ANOTHER INFECTION!!! Day 424 NSFW Gross Post!

After taking 500mg Keflex 4X a day for a week I though that my skin would be better than ever. I thought it was gonna kill out any bad infections or ickys, but insted I seemed to get worse, which I find suspisious.

First off I would like to say that i have NEVER experienced something like this before. I've a very clean person and as many owies and cuts as I may have I've usually been able to avoid infections.

After having an particularly itchy flare I had quite a few "popable hives". One on my back was a bit bigger and was right were my bra was. I asked the hubby to pop it, and he did and it popped and that was that.. Or so I thought. it started getting bigger and really hurt. We then thought it was just a zit. But it got worse and more painful and that's when reddit/r/popping came into my mind...and that's when I thought it was something bigger....

It was a boil!!! OH MY GOODNESS IT HURT!
In fact, I also had a like 4 other boils on my upper thigh.
It started on the 20th, and didn't heal until November 5thish after a failed popping attempt and another doctor visit. The boil was making me physically ill. I had a fever and was very dizzy all the time.

WARNING ICKY PHOTOS!!! NSFW

The first photo was taken 10/22/2014 and the rest taken on 10/26/14. After it popped in the bathtub I was hoping we would be able to just drain it, but I had read about a lot of boils and cytsts having a core and I was worried about that. My husband was already being a saint by popping this, I don't think he could handle having to remove something as well. He was able to get a lot of pus to drain, it was a thick gunky yellow green mess. Disgusting. But I was so thankful he did, believe it or not I felt better immediate and less ill. We went to the doctor who gave me the prescription and told me to keep a hot compress on it until it goes away and if it doesn't go away by the end up the prescription see a dermatologist.

I've never had anything like this happen to me before despite having tons of different skin diseases and infections. It just seems weird to me that I go in and keflex for my infected legs. Finish them and 4 days later I get a FUCKING BOIL! I then have to go back to the doctor and he gives me a 1000mg 2X a day for a week.

I wonder if I had never gone in the first place if I would've ever gotten the boil. It's getting harder to trust any doctors.

Day 404

I'm just trying to heal and minimize the damage I cause. It seems like it's a constant battle.
I was hoping I would be better than this at year....
Better than I used to be though...

Day 397- Year 2 Month 1

Two days off, but here's the monthly anniversary update!

Lately I've been having some pretty bad skin spilts on my fingers and and writs. So in order to help keep some of them clean and aid their healing I but band-aids on them. Unfortunately the adhesive on the band aids really irritate my skin, so I have to be careful.  Otherwise something like this can happen.

This guy is going to take forever to heal!

Here I am on my lunch, things are looking a lot better and even though my legs still look awful, they're doing better.

 I may look into a light moisturizer. I'm to scared to try coconut oil since that gave me hives last time (although it may have been to early in my withdrawal for that)
What are you guys using?

Also I've seen a LOT of girls on instagram who are using make up on top of their TSA skin. I don't know/think my skin could handle that but it would be nice to feel pretty again. But I don't know if feeling pretty for a few hours is worth the trade of of damage it may cause...
Any TSW sufferers out there wear make up? What kind do you use?

Infection! Day 390

Well it finally happened. I had to break down and go and get antibiotics. The cold that only took Ian two or three days to get over took me a week, almost two. In that time my legs got even worse. For a few days I couldn't walk. I couldn't bend my legs due to the extreme amount of pain. 

I kept them at a slight bend and walked around like a raptor or a pray mantis.

Similar to this, I also turned some heads.

I even had a co worker and pick me up and take me to my seat cause I was so slow and she felt bad for me. My co workers have been very helpful in trying to keep my walking to a minimum.

So I went to a near by urgent care and it all went fairly well. He wasn't pushy and could tell I had already tried it all. He was curious of topical steroid withdrawal, but you could tell it was his first time hearing about it. He could tell what I had was eczema like, but he was pushing for lichen planus but after a quick look over he could tell it wasn't. I've had Lichen Planus before, while the itching is similar in being unbearable and it takes for ever for things to heal, AND it takes about two years to end... The wounds are different and SYMMETRICAL! It's crazy! 

He asked me why I thought I had an infection and was very nice, basically said good luck and hope you get better, with a round of Keflex.

This isn't the best photo, I'm right out of the bath. But this was day one of Keflex.

After two days everything started shedding and not just my legs. My face, neck, everything started to flake. (Check out all the hives/little red dots on my leg)

 So...hopefully this gets better. Here's to being positive and hoping the meds help!

Day 379

If you haven' t noticed I don't update nearly as mush as I used to.

Yes, it's because my skin isn't as awful, but it's still bad.

I've also been ill for the last week so I had to call in to work and my skin took even more of a backseat in healing. But ya know....

The stingers have been lightening up but the oozing is getting worse...

And if you can believe it I think I'm getting less and less sleep.

Once again, I apologize for the purple in the photos, its me phone case.

 

Behind my knees, on the back of my legs, are the main problem right now. I'm having trouble walking, and the cuts just seem to be getting worse. I'm trying very hard to keep them keep and limit my scratching, but I do so much damage in my broken/medicated sleep.

Hopefully once this cold passes, my body will work on healing my skin more.

1 year off of Topical Steroids!

I'm sorry it took so long to post this!!

I'm also sorry that there won't be as many photos as I said there would be...

 Ian got an extra day off this week so we got an extra day together. Which of course fell on my anniversary date.

But anyway...as always, better late then never.

 Sorry about my weird eye blink here ;(

And I didn't capture the whole side here...

Man! I sure failed in the picture department huh!

 The back of my leg has been a constant problem, I can't get it to heal. 

 I also think I might have a slight infection. Lots of pop-able pus thingies... I lost my old health insurance and have had to go though my worse insurance now. I've tried scheduling a Dr appt. but they canceled on me and I haven't had time to reschedule. I also ran out of doxepin and so I get very little sleep. Knowing me I won't go at all and I'll just suffer... I'm one of those people that avoid doctors and hospitals. Especially dermatologists and especially now.

 The ooze has also been rather aggressive. I've never noticed any smell or anything that others have noticed and I never had it really ruin any of my clothes but it's very uncomfortable and itchy.

 Looks like I have months 6-12 progress collage to make now!