We need to talk about allergies, anaphylaxis, eczema and topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) more often. They are conditions that people are ashamed to share and talk about and this can cause a lot of shame, anxiety and stress. This is why it's so important to accept these things and understand how we can learn to live with allergies, eczema and anaphylaxis, all life limiting … [Read more...]
My allergy free Lockdown Birthday
Despite not being able to see friends, most of my family or go out for a meal as I would normally do for my birthday I had the most wonderful day. Thanks to everyone who made it special. I hope this gives you all a few ideas of how to make a lovely Lockdown birthday. It was the thoughts, the kind texts, messages and knowing people cared, even if they couldn't see me, that … [Read more...]
Doctor agrees TSW is real!
I have just watched a really fascinating and interesting webinar hosted by talkhealth with George Moncrieff, entitled Atopic Dermatitis and the truth about topical steroids. He explained everything about topical steroids, how they work, when they were invented and how they should be used. He also went into detail explaining the skin layers, barriers and how … [Read more...]
Protopic withdrawal and TSW
I've written a lot and read a great deal about Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW) but have seen very little discussion about the effects of long term use of Protopic, a topical immunosuppressant. I stopped using topical steroids on the 20th January 2019 so it's two years since I started this journey. In April 2019 I decided that I was equally as addicted to Protopic as I had … [Read more...]
Understanding the lived experience of eczema
On September 23, 2019, hundreds of members of the eczema community gathered in person and by live webcast to share their experiences at the More Than Skin Deep patient-focused drug development (PFDD) meeting held in Silver Spring, MD. This meeting and a web-based survey was the first initiative of its kind for eczema. Eczema is more than skin deep It was hosted by five … [Read more...]