My psoriasis struggle

Posted Fri 3 May 2019 23.07 by Chris
Hi my name is chris 36 year old working as a security officer for the past few years mainly festivals where i can manage it.

It first started years ago when i was a teenager is my first noticeable patch of dry flaky skin in one of my elbows and never really thought anything of it. It was very small and to be honest not very apparent. Fast forward to about a year or so ago. It first started spreading on both of my elbows gradually. I mostly just used moisturiser on it as it didn't really irritate me that much. The girl i was seeing at the time clearly started to take notice of it as did others. I explained it that it was a mild case of psoriasis and not to worry but she clearly looked at it with disgust but we never really talked about it after that. A few months down the line i broke up with her as the relationship clearly wasn't working in either of our favours so we parted ways. I started drinking heavily after the split as i took the breakup more severe than she did. My psoriasis kicked into overdrive not long after that along with starting a new position elsewhere. It spread in little patches staring from my left hip down my left leg. Both elbows and knees caps all over. Little patches on my arms left hand and has only recently started to appear ever so slightly on my right forearm. On a good day it's tolerable. On bad days some of them the main culprits being on my knees elbow and foot become so itchy and hot i feel like taking a sheet of sandpaper to them. I scratch so hard they they start to bleed and i drives me crazy. It most definitely has affected my moods my confidence. I avoid trying to meet girls like the plaque now because of this. I mean i can't stand the look of myself anymore. I see the way people i interact with at work see it on my arms and think i have something contagious which makes me very self conscious. So now i have taken to wearing long sleeve tops under my work to so people don't look at them and question what it is when i'm trying to work. I don't take my niece swimming anymore because people look at my when i enter the pool. I have been to my local GP twice about this and i was prescribed Calcitriol ointment Zerobase cream which i have been using for a wile now but i feel that it hasn't really had any affect and it hard when i'm at work trying to excuse myself to apply this stuff constantly. I have also been referred to a dermatologist but i understand the waiting list is rather long. Even now i see tiny outlines of even more of these things starting to appear. I believe that stress and anxiety play a factor in my flare ups along with other bad habits and poor diet. But the biggest blow for me recently was my last visit to the GP when he said there is no cure for psoriasis we can only manage it. That i tell you sucked to hear. I don't want to manage this day in and day out. I want rid of it. I cant look at myself in a mirror anymore and feel confident when i look like someone unloaded a paintball gun to my body. So that's my story.

Posted Sun 5 May 2019 21.33 by wendyloish

Hi Chris, So now you know. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease and a chronic condition. I have been a sufferer for about 45 years. And it never just gets to the management stage where it is like brushing your teeth. But there are management tools that have been found to be effective for different people. Some are medical and require a GP, and then a dermatologist and if your joints become affected, a rheumatologist. Other effective management tools involve diet, including the popular blueberry one. Have a look at the "Psoriasis and Treatment" section of the website. And read some of the posts on the forum. Many you might find helpful. And don't give up hope for a cure. Although the unraveling of a complicated genetic picture will take time, there is quite a bit of research being done. wendyloish

Posted Mon 6 May 2019 11.12 by OhNo_NotAgain?

Chris, My proriasis erupted in 1980 during my last year of university. Within days it covered my entire body (face included) except for my hands and feet. I had always felt it was stress related in my case - probably related to my future finals (it appeared 4-5 months befoe my final exams). I was prescribed a coal-tar based treatment and a steroid ointment, and it was something I did have to manage for months. After university I was able to get out in the sun a fair bit, and finally had a 3 week holiday involving loads of sun and swimming in the sea. my psoriasis began finally to recede. I then found a job abroad - again more sun and over the next 6 moths or so it almost completely cleared, including my scalp. I was left with persistent patched on my elbows, and one patch on my leg, which over the years would clear with treatment from a steroid or calcipotriol, but return quite soon once I stopped treatment, but no worse than before. I also had what I suspect was "inverse psoriasis" in my groin, which was very annoying and would clear but return. It has taken me 35 years to get rid of that - as far as I can tell permanently, and a simple regime that appears to keep it away (no recurrance at all for over 6 months). In 2018 I suddently had a massive flare-up including Guttate Psoriasis for the first time. 8 months later, that receded almost completely. My GP thinks that might have been related to a total hip replacement operation a couple of months previously (trauma to the body could trigger a strange immune response). Currently, although it cannot be cured, some people do find it clears, some do find treatments that help. But it could always suddenly reappear, and the triggers are not necessarily obvious. Through the 70s, exposure to sunshine was a common recommendation, and it certainly seemed to help me. Currently I also take a vitamin D supplement when I remember (I took it daily when I had my most recent extensive outbreak last year). I am very lucky in that generally it did not define my life.

Posted Mon 6 May 2019 18.49 by Chris
Hi my name is chris 36 year old working as a security officer for the past few years mainly festivals where i can manage it.

knees feel like they are on fire tonight

To take part, sign in or register with us