A woman has shared how her relationship broke down after she suffered from “oozing skin” due to quitting steroid creams – with the pain leaving her housebound.
Ravenna den Houdijker, 23, from Rotterdam, Netherlands, began suffering with eczema when she was only three-months-old, with the condition affecting her whole body.
At five, she was prescribed topical steroid creams and, although her parents were informed it could cause her skin could thin, they trusted their dermatologist and applied the medication.
Ravenna recalls feeling afraid about her skin “ripping open” as it became so thin as she grew up, and she decided to finally stop her medication in October 2021 when she found it was no longer having an effect on her skin.
“The doctor basically called me fat when I tried to point out that the steroids were causing weight gain,” Ravenna told Jam Press.
“I have a huge scar on my leg because my skin got so thin due to me growing a lot in a short period of time.
“[At this point] I had little spots everywhere – on my thighs, lower legs and my stomach, but the worst was my neck, face and arms.
“I had already tried ‘mesologie’ which is an alternative healing method using natural supplements and herbs, which I did before quitting the steroids.”
For the first few months, she didn’t notice any significant side effects, but soon, she was unable to wear clothes as it was so uncomfortable.
Ravenna recalls having dry, itchy skin which would burn, as well as severe hair loss and intense swelling from head-to-toe.
She said: “After [four months] it was awful. Five months in, hell began.
“I had painful tension with my skin due to the swelling and I couldn’t move. I still had burning and itching, which would sometimes be bone deep.
“I suffered insomnia, redness, shivering, [wrinkled] skin and weeping, as well as oozing.
“I started having muscle loss and I became depressed, where I sat in my room literally staring at nothing ¬– my parents didn’t know what to do.
“It was exhausting, as I was too sore to do anything. I had only got a new job, which I had to quit after three days.
“My world became very small and usually I would be outgoing, but my skin hurt and I was tired all the time, where meeting one friend would be too much for me.”
Ravenna’s ex-boyfriend tried getting her out of the house to go on dates or meet up with friends, but she refused.
She said: “He was super sweet about it and took care of me but it was hard on him. We didn’t know what was going with me – we were both desperate for answers.
“He gave me space when I didn’t want to be touched, but it made it difficult to be loving towards each other.
“The relationship couldn’t last – it became too much for both of us.
“It felt like my world was falling apart. I felt so angry too – why did my skin not only torment me in physical pain, but also take away the most important person to me?
“It made me impossible to love and be loved.”
Her condition also took its toll on several friendships which broke down – though she was grateful for the support of her family.
She said: “I have amazing parents who did everything for me, as well as my sister and her boyfriend who always tried to make me laugh.
“[Mentally] it was hard, because I didn’t know what I was going through. When you don’t have the joy for life left and you don’t know what’s wrong, you keep overthinking it.
“At some point, you get the one thought you know you shouldn’t get – such as choosing the ‘easy way’ out.”
As the doctors didn’t listen to her concerns, she decided to take matters into her own hands and used coconut oil to help ease the side effects.
She tried a no moisture treatment, which has helped lessen the itch and although she still has dry skin, as well as flaking, there is much less than before.
Ravenna also started having red light therapy for 20 minutes every day and has continued taking natural supplements.
Her skin is currently improving and, while she feels irritation throughout her body, she is able to lead a more free life.
She added: “I’m still suffering from topical steroid withdrawal, but now that I’ve got this far, I know I can beat it.
“I’ve cried a lot, but looking back, I know I’ve done really well as I listened to my body before taking each new step and sometimes, that meant taking a step back.
“[Steroids] are prescribed too quickly and easily and I think better monitoring of the patient would really help.
“Listening to what they feel instead of just looking at the skin too.
“After all, TSW resembles eczema but we all know too well that it isn’t the same.”
