Hello all fellow TSW folks! It has been over 5 months since I last wrote... it has been quite a last half of 2017! We moved into our new house on our 68 acres in Kentucky beginning of August. It was a rough few months after that as one thing after another seemed to fall apart... all NEW things mind you! We had a septic pipe burst, a cistern that leaked, a well that was producing both water and gas, and numerous other failures in the house (like air conditioning during 90 degree weather). To top it all off, I ended up in the hospital for severe female bleeding that required me getting 3 blood transfusions back to back. All of this went on while my husband was working in NY to pay for all this. He kept insisting on coming home after everything kept going wrong, but I told him I had this! And I did - even the over night stay in the hospital - the kids were fine as they were used to me working 3 nights a week so they are self sufficient at this point. All through this stress, not a single flare! Skin stayed good and I even figured out how to fix my asthma and chronic hives (healing the gut by starting off with months long use of colloidal silver and then high dose probiotics).
So where does the flare fit in to all this? Right after Thanksgiving, when all was finally settling into place and things stopped breaking....I was at work one night and felt this sudden heat on my face with a prickly, itchy sensation. And I just knew right then and there I was starting a flare - don't know how I knew as I don't recall other flares starting in the same fashion. However, my face was very red and everyone at worked kept asking me if I was OK. It went away within a few hours. But then I started with some on and off itching on my face, neck, and arms. It was small at first and the itching episodes would last about 1- 5 minutes at a time. But it was the CRAZY all consuming itch of TSW! I was a bit nervous and a whole lot pissed off! I have not had any major flares since 8 months into TSW when I started the glutathione IV injections and other supplements for my gene mutations. I had had what I called mini flares - flaring in one area of my body only - one arm, the neck, the hands, etc. But here I was nearly 5 years TSW (anniversary is Valentine's Day), and I was flaring on my face, neck and arms all at once. BUT, and here's the big but....it was not a repeat of my initial flares by any means! Here is what my initial flares comprised of: Itching, Burning, Swelling, Redness, Oozing, and Macerated skin. This flare is limited to: Itching, Burning, and (slight) Swelling. Not a drop of ooze, no further redness past that initial facial redness, and no macerated skin. When I scratch, my skin does not just fall apart - I end up with sores all over, but the skin in between the sores is very much intact and not even red. This is a far cry from what my initial flaring was like and is in no way shape or form unmanageable. I have had about 6 or 7 nights of having to sleep with an ice pack on my neck for comfort. Otherwise, I tolerate the itching episodes just fine and the small amount of swelling I have is not an issue. The burning is also tolerable and goes away completely if I take some ibuprofen.
This flare is still ongoing and has ever so slowly moved on down to my chest, abdomen, back, and now legs. My neck still has slight itching here and there with a few scabs, but no longer any burning. My arms are the same and need to heal still. Most of my itching is now on my back and legs. But I do believe the itching would be way worse if I had not started back on my glutathione pills. I skipped a few days in December when things got crazy for the holidays, and my itching was way more intense. Glutathione and probiotics are the only supplements I am currently taking. I have just started my new year's healthy eating diet this past week and plan to throw in some diatomaceous earth just to help knock out the candida I know I've been fighting all these years (due to 30 years of topical steroid use - steroids weaken the immune system and candida is an opportunistic yeast that will take over - which was probably the main cause of my asthma and chronic hives).
I haven't taken any pictures for lack of time. Plus there really is not much to see... just a bunch of sores in various stages of healing. Life continues to go on and I have not slowed down too much because of this flare. Maybe a few days I was more tired than normal from itching during the night, but I no longer wake up to itching as long as I keep on my supplements. Also I have had a 24 hour stomach bug right before Christmas, and now am getting over the flu. So being tired is more likely from being ill than from this flare. Also my flare was not worsened by being ill which is a good thing I might add!
The rest of my life is truly amazing! My hubby came to Kentucky right before Christmas and found a full time job 40 minutes away at the same place I will be working! I have left ER nursing as of last week and starting Monday I start orientation as a labor and delivery nurse - I feel after 20 years of nursing, I need some positives in my work day! Our farm is coming along... we have 18 guinea hens free ranging all over our property, 18 chickens that will be ready to lay eggs in another month or 2, and garlic planted. FYI - the chickens are free range as well. We finally have the gas leak fixed in our well and now have fresh well water! I truly feel blessed in life - TSW was a horrible thing to go through, but being on the other side (even with a minor flare), I feel like I have my whole life ahead of me. I no longer have to suffer and wonder why my skin was always falling apart. I have the reason and the tools necessary to fight this and get rid of it. It no longer controls me - life is moving on and upwards!
If you have any interest in seeing what homesteading is like for beginners (us), you can check out our FB page that has lots of pictures and videos. We are having so much fun, we needed to share with our family and friends and of course, the rest of the world!
https://www.facebook.com/scarpullafamily/?view_public_for=867519259981333
Everyone still going through the harsh times of TSW - keep at it - it does get better! Do not lose hope as the future is bright indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment