sashibot
This ongoing photo-art series attempts to illustrate the horrific and maddening symptoms of Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW), a condition caused by damage to many of the body's systems after the use of topical steroids and immunosuppressants. TSW is completely debilitating and most cannot function while healing – many lose their jobs, relationships and even their sense-of-self due to the overwhelming pain and breakdown of their body. The symptoms include temperature dysregulation – one can feel burning hot, biting cold, and sometimes a combination of both at the same time – disrupted nerve signaling, degraded skin integrity – where top layers slide off exposing the raw dermis which leaks yellow plasma – and bone-deep itch. Many experience repeated infections and can require hospitalization. Others spend the whole day in the bathtub, as being submerged in water can alleviate some of the pain.
I am currently healing from these medications myself. I did not know what was wrong with me for 10 years, and continued to use them, as prescribed, harming my body further. I was diagnosed with eczema and allergies. Most doctors are unaware of TSW and the physical and emotional consequences that can be associated with damage from these medications. To add insult to injury, they often reject patients who claim they are suffering from this condition. Fortunately, recent research conducted by the National Institutes of Health in the United States, has shed light on the body’s collapsed function during TSW. This has brought much needed validation to patients left disenfranchised by an indefensibly ignorant medical system.
This surreal representation of TSW’s symptoms hopes to draw attention to this crippling condition, bridge the divide between doctor and patient, and affect change in the use of suppression as a firstline approach for treating patients with chronic conditions.