Yesterday marked my 11th month anniversary of TSW. Next month will be one full year off of topical steroids! I spent the last 2 days working my 12 hour shifts. Crazy busy days! I had a series of micro flares - lasting at most 2-3 hours each. The only areas still with some oozing would be my fingers. Even the back of my hands while still flaring -red and swollen - have not oozed. The classic sign for oozing for me is lint filled sores. I have had scant oozing on my micro-flares the last few months - the only way I know I have oozed is the lint from my clothes will stick to the ooze. But these past few days, I have had no lint at all in my broken open sores. My micro flares on my body now consist of 1-3 hours of intense itching with me trying really hard not to scratch, but I end up breaking down and tearing at my skin for 1-2 minutes, breaking open old scabs. So my pictures below will show the various areas of newly broken skin. But I have also included a few areas of perfect skin to show that things are going VERY well! I couldn't be happier with my progress! Even my fatigue is lifting more each day. Today I should be exhausted from my 2 very busy shifts. But I slept 8 hours from 2 am til 10 am, got up, did some paperwork and bills, made breakfast, took pictures, and now blogging! That's a lot considering I don't ever really start moving until after noon. But the best tell tale sign this week of my fatigue lifting is my mental clarity. It seems all my mental clarity and physical energy I had went to my 3 shifts a week at work these last few months, but I feel the tide shifting the past few weeks where I have more energy each day I have off. And today I feel my mental clarity coming back - before on my days off I would do a lot of resting as my mind and body were so exhausted from working and healing. But I think my body has a lot less to heal now. The lack of oozing (except my hands) is a great sign, as well as the short lived flaring. I will probably have a problem with my hands for long while given the extensive hand washing at work I have to do. The special gloves are so much easier on my skin but I can't use my own soap - I have to use the hospital's soap - and that stuff is HARSH! The tanning is doing wonders for the healing as well - a lot of sores have healed nicely and I think the tanning is keeping my hands from getting too out of control. Also as a side note: I have no new areas of flaring or breaking open skin....all flaring the last 2 months have been on what I call my problem areas. I have no spreading at all of my TSW. Some problem areas are now perfectly clear and have had no micro flaring at all the last month (like my inner thighs, upper back/shoulders, back of knees).
So without further ado...here are my 11 month pictures taken only an hour or so ago:
Gotta love the tanning goggle look!
Neck irritated but no longer pink/red...just some sores healing.
Left hand is the worst area on my body right now!
Right hand better than left but still has a ways to go!
Left inner arm with a micro flare 2 days ago.
Right inner arm with no flaring the last week or so.
Right inner leg with healing sores...ankle had a few micro flares the last week.
Left inner leg very similar to right leg.
My outer parts of both legs and arms look like this...perfectly clear!!!
Upper legs and upper arms are also perfectly clear!
Lower back has been a problem area - but it is nearly healed - just a few sores that have been flaring.
One more month and you are officially a vet!
ReplyDeleteYou are doing and looking great T!!! Really happy for you.
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