It's time for my last monthly update post. I will definitely be doing other updates in the future but in a more relaxed way and certainly not every month - more like every quarter or something. I think it's definitely the right thing to do and I am really looking forward to not thinking as much about my skin. I've had to do that in one way or another my whole life - first with my eczema, then with TSW but now as there is nothing really to talk about, I want to celebrate that and take a step back. So for the last time, here is what has happened with my skin over the last month:
- I have felt as if the the rash on my forehead over the last month has wanted to come up, and for the first part of the month I could see almost an undercurrent of it lurking there, but it's almost as if something is stopping it from really appearing and I think it's hands down due to my diet which is excellent at the moment - no refined sugar and generally very healthy (my definition of 'healthy' includes still being able to eat gluten & dairy, which you might disagree with me on). On the odd day where the area felt a little irritated, nothing showed, but sometimes, a few days later, there might be a small patch of dry skin.
- My lips have not been dry at all this month (bar one time which I will discuss a little later with you in this post) - again, I think it's down to not having sugar.
- On Sunday 12th February 2017 I noticed identical patches of dry, slightly sore-looking skin on my shins. Very strange as they were in the exact same position and size so I'm wondering if I leaned somewhere and that caused a reaction - I can't think how or what though. I've included a picture of the rash below so you can see for yourself. Around the same time, I also noticed a small rash just above my left knee (that went quickly). Generally, my legs were dry and slightly scaly for a few days before I noticed the rashes. Another issue I've been dealing with is some keratosis pilaris on the back of my thighs which no amount of dry body brushing is changing. I have a feeling the shaving cream I've been using isn't good for my skin and soon I'm going to try coconut oil as an alternative and maybe look into something for the keratosis pilaris and scaly skin as shaving etc is probably drying them out.
- On Monday 13th February 2017 I spent the day outside - it was very cold and at one point I walked up to the top of The Monument which is 62 metres tall and completely open to the elements. I spent maybe twenty minutes to half an hour up there with extremely STRONG wind hitting my face which is definitely not a normal occurrence. When I woke up the following morning, my skin felt so tight and a little bit sore, plus my eyes were slightly puffy. I stayed wrapped under my quilt, scared to look in the mirror as I was worried I’d see the swollen, weeping face I had at the beginning of my withdrawal. Obviously, when I finally plucked up the courage to look there was NOTHING there – just my mind taking slightly chapped skin and messing with me. For a few days afterwards though, the skin on my face felt so tight and sore. Amazing that nothing showed and my mum even said how good my skin looked. STRANGE.
- On and off for about a week leading up to Friday 17th February 2017, there was a small oval area on my right nipple that was slightly more pink than the skin around it and the area was also very itchy (not enough to scratch though). I found it very odd as I haven't had a single issue with my boobs for a VERY long time. I think something must have irritated it. After a while (I didn't keep track of the date), the patch dried up before vanishing.
- On Wednesday 22nd February 2017, as part of my no sugar challenge, I had some sugar as a test to see what would happen to my skin. After I'd had it, some of the symptoms I experienced were dry lips, an itchy scalp and a couple of hives on my neck. The following day I had an itchy hive on my stomach. The symptoms didn't last but I found the reaction fascinating. On Tuesday 28th February 2017, as part of another experiment for the no sugar challenge where I had some organic chocolate, I got a few small rashes on my face, but they went VERY quickly (when I say quickly, I mean two hours...). I will be blogging about my no sugar challenge in more detail soon and will elaborate more then.
- I just wanted to add that I've found this winter generally much harder on my skin than last year. I haven't flared at all and have discussed every single issue I've experienced on this blog but I don't know, there is something about my living situation at the moment, opposed to when I was living London, that's taken it's toll. Now, I have a much more sedentary lifestyle which involves me sitting in front of my laptop all day. Last year my job was very physical and I didn't get much down time. There is also the added issue that at my mum's house, there are electric fan heaters opposed to radiators. I'm trying to pinpoint the exact reason why and of course I'll let you know if I ever find out.
- Like I said earlier, for the last few months I've noticed that no matter what I do, the keratosis pilaris I get on the tops of my thighs is not budging (not sure if I've ever mentioned before that I get it there sometimes). I have been trying a few things to see if anything works, and it's definitely too early at the moment to say whether it’s helping, but when I've given it enough time, I will write a separate post about all the changes in my routine etc.
Again, because I am not doing these posts anymore, it doesn't mean I'm going to disappear - quite the opposite in fact as I have so many posts lined up! You would think I'd have run out of things to say by now ... apparently not.
Love & hugs,
Cara xxxx
I thought I would include this next picture as it was a TSW highlight for me. On Tuesday 21st February 2017, I decided to mix up my traditional before and after photos for #TransformationTuesday on Instagram (here) with something a little different and so I created the hashtag #WhatTSWtaughtMe in the hope it could be a place where anyone who wanted to could share their positives of going through TSW. The response was absolutely amazing and others in our fabulous, ever-growing family shared their own positives which were beautifully written and so inspiring. I am blown away daily by the kindness and courage within our community and I would love to see anyone else's #WhatTSWtaughtMe.
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