Curing my Incurable Eczema

This book is honest, gut-wrenching, tear-jerking, and hopeful. Those of us suffering from this condition want nothing more than those around us to understand our struggle and we also want the world to know about TSW so that no one else has to suffer. Cara captures all of these feels beautifully. In addition, she doesn't just speak to the physical toll of TSW, but almost more importantly, the mental toll this experience has on you and takes away from you. This book gave me hope and spoke to my darkest fears and worries. You're an angel from heaven, Cara. And a true warrior. ❤️

This is a must read for anyone with eczema who is prescribed topical steroid cream. This isn’t written by a doctor, but by someone who needlessly suffered because of medical intervention. Cara’s honest, painful account of the physical, mental, and emotional toll TSW takes will help others who are suffering. It is also a good tool for caregivers. I found hope, comfort, and inspiration in the words of this TSW warrior.

Cara Ward is a brave woman who has written about a little known condition called topical steroid addiction/red skin syndrome. I don't do social media so have not reached out directly to other people going through this inner hell. I also enjoyed a webinar she participated in. Anyone suffering from this should go to itsan.org (the only truly valid source of information for me). Cara is featured in a documentary entitled "Preventable" which can be viewed from the site.

I liked her genuine observations....her experiences cut a lot to the core as I am a sever eczema sufferer as well but its helpful if you have RSS.

Amazing book about a condition which is not well know. This book alone could save many lives. Cara is truly an inspiration and reading about her trials and tribulations, and most of all, overcoming them, gave me hope in my own healing! Wonderful book!

Just when I needed to find some comfort and encouragement I found Cara. So glad she shared her story. If she can do it, we can do it!

THE most thorough healing journey and “diary-log” written from two separate perspectives. Cara’s honest and positive style and her loving caretaker/Mum each present their detailed day-to-day struggles over a 2-3 year period of time during and after Cara’s Topical Steroid Withdrawal. So incredibly enlightening and surprisingly, not depressing. The undertone was a constant hopeful confidence of getting through TSW as well as Moisture Withdrawal. I’d like to suggest reading Chapter 24 first because it is “Cara’s Letter to her TSW Self” because that letter provides a big-Sister kind of burst of love that is needed for someone trying to decide to go or not go through TSW, the letter hits home and gives courage. Thank you Cara for also focusing so much on the emotional “After-Healing” aspect of healing. The PTSD angle is so needed out there...

Thank you Cara for writing this book- I am suffering through TSW now. This is so informative for any one going through this as I can relate to everything you have written. Thank you for sharing your experience -and getting the word out so people know what it is to live through this nightmare, but also knowing that it will get better- that everyone is different and you will eventually heal. I started the book today-and am almost done! Could not put it down.

Ward is wonderful in telling the reader her incredibly honest and deeply personal experience with eczema and RSS. With a clear voice and beautifully poetic language, she articulates the essence of what makes it such a tough condition to live with. So many readers can relate to her condition. This book speaks in harmony with people around the world, feeling the same way. Having grown up with a diagnosis of eczema and having been given vast quantities of steroid creams to use to combat the condition, where it has only exacerbated the issue and resulted in giving me red skin syndrome, it was refreshing to hear Ward's similar story. I couldn't help but nod in agreement and smile whilst reading.Where sufferers are weighed down by a lifelong condition which feels draining and debilitating for the soul, Ward offers tender hope and optimism. Drawing on the positives of what she has learned through the hardships she has had to endure, she inspires people going through topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) to keep fighting every day for their health and well-being.If you're prone to eczema, it can be a lifelong condition which never fully goes away, but Ward offers hope that you can successfully stop using the harmful steroid creams and liberate yourself from the stress of the condition. Her journey is incredible.

This book got me through the darkest months I've ever been through. After I ended up in hospital with out-of-control 'eczema' that had completely taken over my body and was giving me symptoms like I'd never seen before, and which left even the doctors baffled, I was desperate for answers. After doing some research I soon realised I had developed topical steroid addiction - a severe and debilitating, yet little talked-about side effect of using steroid creams; and the only cure was to stop using the creams altogether and go through what is known as topical steroid withdrawal (TSW).It was then that I came across Cara's book. I was scared and didn't know what to expect, but this book was my go-to and my constant companion especially through those early months, when my condition was at its absolute worst.Cara documents her personal journey through TSW, and although she admits she is not a doctor for me the personal experiences she shared was far more valuable and delivered with much more insight and compassion than any advice I've been given by professionals to date. She doesn't hold back on any details and writes openly about her symptoms, the trauma, and how she and her mum (as her primary carer) coped through her 27-month withdrawal.Although TSW is a horrific condition, she writes about it sensitively, and for me her words gave me the hope and comfort I needed to prepare me for my own withdrawal. It is divided in to sections that are easy to browse and return to when needed - which is essential with a condition like TSW, because the symptoms are so variable and change from one month to the next.Thankfully Cara has made it through to the other side of her withdrawal, but unlike thousands of others who make it through and decide (understandably) that they want to move on with their lives and not dwell on what happened, Cara has stuck around and is a beacon of hope in the online TSW community. She has been so approachable and supportive, and has fought relentlessly for this condition to get the medical attention it deserves.This book is a must-read for anyone going through topical steroid withdrawal, or who suspects that they may be having an adverse effect to topical steroid creams. For me it was like being guided through my condition step-by-step by a supportive, compassionate friend.

I loved this book. I read it from cover to cover in one night and wept for everything Cara has been through. I wept knowing I had it all coming too and couldn’t have attempted to do TSW without this brave woman sharing her story. If you have eczema and use topical steroids, read this book now!

One woman’s 2+ year battle through topical steroid withdrawal. The book is a brave account of a harrowing period in the author’s 20s which left her unable to sleep or work to cure a syndrome which appears to have been caused by prescribed steroids. Refreshingly, rather than bash the reader over the head with her opinions (which you might expect from someone who has been through such trauma) she keeps the book balanced and positive, stressing that whilst total elimination and a healthy diet worked for her in her recovery she believes each person is different. Sensible, frank, and deeply honest, this book would be of interest to anyone with eczema and should be mandatory reading for all doctors who routinely prescribe steroids for their eczema patients. It seems that the medical profession in the U.K. has a bit of catching up to do on eczema and red skin syndrome.

I am currently in my 17th month of Topical Steroid Withdrawal, and after a recent flare up (which was upsetting and painful), this book is EXACTLY what I needed. It pulled me through my sadness filled me with so much hope, and reassured me that everything I am going through is to be expected and not to worry.Thank you, Cara, for taking the time to do this. It means the world to us, you have calmed many a heart. I've ordered another book which I will be giving a friend who I am sure has RSS. It's such a useful, valuable an informative book to have for both RSS sufferers and caregivers.