Am I out of options?

Posted Fri 3 May 2019 20.08 by mercurial me

Hello to everyone!! Newbie here If anyone could offer an opinion for any treatment options it would be greatly appreciated. Back story- I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis when I was 17, I'm 40 now. In my early 20's I took Methotrexate for a year and both the arthritis and psoriasis cleared up. The arthritis still flares up with weather changed (I'm in Canada) but my psoriasis came back with a roar in my 30's. I was diagnosed with significant liver damage in my 30's and was told Methotrexate & Cyclosporin (sp) were no longer an option for treatment. My dermatologist injected me with 120 cc's of Kenalog (anti-inflammatory/corticosteroid) every other month for years in my 30's and it helped moderately. Two years ago I ended up with something called "Cushing's Syndrome" due to be injected with too much Kenalog for too long. This also caused an perforated ulcer on my duodenum which was pure hell to go through. Dermatologist has now scaled me back to 40 cc's of Kenalog every couple of months which is doing nothing. On special coal tar shampoo, Dovobet, Clobetosol, & Betaderm, Enstilar but anything topical does previous little to relieve the symptoms. I applied to the government to get subsidized for Otezla, Humera or Enbrel but was denied. Am I screwed? This sucks. For years my skin just sheds like a rattlesnake day after day. Can't even sleep in the same bed as my g/f due to my skin itch & psoriasis cracking and bleeding. Sorry to write an essay. Any feedback would be great. Great to find this forum:)

Posted Sun 5 May 2019 01.10 by wendyloish

Hi mecurial me, Have a scroll through the forum and you will see that there are different approaches to psoriasis that have been effective for different people. Some are topical while others involve lifestyle changes, and some are about diet. Many people post their stories, and if you match your story to theirs it might increase your chance of finding something that will work for you. For me diet has been effective (I am on FODMAP). It appears to me that the dietary approach may work for you as your digestive tract has been damaged (I think that this may not have only been the medication but could be symptomatic of autoimmune attack). I take vitamin D tablets. This may also help you as psoriasis has been linked to low vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is produced in the body by UV action on cholesterol in the skin. This produces a precursor compound that is then changed by the liver to a second compound that is further changed by the kidneys. Anything in this chain will impact your vitamin D level. You mention liver damage, so you may have a break in the chain there. The capsules for vitamin D are the chemical that the liver has produced, so taking a supplement can sidestep this roadblock. As many people have low vitamin D levels a capsule a day should only help. I realise sunbaking to boost vitamin D intake may not be an option in Canada. So if your annual holiday has been skiing in your beautiful mountains, perhaps take a trip to the tropics in mid winter and get some sun. All over! And last but not least, many people on the forum swear by blueberries, eaten daily, although tumeric + pepper comes in a good second. Both contain polyphenols which are anti-inflammatory. An easy option worth a try. So no, you are not screwed. You just need to strike out at this stage away from the conventional drug approach. Good luck! wendyloish

Posted Sun 5 May 2019 17.28 by mercurial me

huge gratitude for your input Wendy. Greatly appreciated!! I am going to look into all of these various options you mentioned (a trip to the tropics sounds alright too;)

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