Hello! My name is Esther and I have been diagnosed with Topical Steroid Addiction (TSA) and am currently going through withdrawal. I came off steroids 8/19/13 and will be documenting my life through it all.
A bit of history about my usage: I was diagnosed with eczema as a baby. My parents did everything they can to cure it, using both Western and Traditional medicine. Nothing worked. Then in 4th grade, we got cream and oral pills that I am not sure what it was exactly. Perhaps steroids. Anyhow, it got rid of my eczema, then I immigrated to US. The eczema stayed gone.
Beginning of high school, I started seeing patches of eczema again. It was either 9th or 10th grade I was prescribed a moderate steroid. It worked until senior year when I had to start applying them with increases frequency. Then I went away to college and it got worse and worse. By end of my freshmen year, I was using steroids like lotion, especially on my face, which is a huge nono. That summer, I was on a week of Prednisone, Cyclosporin, Imuran, of course at different times, and added hydrocortisone and triamcinolone to my topical creams. Sophomore and junior year went by without much problem, although junior year, I knew my skin was never 100% ok. During summer after jr yr, my skin began to flare and I found ITSAN, and here I am.
I am taking a year off of school to focus on getting better. Before TSW came crashing down, I was a student at UCLA, studying neuroscience and Korean. I enjoy reading (recommend away!), Redditing, theology, babies, food, spending time with friends and family. Good movies and TV show recommendation would be helpful as well!
Esther's adventure of Topical Steroid Withdrawal 
Thanks for sharing your story! I just developed eczema in 2009 and it was rough. I haven’t dealt with TSW, but this girl has. Thought I’d pass along her link! http://pinklikeabeacon.wordpress.com/
Yes I’ve been on her blog often! So glad she is finally seeing some relief! I am so glad you never had to go through TSW, it’s horrible. Make sure you are cautious using any steroid so you can stay that way! Thanks so much for visiting!
Hi Esther, my name is sunny and I am from sydney Australia, I heard about your story from APW, as I’m planning a June wedding and is an avid reader. Your story really touched me. I heard you are planning to come and stay in Australia? My fiancé is American and we are currently in the process of trying to get him a spouse visa, it often is an arduous and stressful journey, so when the time comes, please do feel free to email me if you ever need any help :) I don’t know how much I can do but let me know, I can at least recommend some good websites and migration agents :) I wish you all the best in your marriage and life and praying for strength as you go through this season
Hi! It’s so nice to meet you! I am currently in the process of getting a spousal visa as well! I actually just submitted and paid for my portion, now trying to get all the documents ready to upload. I am Korean national, US PR so things are a bit more complicated than necessary haha. Even if you may not have any new information, it’s always nice to have someone who is going through the same process and can empathize. How is your wedding planning going? I actually have to help plan another wedding in Australia for his family and friends as Rhys says he is done (and he is totally allowed to be haha). I actually had a question – How much was hiring a migration agent? We are currently doing it ourselves because it seems doable enough – and I did go through immigration process once with US but we used an attorney at the time so things are a lot more hands on this time.
I told my greadmothnr how you helped. She said, “bake them a cake!”
Haha I’m glad I helped! I love cake! :D