In my job as a Window cleaner , i come into contact with lots of people .After a while you get to know your customers quite well . You get to talking about all sorts .They talk about whats going on in their lives and vice versa . Since my skin started reacting to steroids and was slowly but surely getting worse and worse i have had comments of concern and people asking what the problem is . Before i knew what was going on i would put it down to excema / allergies / sun damage ect ect .Anyway , now that most know what has been happening i have been realy amazed at how sympathetic all of my customers have been towards a condition that isnt even recognised within the medical profession.
As i have gone along telling people about TSW , the interest it has gathered is amazing . I have come accross people who , before this all started , have suffered with excema for years with no let up in their serch for a cure .
So a few weeks back i decided to do a bit of spy work and looked out for the tell tale signs of steroid use on a lcal basis . YOU WOULDNT BELEIVE THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE USING HYDROCHORTISONE AND STEROID CREMES .
i have seen countless amounts of tubes of steroids kicking about peoples houses. From elderly people to young children . The amount of people using these tubes of terror is beyond belief . Before , i thought i was quite unique and was in a minority of people who were being allowed to use these cremes .Ohhhhh no . For sure , it seems i was only one of many .
The uncomfatable part of this scenario is that what do you say when people ask for advice on what to do about using steroids ? ...I always tell them that they must go and see their own GP and discuss their condition with them . But i also state that they might come up against a brick wall and that they should do some research themselves .
As i am progressing through this journey , many people are beggining to see a big difference in my condition . I spoke a few weeks ago about a customer who i see every day and has shown great interest and sympathy in my recovery . I hadnt seen him for a week or so until yesterday . He looked shocked at how good i looked . Goes to show that we dont see the improvement as much as others do . We scritinise our skins on a daily , sometimes hourly basis . Others see us less and see a bigger improvement over a longer period of time . A bit like not seeing how fast our children grow .
So what is the big picture . I cant believe how big this problem is . If its that bad on a local basis ?, how big a problem is it on a national and international basis ?...ITS SO BLOODY SCARY .
I am now determined to get some answers on a personal level about my own treatment and i am planning to meet up with my GP very soon .
I am also going to keep making people aware that these cremes can be doing more harm than good and that they should talk to their own GPs ....
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Well done for getting the word out! I love the way you call them tubes of terror! Too right!
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear how well you are doing. X