Launch of business and update!

Well I finally did it - started my own health coaching business!  I'm very excited about this and feel I can be very helpful to many people seeking better health through more natural means.  Please pass this along if you feel it can help someone!  :)

www.waysofoldhealing.com

As for my recent finger flare - haven't even stopped to take pictures - been busy as usual.  Now it is almost gone!  So I guess it was no big deal and probably related to the crazy anniversary flare thing us TSWers seem to get.  Rest of my skin remains the same - clear with the occasional dry, itchy patches more like dry skin than eczema.  And of course I still get itchy on my arms when I eat dairy and gluten.  My hives have disappeared - however they did appear for 3 days after eating 1 strawberry, so now I can't eat chocolate OR strawberries.  Oh well!  My asthma is over 75% better now!  I have been taking powdered bovine colostrum with tremendous results!!!  I can tolerate dairy and gluten much better!  I should do a dairy and gluten free diet again while taking the powder but life continues to be crazy busy!  So I am doing my best just to eat a clean diet right now!  2 days ago we got back from a trip to DC.  Such FUN!!!  Of course the day before we left was pretty intense as one of our dogs became seriously ill and required surgery.  The good thing was she spent her recovery at the vet's hospital instead of me having to deal with an intense recovery.  She is 100% and we are back home.  I am now going to dive head first into my new business and into the kids' activities.  They were just doing ice skating but now we are adding Taekwando and horseback riding lessons.  I also want to sign them up for tennis lessons this summer.  They are all very excited!  And let me just tell you how NICE it is to be able to PLAN things!!!  Through my first 2 years of TSW, planning anything was impossible.  How was I going to feel?  Could I tolerate driving, the outdoors, etc?  It was pretty sad because I had to stop my kids' gymnastics lessons as I couldn't drive for many months.  Now life continues to be excellent!!!  I can't express to all of you how WONDERFUL it feels to just wake up and not feel anxious and be in pain - to be able to just hop in the shower and get dressed in normal clothes - and to go to bed without medicating myself  so I wouldn't scratch myself to a bloody pulp!  Life does get better and it goes back to a level of normal you can't imagine while being in the depths of hell during TSW.  Keep the faith!  

A Finger Flare??

For the last year or so since my skin became all normal, I have had a few dry itchy patches here and there on my body - mostly a few spots on forearm and hands.  Well I've had a patch of regular eczema like skin on my pinky finger of my right hand.  Nothing major or bothersome.  But since my 3rd year anniversary of TSW last month, this patch has turned into a flare - swollen and oozing!  I have not oozed in about 2 years!!!!   Seeing ooze on the gauze was very discouraging for all of 10 seconds.  I am treating it like I did my previous hand flares - with silvadene and an antibiotic ointment.  It hasn't spread nor gotten any worse, but neither is it getting better.  I wish my camera was easier to access right now.  I'll take a picture when I find it.

In all honesty it's really not a big deal - it is on the top and right side of the finger only and goes from the nail bed to the larger knuckle.  So about 1 inch by 1.25 inches at most.  The only problem I have is it stings when I do dishes and I often have a lot of dishes on a regular basis - kids help out 80% of the time so I can't complain.  I think I was in denial the first week I saw the ooze.  Now I'm just like: "If that's all my 3 year 'anniversary flare' is going to amount to then bring it!!"

So many people with TSW complain of anniversary flares.  I can't wrap my head around how this can be from a medical point of view.  I have heard all the arguments and theories on why these occur but none of them make sense.  But it is what it is!  I'm just very thankful mine is so isolated!!!

That is all I have to report!  Going away soon on a trip!  More on that soon!  Hope y'all are finding some peace and pain free days!