2023 Update

Greetings!,

It's only been a minute, no?. Time to update you on what has been happening with all things Topical Steroid Withdrawal. The last update, over a year ago I was in Mexico at the time. Skin was about 90% healed, life was pretty good. It got to the point where I wasn't thinking about my skin on the daily.

Was staying in a small town called Puerto Morelos, just south of Cancun. I was Lucky enough to land a volunteering position at a health and wellness retreat. I was falling in love with a wonderful woman (whom I met at the retreat), the sun was shining, the birds were singing, you get the picture... Life was truly amazing. Life was normal, I was wining at long last. Then March cam along. Started to notice my symptoms reappear. Firstly on my face (As seen below). Was this another "anniversary flare" at work?.

Thankfully, at that stage, the flare never reached the levels as it had done previously much to my sheer relief. After leaving Puerto Morelos in April, 2022. Me and my partner at the time headed firstly, to San Cristobal in the state of Chiapas. Upon arrival, traveling via bus from Cancun to "SC", which might I add was roughly a 24 hours journey, add to that the devil that is air conditioning blasting throughout the bus the whole entire trip which definitely didn't help matters relating to the skin. Skin ended up getting very dry and flaky. Also, due to the lack of humidity in the mountain city compared to the tropical, lush climate of the more coastal Puerto Morelos. At this stage my skin is far more suited to warm, humid climates. Seem to have an all round better, quality of life in said climates compared to climates that lack good ol' grandfather Sun. The Sun is indeed a medicine. I know that some folks do better in cooler climates ala vice versa to myself and the other TSW Sun worshipers.

So, where was I?, ah yes arriving in San Cristobal skin got dry and flaky, again much to my relief, my skin didn't worsen, was able to go about my day with much ease. After staying in San Cristobal for a few days, we headed further south to one of my favorite destinations, Puerto Escondido which is located in the state of Oaxaca."PE" in the past has been where I received a tremendous amount of healing. Really feel at home there, the culture, the people and the food are all top class. Quality of life really does blossom when I stay there for a period. Now for some reason this time, I was still flaring all be it at a mild level. The below image, radiating confidence, happiness and contentment. This was a really special time in my life.

 

Like mentioned before, I was very much in love, we had plans moving forward together, the future was looking very bright. I'll just keep the romance chat brief from here on out, folks. Since the start of TSW, I've been involved in two relationships. If you do the math, that's two relationships in nine years!. Both were short term and didn't last longer than a year. obviously certain areas of your life go on hold during the recovery process, relationships and romance are often put a side. Can only speculate, but I believe my condition became very taxing and over bearing for my previous partners, which is completely understandable, as the condition now effects two people. We know how TSW crushes your well-being, it heavily alters your mood and even changes your personality. 

Becoming a shadow of your former self with the pain and discomfort, the intense scratching cycles, the insomnia, the shame and embarrassment of the open, red, bloody wounds that greet you every morning, every day. Like a prisoner in your own body, you become trapped in a cycle of dread and despair. After spending nearly two years abroad, I eventually returned home. This folks, is when the shit truly hit the fan. After only being home for a few weeks, all the regular TSW symptoms began to reappear. Skin was getting inflamed, dry and flaky. The intense itching cycles, night sweats and insomnia had returned. It was like I had re-entered Hell once again, having previously escaped a few times in the past. Mentally, this was an extremely challenging time. "Hello darkness my old friend." (Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence) springs to mind. 

The image above was freshly taken when I got home. 

Below, the images show how rapidly the symptoms had returned. Frustration, disbelief and questions of "why?, why was this happening to me again?." The images are a continuation of the TSW symptoms progressing right up until the end of 2022.

 

 

Face, back of the neck, torso, arms, wrists and hands were the areas that were the worst affected. My face was the area that was the most troublesome with flaring during this time. After pretty much struggling through the cold, winter months late in 2022, I had to take some action, things were getting quite bleak, including my mental well-being along with my physical condition. In early January of this year after scanning the Internet for some affordable travel deals in the sun (flights and accommodation) my intuition decided on visiting Morocco. Africa was always somewhere that I had wanted to check out with a visit after all. It was to be one of the best decisions that I've ever made!.

 

Visiting Morocco was purely to be for healing reasons with the warm, sunny weather. However, so much more was gained and received. The people, the food and the culture totally blew me away. I stayed in a place called Tamraght, Agadir, which was a small surf town located in the south of the country. Stayed for five weeks in a hostel. After a few days of being in the nice, warm and sunny climate, my skin began to clear up. Happy days had indeed returned. I was smiling again, feeling comfortable in my own skin once more, ladies and gentlemen. My strength was returning, I joined a local gym and worked out for the first time in about ten months. Even took my first ever surf lesson whilst staying in Tamraght!. Morocco was a medicine for all aspects of healing including the mind, body and spirit. 

 

The images below are from my time in Morocco.  

 

Day of traveling to Morocco

Three days after arriving with the warm, sunny environment

As you can see with the images, the healing progress with time spent in the Sun. The Sun is my savior. The Sun is my medicine. This is one of the main reasons that I travel, dear reader. To maintain a consistent quality of life. To not constantly think of my skin condition. To be strong, content and healthy. To live a normal life (whatever that may be, it's all down to perception, right?).

Thank you ever so much for taking the time to read this update. All the very, very best to you if you are stuck in that "place." Wish you some comfort with your own healing. Hope this update has given you some hope and inspiration.

Many thanks,

Gary