A woman who suffers from a rare skin condition has shared how her agonising symptoms left her feeling as though her entire 'body was on fire '. Amy Faye, 30, suffers from Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW), which can occur after a person stops using topical corticosteroids after long-term use. The condition, which is sometimes referred to as red skin syndrome, left Amy with oozing wounds, skin pigmentation, burning sensations, and reduced mobility.
At one point, Amy was in so much pain, that she felt as though she was 'trapped in hell', and 'could barely go to the toilet'. Despite the devastating impact of her TSW, Amy says she has been 'continuously ignored' by medical professionals, and is now determined to make a change for others in the same position. Creative director Amy, from Cambridgeshire, has used steroid creams ever since she was a baby, however, she made the decision to quit cold turkey in August 2023, after experiencing 'debilitating' symptoms every time she stopped applying them.
Amy recalled: "As soon as I stopped taking the steroid creams, within a week or two I was bed-bound. I was oozing, weeping, and had a burning red body from top-to-toe. I was restricted to my bed, I couldn't walk downstairs and I could barely go to the toilet.
"When I would bend over it felt like my body would go up in flames. I couldn't do anything without my body burning. It's all you can think about because of the pain.
And there is no break from it, you're freezing cold, you're burning.