Test Results

I phoned the Doctors Clinic and spoke to the nurse just over an hour ago to get the test results. It seems that I definitely have a torn tendon in my shoulder, completely torn from all accounts. I'm not too sure what that entails but there was a request from my GP to come in and discuss the results with him. I guess he will tell me what I need to do to improve things and stop the pain, well ease the pain.

From the information that I have checked out on the internet, and we all know that it isn't always 100% reliable all of the time, I will probably need to see a physiotherapist (perhaps I can join Mark when he sees one rofl) to learn some new exercises to strengthen my shoulder. That doesn't sound too bad and I know I can manage that. The only things I don't wish to hear from him is that hey you need surgery! But I wont think of that too much as I don't think that is a top priority. I guess I just need to wait until I see my Dr on Tuesday morning.

Back to the other ultrasound. Everything looks okay with the pelvic exam. I can't remember exactly what the nurse said so it must have been alright. She never mentioned the Pap Smear test so I am guessing that that was fine too. Or maybe the results aren't in for that yet. That's another thing I will need to talk to my GP about.

Ultrasounds & X-ray

I went to the hospital this morning to get an ultrasound done on my shoulder and my pelvic region. I had to have a 'full' bladder as well. My appointment was for 10am and I finally made it home just after 11:30am. Who would've thought that two ultrasounds would take so long. Mind you I was never told that I would need an xray on my shoulder on top of the ultrasounds.

I never realised that the technician would have to press so hard on my shoulder. I thought I was going to fall of the chair a few times. Thank goodness it didn't hurt too much or I don't think I would've coped as well as I did. Looks like I have a torn tendon which means that I will probably need some physio or something to that effect.

The one I didn't like was the ultrasound on the pelvis. That one hurt like the dickens. My bladder was at bursting point by the time we got around to doing that one! My psoriasis was so red and tender where she had to place the probe or whatever it's called. She was very understanding and rather quick. She didn't want me to be in too much discomfort. Thankfully it was a rather quick procedure. From what the technician told me everything looks okay but she can't really say too much can she.

My GP gets the results in a couple of days time so I can phone up the clinic later this week to get the results.

Out! Out! Darned Spot!!

I am so sick and tired of new spots popping up all over the place. I am almost at wits end trying to work out what on earth I can do to stop it.

I don't know if I mentioned that when I went to see my GP the other week and had that dreaded Pap Smear that my Dr asked what I use on my skin. Well der he prescribed it he should know! Far out!! I know he has a lot of people to see and stuff but he should be able to remember that he was the one who prescribed the advantan ointment that I have been using. Anyway the nurse (who was in the room as well) said you've probably used just about everything to which I said pretty much. And I mentioned that I had also used methotrexate. Well my Dr didn't like the sound of that. Too bad so sad was my thinking but he did go on to mention one person that he knew, whether it was a patient of his or not, and how she had been on methotrexate. She passed away due to her immune system being so bad that she died from an infection. I guess that's the risk you take with anything I suppose. You have to weigh up the Pros and Cons to anything you use. Sometimes it is worth the risk.
So I guess that will mean that my GP wont be in any hurry to help me get rid of this P with any oral medication like this.

Clinical Trial

Oh man am I kicking myself. Last night on the TV there was a brief ad regarding a clinical trial for a new psoriasis treatment. It's for people with moderate to severe P who aren't on any current treatment program. I missed ALL of the important details like the phone number!! I've been trying to search for information on how to find out where it is and whom to contact but I've not have any luck! I'd do just about anything to be rid of this darned awful skin!!

Interesting Articles

I was checking out the PHO forum and came across a thread with some links to interesting articles in regards to psoriasis and other medical conditions. Not too sure what to make of it all but it was interesting reading nonetheless.

Here's the links ...

http://www.emaxhealth.com/39/20190.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070418100821.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/03/2107469.htm

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/102245.php

I Hate Flakes

I really hate flakes! I vacuumed yesterday afternoon in the bedroom to get rid of the inch of flakes on the floor. Well okay it wasn't an inch high but it seemed that way. By the time I got out of bed this morning it was if I hadn't vacuumed the carpet at all!

I HATE! HATE! HATE! those FLAKES!!

Settling Down

Thank goodness my skin seems to be settling down at the moment. I was so tired of being so sore and red!!

