Note to self #2...

Cut out sugar! Flaring again....a bad one with ooze and swelling and everything. I'm 99% sure it was because I consumed so many sugary foods yesterday, way more than normal. Sigh, another lesson learned.

Note to self...

Never use olive oil ever again.

 

But other than that, my arms are great! My inner wrist is beautiful!

Outer wrist still needs work 

I still have the habit of scratching...which explains those cuts.

 Neck is still not good...lately each night I've been having scratch attacks and my neck ends up oozing. It's not the typical TSW yellow ooze, but more like the watery clear ooze you get from over scratching. I've tried wearing scarves and gloves but still end up scratching at night. Undoes all of my progress ):

 Hopefully I can break my scratching habit for good!

Update! Month 15

Long time no talk, everyone! I'm about to hit month 15 and things are just going ok. My neck is the worst problem area right now, being constantly itchy and still red. It goes through a lot of mini flares, for example today it was very very slightly bumpy which is a telltale sign of a flare. However, I haven't had a major neck flare in more than a month! My arms have gotten WAY better but I tend to scratch them a lot which sets me back. I no longer see that burning tsw redness on my arms, wrists, and shoulders, but again my habit of scratching is apparent with all the scabs...I tell myself not to scratch but at times you just can't help it. My face is doing pretty much the same: clear everywhere except for in between the eyes/eyelids and around my mouth. These areas are ok to handle some light makeup, but I am unsure if it is only aggravating the redness.

Living in SoCal, the ninety-degree weather has commenced. One of the most annoying things about tsw for me is having to cover up my arms, which means no t-shirts or tanktops whatsoever. This is especially troubling when I walk a mile home after school each day when the sun is the strongest. It just gets so. Hot. If anyone has any recommendations for lightweight longsleeve clothing, please let me know!

Feels like month 4 all over again...

I truly feel my skin regressing and undoing progress. My neck has started to itch like crazy again, that deep itch that originates from the nerve. I also scratch it unknowingly in my sleep, which is impossible to stop and undoes all my efforts to let the cuts heal. Also, entire face has flushed red today, which it hasn't done in a long time. It's strange, I feel like I am having similar symptoms to this time around one year ago. One year ago, I imagined that at this point I would be way better if not fully healed. Boy was I wrong.

Month 14

Things are back to stagnant ok-ness. However, my face is doing worse than usual which is always a bummer.

Sigh. I hope things start clearing up soon.

Feeling Down

Sorry for sounding so depressing lately but things have been going downhill for me. Apparently I'm back to flaring once a week with the whole package: oozing, raised bumps, redness, deep itching and all. I think I also had insomnia tonight as well, something that I haven't had for 6 months now. Plus, I have a ballet recital that I have been working on for months coming up in a few days and God knows if I'll be able to do it..I'm especially discouraged this time because I have desperately tried not to let tsw interfere with one of the only things that make me happy, dance. All this time I have worked so hard to be able to perform in this show, trucking on despite how horrible my skin was making me feel. And today, waking up to oozing and painful skin, having a 5 hour rehearsal to go to, I just couldn't do it. If tsw is supposed to teach me some sort of lesson or turn me into a better person, I'm not seeing how. It is ruining my senior year and the last times I will probably ever perform on stage...things I will never be able to relive. Please pray for me as I will be for all of us suffering.

Month 13

...is not looking good so far. I've just started flaring up today, which makes twice in one month already. I knew I was flaring because I could feel the raised, red, bumpy skin form around my neck that oozed a bit. Also, all of the tsw affected areas on me just seemed to get redder and radiate heat. I am really disheartened that I'm still flaring like this because I thought I would be healed at this point...it just makes me wonder when I will ever heal. Will I be walking for graduation with a red face? Will I start my first day of college still itching and flaking? I pray not, but it seems like this is what the future holds for me.