Saturday, July 26, 2014

SKIN: I have it, almost + !! BONUS body part pictures !!

Geez, I'm awful at this updating blog thing. But here I am with a photo update post. I'm on month 14.

Honestly, I'm just slowly getting better and it really feels great. Besides a tiny set back with some eczema herpeticum on my cheek, everything seems to be getting better.

Ok, I have snuck moisturizer on my legs (cerave) and face (serum) once, but to be honest, it just made my legs feel greasy and did nothing to benefit my face so I stopped.

Besides that, I'm still sticking to this routine of dead sea salt baths, moisturizer withdrawal, using surgical paper tape to close cuts, and  using masking tape to remove extraneous flakes. Yes, you read that right.

Here are the updates --

Sleep and itch are non issues. Seriously.

Face: 

Still splotches of flakes, especially around jaw line and flakes/cracking above lip (below). Lips quite chapped but no chapstick/vaseline/moisturizer allowed! That thing you see on the left (your right) cheek is a spot of pesky eczema herpeticum that I'm slaying with large doses of antiviral and lysine.




Hands: 

Right hand still good besides some tiny spots on my index finger knuckles. Left hand all knuckles are still quite swollen, dry, flaky and cracked. On bad days, I swear by micropore tape (the Nexcare stuff) to hold my skin together.






Feet:

In the following pics, Top is left foot Bottom is right foot. Holy crap is my left ankle better. As you can see, the elephant skin is still worse on my left ankle than my right but compared to THIS nightmare, uhm. YEAH.

And, can we again say SKIN IS ON MY FEET. What the crap. Celebration parade time.




Limbs:

They are really doing fantastic. Arms look great. A little discoloration on back of knees from a few patches of dryness. Creases are reminiscent of elephant skin, more so in legs. My knees are a little itchy because I'm sweating so damn much back there so I am probably keeping that little hole on my right knee open. But how can I complain (besides the slight weight gain from emotional eating)?


Monday, July 7, 2014

INDEPENDENCE: Quick photo update of healing

Happy July 4th! Independence Day was great for me. Gorged on chicken wings, ribs, clams and even some watermelon, a notorious allergen for me. 

In addition, I felt it was a celebration of independence from steroids, moisturizer and all things skin. My skin has continued to be on the mend, with no oozing and all closed skin! Besides the baths I continue to take every 2-3 days, not much thought goes into my affliction. 

Seems my fingers are now starting their healing process as they are a bit more swollen than before, after my feet have finally closed up and the skin continues to become more fine. My left ankle's elephant skin barely remains.

All closed up! and I've been scratching this skin. 


Tiny elephant skin remains on left ankle. Rest of skin still crepey but smooth. 


Starting to see fingers swell up more and turn over skin a lot. I see this as the healing process kicking in. 


Right side not as bad just like feet. Pretty much all healed except index finger! 


Itchy itchy fingers!!

Middle seam crack has healed but tiny ones remain. Patches of pink all over chin and cheeks but getting better week by week. Heal heal heal! 

Almost 14 months and what a ways I have come. Hope you all are enjoying your summers as well.