Sally Y

My name is Sally. I am 31 years old. I had eczema behind my knees as a child but it cleared up during most of my adulthood. After the birth of my daughter in 2010 I began to have flare ups of eczema again, especially on my hands. My dermatologist started me on triamcinolone and advised me to take bleach baths periodically to help with "infection." He also advised me to apply the steroid before bed and cover it in saran wrap on days when the eczema was particularly bad. It worked miracles. My eczema cleared up and I was thrilled. But then it came back. Again and again and again, progressively getting worse. When the triamcinolone no longer worked I went back to the dermatologist. My next prescription was for Betamethasone Diproprionate. Again my symptoms would get better for a while and then come back. Over the Summer of 2014 my outbreaks were the worst they have ever been. I went several weeks with out using the steroid because I felt like my skin needed a "break." I consistently followed the advice of my dermatolotist to not use it for more than 7 days in a row but had not gone for more than a week or two without them. Both of my lower legs were almost completely covered in scabs/oozing fluid and felt like they were burning. I also began getting edema, worse in my right leg than the left. I picked up my prescription of steroids when I got to the point that I felt like crying from the pain, itching,and oozing all day. I can be dense at times but I finally figured out that my symptoms weren't normal for eczema. I started doing research and came across information about topical steroid withdrawal. I discovered the website http://www.itsan.org. Finally the things I was experiencing made sense. I can't even begin to say how frustrating it is to realize that I had been 3ish weeks into TSW, and out of ignorance I turned to the very thing that had been causing my symptoms. Here I am, about to begin the entire process again. I am sharing my experiences because I think it is important for people to share the dangers of topical steroid use.