Healing BXO Naturally

Merry Christmas to all those out there, BXO sufferers and otherwise. As we count the days remaining in 2014, I'm reminded of what a bitch of a year it has been. On reflection, I can't help but see my BXO as a metaphor for a few other struggles I've had in my life over the past few years. I won't go into the other issues as they are personal. At the time I started to develop BXO, these other issues became apparent. Like BXO, I didn't realise they were problematic at the time. All the way through 2013, I tried to deal with those issues, just like I tried to deal with BXO (before I knew it was BXO), and at the beginning of 2014 I made what I thought was a successful attempt to beat both. However, I was barking up completely the wrong tree, and would discover this in mid-2014. Then I caught onto both issues, and started to treat them both successfully. However, progress was very very slow. And in recent times, I've had a few things occur that have reminded me that...

I thought it was time to post some progress shots. Without further introduction: These pics were taken about a week ago, and since then I have undergone some very slight improvements too. That may be down to the fact that I've been using Manuka Honey both day and night over that time. The itching has continued to be very acceptable. It does come and go briefly, but never for more than a few seconds, and most certainly not with the inflammation and redness that I had a few weeks back. It also seems more likely to occur after... how can I put this on a G-rated blog.... certain types of sexual activity. It occasionally hits when the area gets a little damp (if I haven't gone to the toilet and had a chance to dry it out). I think the itching is sometimes the body's response to very minute scrapes, and perhaps a small sign of progress. It's certainly not the detrimental 'step backward' that I once thought it was. When I was covered in thick layers of wh...

I am getting daily hits on my blog. That makes me feel amazing. It makes me feel amazing because of the thought that perhaps I'm making a difference for people. Some days, the blog might only get one hit, but that's still one hit from one person who possibly came here wanting help for this horrible disease. It makes me feel amazing that one person out there can benefit from the knowledge I've gained whilst dealing with BXO. I've done this sort of thing before, where I've learnt a lot about something that wasn't documented and shared my learning with others in the hope that those in my footsteps need not make the same discoveries as I have already made. The difference is, those were IT examples. This is a medical example. I have a disease, and typically, when you have a disease you turn to your doctor who points you in the direction of someone can help. The outlook may be grim, but at least you are given the feeling that the profession understands something abo...

Recall my previous post where I hypothesised that the reason I had gone through a setback was because of a lack of sleep and excessive amount of stress, not because of a rebound from stopping Clobetasol. I was relatively, but not completely, sure that it was the former. Well I'm pleased to report that, since I wrote that last post, I have not used a single drop of Clobetasol, and have managed to stay almost totally itch-free. I still have my brief moments, but that's when I haven't dried myself for a while. A quick toilet visit and decent dab around with toilet paper will solve that problem easily. I have been sick over the last day or so with a horrible stomach bug, which may have been what my body was fighting when the itching began, although the timing isn't right. I will say, however, that this is at least the third stomach bug I've had at this time of the year in my life, so I know that getting run down does take its toll. At any rate, I'm enjoying sleep...

I've had a couple of posts now where I've talked about my setback, and then how I've allegedly solved it but have later found it didn't solve it. First, I thought that Hydrogen Peroxide was the answer. It worked for a little while, but later became less effective. Then I was convinced that Manuka Honey was the answer . It later turned out not to be the case, by the way. I awoke the following morning to an almost unbearable itch. I put some on during the day, and the itch I felt was as though I hadn't put anything on at all. Out of desperation, I tried Tea Tree Oil... no joy there either. I was really getting quite worried at this point. Here I was with a relapse of my BXO symptoms, that had come at me out of nowhere and appeared resistant to virtually every kind of treatment I had used in the past. All of a sudden I almost felt like I did when I realised what I had, but with the previous knowledge of having tried everything unsuccessfully. It was a pretty low day. ...

I do believe I'm currently in the middle of what I'd call my first flare-up since I started treating my BXO. The itch I talked about in my last post has returned, and with it, there is increased redness on the healing BXO skin. It's not a hideous looking red, but as someone who looks at my penis far too many times a day already, it's not something I'm at all comfortable with. I had thought that Hydrogen Peroxide helped, but it doesn't seem to be doing a lot right now. I also thought earlier that the moisturiser I've used on occasion helped, but again, that relief is only temporary. Eventually, the itch will return and the redness doesn't fade. Today as a last resort (ok.. I haven't yet tried Tea Tree Oil) I tried Manuka Honey on it, and it soothed the itch almost immediately. The redness subsided pretty quickly too. As a test, I tried hydrocortisone, but within about 20 minutes the itch was back, so I took that off and put Manuka Honey back... bing...