My good friend Abby of Prime Physique Nutrition wrote a lovely heartfelt letter to her readers and I wanted to share it all with you. It can be a rough journey that we travel and having encouraging words from others can really help us through. For all of those out there suffering, you’re not alone, I’ve been there and Abby has been there, it does get better…just keep the faith and continue to trust in the body‘s natural healing capabilities!
❤ Stay strong eczema warriors! ❤
My homie Thomas has decided to share his Topical Steroid Withdrawal story with his friends on Instagram! I’m super proud of him for being so courageous, it takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there, and I’m sure that he will reach many others just by honestly sharing his experience & his passion for healing with a whole foods plant based diet. He’s been in TSW now for about a year and has been pushing through like a trooper. Cheers to you Thomas! Keep on keepin’ on! 🙂
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I think its time to share what my life has been like for the past year. For all of you that have normal skin, take a moment and appreciate the hell out of it. Not only do I look like sh*t, but my confidence is non existent, it sometimes hurts to fully extend my arms, and I cant sleep through the entire night without waking up to an itch fest. Every day is a struggle just to get by. This is the worst its ever been so it can only get better right? What I have is eczema. In an attempt to cure this “incurable” condition, I changed my diet to only organic fruits and veggies. With the help of all the nutrition, my body now has enough energy to start dumping out all the bad stuff. Diseased cells and tissues are being disposed of and malfunctioning organs are being restored to life, and the toxins are coming out of my skin. The good news is eventually there is an end date to this misery, just don’t know when. All I can do now is have faith that my body will restore itself as long as I continue to provide it with good food, water, light, and love.
I had the wonderful pleasure of being a guest on my good friend Abby’s Eczema Podcast!
She is a registered Holistic Nutritionist and she is doing amazing work on her website, Prime Physique Nutrition. Abby interviews people in the field of healthy living who offer information, advice, personal accounts on eczema and natural alternative ways for healing. I had the great opportunity of sharing my journey with her on her most recent podcast.
This podcast was filmed in December 2014, and the only updates that I have since then is that my diet has transitioned to a completely plant based vegan diet, I’ve implemented some rebounding exercises to help with blood circulation & stimulating the lymph system and that the state of my feet are doing much better than when this was shot a few months ago!
I had such a great time being interviewed and sharing what I’ve learned with Abby. She’s such an inspiration in how she has battled through her eczema to come out on the other side of it all and become a Holistic Nutritionist to help others! I’m thankful for having this experience, and being able to connect with such an wonderful person. 🙂
I haven’t taken a good close up photo of myself in quite awhile, and since my face has been so great I decided to celebrate that!
My skin has been doing really great lately… literally from my ankles up are clear and doing very well. I’m still experiencing some itchness on my hands, lower part of my arms and lower part of my legs, but its becoming less and less in severity as I heal. I keep telling myself, “it’s just my feet left, just my feet! Keep on pushing, continue staying faithful and positive.” It’s amazing when I look back to photos, especially from 2009 when I was at my lowest point as far as physical and mental health. I had months of chemo behind me, my hair was super short from chopping it off due to some of the hair loss I was experiencing, I barely had any eyebrows from scratching them off, my skin was brittle, super dry & itchy, dark and gray. I had lost a significant amount of weight… the lowest I’ve ever been and I was just so unhappy with life, but trying to force on a smile. You can see more photos of my transformation on the My Story page. Now my skin is better than ever, (although its still got a tiny bit more to go) and I know that besides withdrawing from the topical & injected steroids, implementing my plant based diet and whole food supplements have helped in assisting healing. My skin is so much healthier, my gut health is amazing, the whites of my eyes are brighter, my hair is stronger and shinier and even my nails are stronger! I attribute this all to living holistically and feeding my body the best possible nutrients to heal through this process. 🙂
Currently, I’m still sticking it out at home… my feet are still in recovery mode (still slightly oozy, swollen at times, and I have this super painful sore on the BOTTOM of my foot… ugh) which makes it hard to put on socks and shoes because they will confine my foot to a tight space and irritate them which will set back the progress I’ve made thus far. Although this is the current situation I’m in, I’m still pushing through everyday, and giving thanks for this process. I’ve seen the transformation with my own eyes, and I have pictures to prove it… just that alone gives me gratitude. It shows that as everyone likes to say, “healing happens” it just takes time… but when you can look back and see the transformations… it’s just amazing!
