To get my life back with Topical Steroid Withdrawal treatment

Dear family and friends

Or for those who don't know me I am Jade and I am going through Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW). TSW is a horrific iatrogenic condition, meaning it is caused by medical treatment. I am fundraising to seek treatment for my topical steroid withdrawal which is a debilitating condition that I have suffered for 3 years in now.

Put simply TSW is a drug withdrawal unlike any other.

For more information please head to www.itsan.org

I suffered from eczema when I was young and every time I visit the GP, I was prescribed with steroid oral medicine and steroid topical creams. From childhood to university years, my eczema has been mild, only with rashes on my neck and at my body joints.

2 years after i started working, when i had flare-ups, the GP doctors would prescribe me with steroid injections. The doctor told me that it would be a fast relief. It was a short-term quick solution for me as the itch would stop and the skin would heal within 1-2 days. I found it as a respite from the discomfort. Little did i realize the consequences of steroid injections...

I noticed something was not right when the rashes bounced back more angrily than ever. The injections had stopped working. In 2020, upon research online, I discovered that I had Topical Steroid Addiction (TSA) so I quit all steroids; both topical and oral. Daily I suffer with burning skin, a bone-deep itch, oozing, crusting, nerve pain, inflamed redness, and open wounds. I have become so unwell that I struggle to work and don't have much of a life outside of it. My body has become covered with dry and flaky skin, redness, and open wounds. I try to sleep to help me heal, but I was unable to have comfortable full nights sleep for 2 years until 2022. I was in a horrible state.

I have been suffering from TSW for 3 years in the hope that my body will recover from the damage. I have tried every diet, non-steroidal cream, red light therapy, gut repair, supplement, herb, and naturopath available in Singapore. To date, I have spent close to $30k on all the treatments, supplements, diet and health food.

Currently (as at 2023 at the time of writing), my upper body has healed better but i have still a lot of healing to be down on my lower body. I can’t wear shorts. I can’t go swimming. Every morning when I wake up, my bed will be stained with blood and ooze. My floor would be covered with my skin flakes. When I wear pants to avoid my inflamed skin to the public, the pants would stick against my open inflamed wound. I avoided gluten, dairy and eggs for fear that it would cause even greater inflammation to my skin.

So, I am raising funds for Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) treatment which is a very expensive treatment. This is proving very successful for TSW sufferers.

I would receive excellent care at every stage of the healing process Skin Health Centre in Singapore. The 2 packages consists of 24 sessions which costs $210 per session. The total cost is about $10k. The High Pulse Blue Laser treatment aims to allow the cells to regain his regeneration at a healthy rate which will speed up TSW healing which will normally take 3-5 years to recover.

This fundraising is important to me as I have spent a significant amount of my savings doing what I can to treat my condition. I am young. After 3 years in, I know that I cannot depend on myself and I need an effective therapy which has healed many other TSW patients.

PS: The photos show some of my skin at its worst period from 2020-2022. My upper body has since healed well but there are still open wounds on my lower body.