I decided a couple of days ago that the advantan that I got from my GP was not working as effectively as it could be so I thought that I would try something a little different. Well not different more like alternating between the daivonex and the advantan ointment. I must admit that it seems to be working. The P on my chest & part of my torso has greatly improved. It is no longer as raised as it was nor quite as red as last week. The same with my arms. It's nice to have smoother skin for a while even if I know it wont last.

Too bad there isn't much difference elsewhere. My lower legs look the same as before. In fact the P on my lower legs have blended and merged into giant spots. The giant spot on my left leg is larger than both my hands put together.

I'll keep plugging away with this alternating system and see if that improves them. It certainly wont hurt at any rate.

Major Flare

Well Lucky me... I am in the throes of a major flare up. My skin has been extra red these past few days. So red in fact that one of the little girls in Nursery yesterday pointed to my are and said ... Ooo Owie!! My arms had been looking good for a while .. except for these past few days.

I guess it doesn't help that I have extra stress at home at the moment. I am so tired of teenage temper tantrums, the arguing, swearing, physical violence and whatever else comes to mind. There is only so much a person can take isn't there and I guess I have about reached my limit. Someone should ban teenagers ... make them skip from the age of 12 to 20 and miss all those yukky teen years!! I've had it!!

Anyway back to my skin for a minute .... I looked in the mirror this morning, something I detest doing, to see how the skin on my back is faring. Well I was horrified to see how bad it was. I know it's been sore for the past 24 hours. So sore that it hurts to touch but I didn't realise how bad it was. My back is almost completely covered with one gigantic spot!!!! I honestly thought it was improving but I guess I was horribly wrong.

Quick Update

There's not much to talk about right now as there really hasn't been much happening here. Kind of boring really lol. I've been doing pretty much the same routine and there's not been much of a change in the skin except for the patches on my legs. They don't look as angry looking. However, I have had a recent flare but that's the hormones fluctuating again. I hate when that happens! I get so sore sometimes that it hurts to walk. Thankfully that hasn't happened too often.

I've recently joined, well about three weeks ago, another yahoo group (yes, another one!! It's number 24 or 25 by now!!) but this group is different. It's called Knit4Charities (check out their other site for info). Basically its an Australian based group of women who knit or crochet for charity and they can share patterns, ideas and locations of needy charities.
So I have been busy knitting for the past few weeks. I've made 2 beanies, bootees and two matinee jackets (well almost two as I've not quite finished the second one).

Looking In The Mirror

Have you ever looked in the mirror while you're buck naked? I mean really looked? Did you like what you saw? I bet you found something that you didn't like!! I know I do if I ever catch a glimpse of myself when I've hopped out of the shower.

A good friend, and fellow P sufferer, Debi, mentioned once in chat about using a red light globe in the bathroom so that we didn't have to see our red spots or that we should cover up the mirror with a towel. I'm seriously thinking about getting a towel to cover the mirror. Not only so I don't see the spots, which at times I could care less about, but to prevent me from seeing what I think are unsightly body parts staring back at me. The love handles that look like a spare tyre, the pear shaped body that shouldn't look like so much like a pear. Oh I know I probably wont place a towel over the mirror and I am so thankful that the mirror isn't full length. In fact I am just glad that the only mirror we have in the house is in the bathroom. To me a mirror is just as bad as a camera .. you just don't need them around you to remind you of what you really look like.
Silly I know but that is just my thinking!

It truly makes me grateful that Mark doesn't worry about how my body looks. He's never said anything about it and I don't know what he thinks of it. All I know is that he loves me and for now that is all I need to know. To feel loved is a wonderful thing.

The New Stuff

I've only been using the new stuff (Nivea) for a few days so I know it's only days yet but I haven't really noticed any changes yet in my face. The only thing I have noticed is that my face is extra red after I have used the cleansing gel; however I've noticed that my face tends to get redder after washing it normally any way.

I Won Some Skincare Products

I went to the Nivea website last week after checking out another website (shopfree.com.au) that has free stuff & links to give aways, at least I think it was that site I got the link from. Anyway to cut a long story short I clicked on a link where you could possibly receive some nivea visage products. Within 24 hours of my completing the form that they you need to fill in & telling them why I would like to win a pack. I received an email stating that I had won a pack. It arrived in the mail today.

The pack included Oxygen Power Skin Care Systems Reviving Cleansing Gel, Reviving Day Cream & Reviving Night Cream.

