A Georgia woman has suffered a serious skin condition that has left her bedridden and unable to feed herself for months.
Natalie Merchant Wright has a condition known as Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW) that causes “bone deep” itching that can only be temporarily relieved by hard scratching, leaving her skin oozing, bloody and raw.
It started when she was just a baby and began to suffer from eczema, which led her doctor to prescribe a topical steroid cream.
But over time, her body got used to the steroid and it stopped working for her and even backfired, causing her symptoms that caused such immense pain that showering and even going to the bathroom was an excruciating burden.
Even though she stopped using topical steroid cream in August 2017, her painful withdrawal rash persisted, leaving her feeling like a “leper” when she went out in public.
Natalie has been using steroid cream to treat her eczema since she was just a baby. TSW can occur after a person who has been using the cream for a long time suddenly stops taking it, putting the body into a state of withdrawal
TSW has inflicted extreme pain on Mrs. Wright, who is often unwilling to leave the house for fear of receiving unwanted attention for her appearance.
TThe National Eczema Association (NEA) has said the number of people with TSW is difficult to determine.
She said, “I work with the retail public. They mean well, but would ask things like “oh my god what’s up with your skin?” Why do you look like this? What happened, did you get burned or did you have an accident?”
“Half the time you feel awful, sick, like a reject and a leper and people sort of treat you that way whether they mean to or not.”
She began suffering from mild eczema when she was just two months old and was prescribed topical steroids to reduce inflammation caused by the skin condition.
The 20-year-old newlywed said the lotion caused a series of flare-ups mistaken for eczema, which she tried to cure from everything — including “hardcore” bone broth fasting and eating nothing but meat for six months.
But in August 2017, the store’s team leader discovered she was suffering from local steroid withdrawal, so she hasn’t touched the lotion since.
Ms Wright said she endured a ‘literal hell’ from the condition which causes hard scratches and leaves the skin over her body red, rough and oozing.
She also struggles with simple tasks like opening doors and taking a shower, as the feeling of water touching her body is similar to getting lemon juice in a cut.
“The kind where you can’t scratch enough and after you stop it burns, so you want to scratch more.” It’s such a Catch-22,’ she said.
“I remember going in for school and I couldn’t help but scream and cry because it was so painful… There were times I would lay in bed praying for hours and then get up and give up and lay on my bathroom floor crying.”
In December, due to the seriousness of her condition, Natalie was forced to take medical leave. She even wet the bed a few times because she didn’t have the strength to go to the bathroom.
She added, “It wasn’t uncommon to wake up with bloody sheets and my own dead skin flakes — it felt like waking up with crumbs in the bed.”
“There have been times in the last four months when things have been so bad that I had to be spoon-fed, which is really embarrassing — you feel so helpless.”
TSW affects the nerves, making Mrs. Wright hypersensitive to temperatures and textures. She said she is always too cold or too hot.
Natalie claims she was bombarded every day with hundreds of questions asking “what happened?” and mistaking her for a burn victim.
These super insensitive questions, usually with good intentions, are really hurtful and sometimes 801 after 800 of those comments a day is enough to crack [you] and I would just burst into tears.’
Natalie said her symptoms weren’t as severe during her younger years, but she had problem areas, particularly her ears and elbow creases.
Because of her skin problems, Natalie said she had a hard time growing up, wanting to feel as “pretty” as her peers and often had trouble typing and holding pencils at school.
There were times over the years when she didn’t want to leave the house, but was forced to “grin and put up with it” because she had to go to school and work.
Natalie’s most recent flare-up that began in December was her longest and most severe to date, forcing her to retire from work.
She said, “I’ve been bedridden since December. I went out about once every two weeks to get my nails done, I get super thick acrylic paint because it prevents me from doing so much damage when I scratch.’
Natalie’s condition causes itching that can’t be helped and leaves her with raw, bloody and oozing open wounds
Ms Wright, a swing dancer, said she tried “anything and everything” to treat her skin, including visits to a series of health experts trying different creams, drugs and supplements.
She also changed her diet, going dairy and gluten-free for five years, in an effort to banish food allergies.
After years of feeling ‘helpless’, she discovered cold atmospheric plasma therapy (CAP), a treatment only available in the UK, Singapore and Thailand. It has given Natalie light at the end of the tunnel.
Natalie and her husband Matthew Wright, 25, tied the knot on April 3 before heading to Thailand for treatment four days later and after just two sessions, she’s already noticing a big difference.
She is now set a GoFundMe to raise $30,000 to help cover the cost of treatment as well as their flights, visas and living expenses while there. She has raised almost $21,500 to date.
She said on her GoFundMe page, “I have suffered from this condition for over 20 years… which is long enough to drive me crazy enough to fly to Thailand for treatment. I’m at the point of despair where no measure is too far. I want my life back.’
She said the results of the treatment, created specifically for TSW, will be permanent with little to no side effects. While she may still have mild skin issues, more like eczema, they will be much more manageable.
She currently gets it once a week and the duration of it depends on how her skin reacts.
Natalie said: ‘The treatment was a light at the end of the tunnel. I already notice a lot of difference, it’s very exciting.
‘I see improvements between each treatment – the redness is decreasing and the flaking is increasing, which means your body is healing and reproducing skin cells.
The treatment has significantly improved her sleep, allowing her to sleep nearly six hours a night.
“I think I’m going to look like a new woman, I can’t wait.”
She and her husband plan to live there for a year, or at least however long it takes for Natalie’s condition to improve.