Brenda has noticed that her husband's mood changes have been the biggest change she's noticed. He has asthma and terrible allergies on top of TSW.

"What would the body have done if we hadn’t done this (taken immunosuppressants)?"

Steroids just take inflammation away. It's only surface level. It affects pieces as parts and not as a whole.

Husbands mood changes:

The body's organs hold emotion and affect multiple parts of us. For example:

Liver - emotion of anger

Gallbladder - paired with liver

The Liver is yin. Galbladder is yan.

-----------------------------------

Visit the blog for more: https://www.tswjourneytohealing.com/

Want to be a guest on the Podcast? Email: [email protected]

#moodchanges #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #TSWjourneytohealing #tsw

-----------------------------------

The information provided on this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute advice from your medical practitioner. If you have health concerns, please always seek the advice of a medical professional.

The symptoms of TSW can include burning, weeping, flaking, shedding, peeling, spreading, swelling, redness, wrinkling, thin skin, pus-filled bumps, cracking, itching, nodules, pain, insomnia, hair loss, shivering, fatigue, depression and disability. In this episode, we are going to focus on swollen lymph nodes.

Swollen Lymph Nodes are very normal during Topical Steroid Withdrawal, but please note! *If you are worried about anything seeming off or irregular or just want peace of mind, call your doctor to schedule an appointment for an exam.

A couple of helpful tips:

What does dry brushing do?

Dry brushing unclogs pores in the exfoliation process and helps detoxify your skin by increasing blood circulation and promoting lymph flow/drainage.

What does a Lymphatic drainage massage do?

Lymphatic drainage massage relieves swelling that happens when an illness (in this case, TSW) blocks your lymphatic system. Lymphatic drainage massage involves gently manipulating specific areas of your body to help lymph move to an area with working lymph vessels.

How do I drain my lymphatic myself?

Place your flat hands on either side of your neck, just under your ears. Gently stretch the skin back (away from your face) and down, then release. Try to massage your neck in a slow, gentle way, following a rhythm. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

-----------

Visit the blog for more: https://www.tswjourneytohealing.com/

Want to be a guest on the Podcast? Email me at: [email protected]

#swollenlymphnodes #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #TSWjourneytohealing #tsw

In this powerful interview with integrative nutrition and gut health coach, Suzanne Myers, we discuss what she believes were the causes of her flare ups as well as her 3 biggest tips for healing!

Suzanne shares that her first 4 months were agonizing (truly it was the first 9 months). She did not use any doctors help, but rather, did this journey on her own.

She shares her fall back and regression around/after the holidays. Suzanne got MRSA and, her words, 'thought she was going to die,' it was so bad.

Her 3 Biggest Tips:

What she believes causes flare ups?

-Overeating!

Jen: What was your lowest point?

Suzanne: When I had the shivers, was hot and cold non stop, oozing, bleeding, always exhausted - no sleep. This all lasted for 3 months to 5 months.

Jen: Any words of wisdom to give our audience?

Suzanne: Give yourself the love. Don't blame yourself. Time heals. It's not any one thing alone, it's a collection of things. Never make the comparison of you to someone else. — take this time for yourself. Give yourself permission to do whatever It takes. You are in this journey.

The information provided on this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute advice from your medical practitioner. If you have health concerns, please always seek the advice of a medical professional.