3 biggest fears I’ve developed after TSW and recovery

1) Fear of “not moving”

Topical steroid withdrawal symptoms were very debilitating. I remembered days and weeks of not wanting to move, because the simple act of moving is associated with pain and pain. Then I was afraid to move.

My neck was worse. It was constantly raw, scaly, oozing. Every time I turned my head, it hurt. Every time I responded to someone, it hurt. I had to move like a zombie from one point to another to minimize the pain.

The back of my knees and calves was another problem. Just stretching my leg broke my skin. Every bedtime was a problem. I had to position my legs in an awkward and unnatural position so that my raw skin wouldn’t come into contact with the sheets. He expected to have a sleep without movement, which was almost impossible. Each roll in the bed meant a new contact with my raw and oozing skin, which equates to more pain and anguish.

When I managed to manage my skin condition well (thanks to MW), and regained some form of mobility, I was so eager to move to forget my state of weakness.

I started playing soccer near the end of the third month of my retirement. There were still open wounds, mostly dry, and many patches of uneven-looking “blotchy” skin. I wanted to break a sweat, reset my cardiovascular system, and hopefully break a sweat to get off TSW.

I started jogging, then running, then exercising with whatever body weight I could. It has continued from month 3 (January) to today. He went out for walks often and enjoyed them. I would buy hours with my partner and not complain when my feet hurt. I would choose to exercise unless I had muscle fatigue from DOMS. I may be overcompensating for my weakening that I experienced, but I don’t care one bit. I developed a fear of “not moving.” Simply because of TSW, I understand that good health is something you have to work hard to achieve, and being able to move is a sign of good health.

I never want to go back to where I was before: bedridden, slow, like a zombie. And I will work hard to maintain the status that I currently have.

2) Fear of missing something

I missed a lot of things during my TSW because I couldn’t do them: activities that I loved to do, food that I loved to eat, events that I would like to go to, etc.

Now, I just want to do things, while I can.

Going through TSW gave me the perspective that one should not take for granted the ability to do basic things (move, function, converse, speak, listen, see).

Life is short, so experiment as much as possible, while you can.

One day you will be sick and bedridden. Tick, tock, tick, tock, your time is running out. Make meaningful use of your time from now on.

3) Fear of unknown iatrogenesis

Now, I constantly think about iatrogenesis: every activity I do, every meal I eat, every supplement I take, even every text I write.

The reality is that everything has its advantages and disadvantages, advantages and disadvantages, risks and benefits. Running can help build stronger muscles and skeletons, but it also wears down ligaments. Using moisturizers can give you comfort, but they can change the structural integrity of your skin. Eating things gives you energy, at the expense of tissue oxidation that damages our cells.

I was less concerned about all of this before TSW, but after TSW, I’m more in tune and smarter at understanding the risks.

The key is to minimize the risk and maximize the rewards. It’s always easy when the risks are well documented. The problem occurs when there are unknown or iatrogenic risks. Negative trials are known to be rarely published in research / clinical trials. Therefore, a potential source of information is simply not available to the public. As consumers, we are faced with advertisements for products that have a skewed representation of their benefits, with little or nothing given to their risks. Most of the time, consumers take supplements based on the product’s face value, with little regard for “what could go wrong.”

And it is these unknown risks that worry me, sometimes too much. But thanks to TSW, it’s a lesson learned. I will not make the same mistake twice.

I see these fears as a good thing to have, something that keeps me on my toes not to fall back where I was before. Fear can be a very strong motivator when put to good use.

Have you developed new fears throughout your TSW?