Monday 26 November 2012

Month 13: Lots of photos!

I thought I would post a few progress photos on here today, since I am celebrating the fact that the blog has just hit the 80,000 hits marker (hooray!). Its my "blogoversary" next month, so it would be great if I reach 100,000 hits after a year of blogging. Wow. I can't even picture that amount of people in my head!

Blogging about TSW is a great way to connect with people all over the world. I was touched yesterday when a fellow blogger told me that her mom and dad had phoned her up because they were worried about how I was doing since the last flare. It just goes to show that wherever we live in the world, the skin warriors are a big family and we really care about each other.

Anyway...the good news is that I am doing GREAT!!!! So I'm posting some lovely photos to encourage everyone to stick with it, even when things are tough.

You can see that my face has now returned to a normal colour and the redness is gone. The "nicks" in my cheeks and nose were caused by me scratching in the night. They should heal up OK and apart from that, I reckon this is the best my face has been yet!
This is my hand, with lovely, NORMAL skin! The only sign of TSW is a little bit of baggy skin on the knuckle of the little finger. This is so much better than it was a few months ago, when I remember having a clear demarcation line on the back of my hand between the normal skin and the red skin.

My leg! Sorry for the odd camera angle, but it is never easy taking a picture of your own leg! Again, the skin is NORMAL!!!!  Remember those nasty wet wounds that plagued me for months? Well now they are completely gone and I couldn't be happier. I may even be brave enough to wear shorts next summer!
My arm is almost there, but still a little bit pink. The "red sleeve" of TSW vanished a while ago. I had lots of redness on my inner arms previously, so to get to this stage is amazing.

My neck is still also a little pink, but again, this has been one of my biggest problem areas all the way through. I am quite happy with the way it is going and it is no longer stiff and sore.

I hope my photos have encouraged everyone. It is so hard to focus when we are in a bad flare, but these pictures are a reminder that we can all come through this and heal.

13 comments:

Emily said...

Hi Louise,
Do you still use starflower oil on your face? I'm so happy for you..

Louise said...

Yes. I buy the capsules (1000mg), nick them open and spread a little oil on my face. Then I swallow the rest of the capsule with water. My skin has been brilliant since I started using them.

Joey V. said...

Happy for you! This beast does try to come back on us but cannot stay forever! xo

eczemancipated.com said...

Wow you look fantastic. Your hands! I can't wait to see my hands and fingers and wrists. It seems like I may possibly look normal after seeing yours.

Thank you
HP

Emily said...

I'm from Malaysia, but can't seem to get borage oil at pharmacy here.. Wonder do you apply once or twice daily?

Emily said...

If mummytang from singapore see this, please tell me where can I get it in Singapore? Thanks

mummytang said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mummytang said...

I apply it twice a day on my kid, once morning and once night. All leading pharmacies in Singapore should have it. I used to get my supply from Watson's. But I am currently getting it from iherb.com. Much cheaper and the website mails internationally at a very affordable price.

Emily said...

Hi Louise,
Wonder you apply the borage oil once or twice daily on your face?

Louise said...

Just once a day emily.

Emily said...

So sad that borage oil seems to irritate my face a bit.. :( but happy for you Louise that it helps you..

Joshua Strawczynski said...

You give me so much confidence, I can't thank you enough. What your pictures and explanation express to me, is that I only need to do a finite amount of hard times, and I will be rewarded.

In the meantime, I'm using this opportunity to learn about myself, my body and the way I fit into the world. It has been so interesting slowing down and learning I'm not the most important thing in the solar system ;)

Love your work & sending you lots of love!

Louise said...

Hi emily. Im sorry to hear that the borage didnt suit your skin. Hopefully you will find a product that will suit you better.

Hi Josh. Thanks for the positive comments. You have such a great attitude, you will get there in no time.