A MUM-of-four has revealed how her skin is so bad she can’t even hold hands with her husband.
Nerys Phillips, 51, from Harray in Orkney, Scotland, was left with flakes falling off her arms after using topical steroid cream for 20 years to tackle her painful eczema.
Kennedy News and MediaNerys Phillips, 51, from Harray in Orkney, Scotland was left with flakes falling off her arms after using topical steroid cream for 20 years to tackle her painful eczema[/caption]
Kennedy News and MediaThe mother-of-four suffered “red sleeve syndrome”, which caused a full-body rash that she said was like being submerged in a “kettle of boiling water”[/caption]
She quit the treatment in March after years and suffered “red sleeve syndrome”, which caused a full-body rash that she said was like being submerged in a “kettle of boiling water”.
The flaking got so bad she had to carry a mini vacuum around with her, she said.
She said: “My relationship with my husband is out of the window completely as I’m quite gross.
“Last year he thought I was dying because he didn’t know what was wrong with me.
“It had been better since we found out it was topical steroid withdrawal, but I’ve had no relationship with him since January.
“We don’t share a bed because we can’t. We can’t hold hands or hug, it would really hurt. We can’t have any physical contact.
“I’m lucky my husband is a good man and standing by me, but it has really pushed the boundaries.”
Around one in five children and one in 10 adults in Britain suffer from eczema, which causes the skin to become itchy, dry, cracked and sore.
Experts are not sure what exactly triggers it, but the concdition often occurs in people who get allergies.
Topical corticosteroid creams and ointments are often prescribed to help reduce swelling and redness during flare-ups.
But the treatment can lead to topical steroid addiction over time, which requires a stronger prescription to achieve the same results.
When the medication is stopped, it causes the skin to become red, with deep, burning itchiness and pain because of withdrawal, known as “red sleeve syndrome”.
Nerys said her skin flares up badly if she’s in stressful situations like seeing her 75-year-old mum Glenys, joking it’s like she is “allergic” to her own mother.
She said: “I think it’s stress that caused me to flare up around my mum.
“If you put yourself in a stressful situation you do have a big fat flare, I’ve had to just laugh it off.
“I can manage at home, but not out and about. The skin sheds everywhere. It’s disgusting. It’s revolting actually.
“I tried to do touch ID, I thought it was broken but I looked and my fingerprints aren’t there anymore.
“I couldn’t do face ID because it wouldn’t recognise me, I’m like a shadow of myself. I can’t look in the mirror, I look disgusting.
“Some days I wake up and I’m all swollen and red and blotchy. But it’s not even about that, it’s how I feel. It’s the pain.
“I’ve been prescribed painkillers and antihistamines. Nothing touches it, I’m not getting any relief.”
She wants to spread awareness for the “preventable” condition and is now using coconut oil and cod liver oil to tackle her scaly skin.
Nerys said: “Something has got to change. Dermatologists need to look at alternative methods. These creams are totally dangerous.
“What has happened to me was preventable, but they don’t tell you at all.
“All they do is say ‘be careful because it might thin the skin’, but that’s the least of my problems.
“I’d say to anyone with eczema just try to treat it naturally, find out what your allergens are and use natural remedies. Do not use steroid cream ever.
“Looking back I could have treated it with natural remedies like sea salt baths.
“I’ve found natural things like coconut oil and cod liver oil are really good too.
“Topical steroids are a quick fix but the damage that it can cause is horrific.”
Kennedy News and MediaNerys said her skin flares up badly if she’s in stressful situations like seeing her 75-year-old mum Glenys, joking it’s like she is “allergic” to her own mother[/caption] Read More