So yea, I’ve been feelin’ myself a lil, and I wanted to show off my most recent photo of myself! ❤
Overtime, I’ve truly learned to accept the process, surrender to it and keep the faith. In this I’ve learned to love myself in whatever state I’m in at the moment, and know that I will only be better and better as time goes on!
-Jen
Just because & YAY for eyebrows :p
Continue reading “Tackling depression in TSW & the Dark Times in Life”
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
-Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
I love the feeling of “new beginnings” and “a clean slate”. I actually like to look at my birthdate as my New Year. 🙂
Although we don’t need a specific date on the calendar to tell us that we can start fresh, it’s nice to have a date where everyone celebrates together at the wonderful new beginnings of the future. When you really think about it, we can choose any second of any day to start anew. It’s just a conscious decision to change it up and work on ourselves.
2014 had its ups and downs for me, but I’ve made a conscious decision to let those things that I wasn’t able to accomplish or the rough times that I had went through health wise (and are continuing to go through) not get me down. I’ve decided to keep on looking forward and let go of all the opportunities I may have missed out on, the people who may have disappointed me, and all the negative energy and bad vibes that may have came my way.
2015 will be a year of complete healing! I can feel it that this is truly the end of this healing process and I won’t be going through this at all this time next year! I like to “call things into existence” and I’m definitely calling this one in. I want to be in the best health of my life, fully living my life and enjoying new experiences and opportunities this year.
I usually like to say that right now I’m 90% of the way there in my healing with just my feet left to restore. The rest of my body from my ankles up is so much better from where it was years ago. My natural oils are coming back, the thickness is smoothing out, the discolouration is evening out, I’m rarely itchy on the rest of my body, my face is insanely smooth and clear… even the wrinkles under my eyes are fading away! I’ve seen the transformation of my skin, and I know that my body is recovering and healing! I have nothing but gratitude for this rough journey, because it has taught me so much about myself, that our bodies are amazing at healing themselves, and has made me more spiritual with a closeness to God.
I mention that I like to say 90% of my body… but if I’m going to speak things into existence then I should say, “I’m completely healed! 100%!”. I’ve learned that we must “CALL THE THINGS THAT AREN’T AS IF THEY ARE”. So I’m claiming complete healing, and by this time next year, when I post my overview of 2015 on the first of Jan 2016, I’ll have nothing but awesome things to say about the past year!
I’m wishing everyone a blessed New Year of strength, healing and love! ❤
-Jen
There are many caregivers out there on the itsan.org forums sharing there stories, asking for advice and venting along with those who are suffering. I commend those who can be a stronghold for those going through topical steroid withdrawal. I know for myself, at the beginning stages of my healing, my mother was my rock who was there for me through all the ups and downs. She would express to me how helpless she would feel, in knowing that she couldn’t take this pain away from me, or even take on the pain herself. Through her love and encouragement, as well as the encouragement of my friends and family I kept pushing through, and I’m continuing to push through, no matter how agonizing it can be at times. A caregiver member on the itsan.org forums expressed so beautifully his side of this illness and portrayed it in a painting. I would like to share with you all his work Eternal Optimist…
My wife is 3 months into her withdrawals. I feel for everyone who has to go through this. In honor of my wife and all the countless others who have gone through this and are going through this I did this painting. It was very therapeutic for me to paint this.
When the one you hold most dear has been in chronic pain with no end in sight, lack of sleep and no sign of lasting help, can’t remember the last time there wasn’t any pain, rational thinking and reason have temporarily been itched away. Watching and listening to your most beloved moan and cry, with sights and sounds you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy, claws at your very soul. When the once most positive, optimistic person you have ever met has lost all hope and has attempted to exit the stage. Sideline judges speak in shadows out of ignorance and cast reasons why, out of their houses made of glass. The raw grit of life won’t let you run. Selflessly giving, you are the Eternal Optimist for the other.
I’ve been checking out the International Steroid Addiction Network forums for a few months now and I always feel this strong sense of community and love whenever I check out a post. It’s great to have others who are going through the same difficulties as you share their experience, knowledge, and just give encouragement to keep pressing on. We all lift one another up, and this post shows that perfectly. I was so touched by the beautiful response that was given to a question about being self conscious and embarrassed about TSW, that I just had to share…
Continue reading ““Temporary suffering. Permanent healing.” – itsan.org forum response post”
Eczema Holistic Healing 