How did they choose me? Well basically I told them that I have psoriasis on my face and that I have trouble finding products that help my skin clear up. It was as simple as that.
So tonight I have a new set of products to test and see if they help. I hope they do something positive for my face. I am so tired of seeing red blotches everywhere!!

New P Blog

There's another New P blog over at Health Talk. This time it has a males perspective on things. The Blogger is Howard Cheng. It's really interesting to read.

Interesting Articles/Questions at HealthTalk

I found two really interesting articles/questions over at the Health Talk site

• Antibiotics to treat psoriasis

• Resistance to Remicade
  

New Ointment

I went to see my GP on Friday afternoon. We got talking about my P and how things were going on the advantan cream. I explained how it was working but how my skin flares badly when I stop. I expect that it's because its a steroid cream. Anyway he prescribed advantan ointment (mydr.com.au) this time round. Its an itty bitty tube so my GP prescribed 15 tubes at a time. Thank goodness I have a concession card and can get them on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Only thing is the co-payment has gone up. Not by much but when you get anything up to six prescriptions at a time it certainly mounts up!
Back to the ointment for a second though, It's no where as oily as daivonex (mydr.com.au) thank goodness, as I hated feeling slimy after using that one especially during the warmer weather as it makes me feel as if my skin can't breathe.

I've been doing the right thing and upped my UV time. Still going slowly as I don't want to burn. Doing my baking and using the advantan cream/ointment has made a big difference. My P is almost completely flat with hardly any flakes. I can see freckles underneath the pink! And it looks no where near as red and angry as it used to. I just hope that it continues to improve to the point where I wont need as many lotions and potions any more.

Visiting Family

We went to visit Mark's Dad and Step Mum today for lunch as a late Christmas get together since we went away to Adelaide for our break. They have the most beautiful home in the Dandenong Ranges and the view from their front garden is very pretty, especially in autumn. It was so nice to visit them and relax for a change (the holidays have been very stressful). The boys even behaved themselves. I was very proud of them for doing the right thing and not fight while we were there (they saved it all for home though I'm sure of it!) Angus was a little angel helping out with clearing the table and setting it too. He was so sweet!

We sat outside for most of the day which was lovely and the sun just felt so good and warm. The breeze was a bit chilly but the sun sure made up for it. I loved it. The only thing that concerned me while I was there was the trail of flakes I left indoors. It was fine while we were outside but inside was another story. Thankfully they have cream coloured carpet and the flakes 'hide' among the pile but the lovely terracotta tiles was another story. I could certainly see where I had walked around the table and in the kitchen.

I don't care that I am flaky at home but when I am out and visiting it's another story. I worry so much about what they might think. I know it shouldn't matter to Mark's Dad because Mark's Mum has psoriasis but it still concerns me. This is about the only time that I really hate having P. Other times I could care less what it looks like or what others see but today it mattered! Silly I know and to tell you the truth I don't think that it matters to Mark's family at all no matter how self-conscious I felt today.

Aches & Pains

I've not felt like blogging much recently, mostly because I haven't bothered much with the computer, well not as much as I normally would. I've been playing games on the play station with the boys which has been much more fun!

I've been meaning to make an appointment with my GP these past few days but I haven't gotten around to it. I should really as I know he is going on holiday soon and there will be a locum filling his place. We all know how slow locums can be when they take over for a few days/weeks. I'm full of aches and pains at the moment, mostly it's my hip area on my left leg and my right knee & my backs a little sore too its not been the same since we went on holiday.I am hoping that these aches and pains are not the first signs of psoriatic arthritis. I guess that is one of the reasons why I haven't made an appointment yet. I'll need to do it soon though as I am running low on one particular medication and I don't have a repeat.

I've been doing my baking for the past week and a half but I have only been on a 45 second per side amount. I've not wanted to burn and so far I haven't burnt at all. I'll up my dosage on Friday to 1 minute 30 seconds. I really don't mind the smaller doses as the time goes really fast. I've had fun trying to keep the cats out of the bedroom while baking though. The little sneaks get back into the room as quick as you can blink - the little rascals certainly keep me on my toes!

Slowly Improving

We arrived home at around 6 am last Thursday. It's good to be home. It was nice seeing family and all but there truly is no place like home. You can do what you want without having to worry about annoying anyone or interrupting their plans.

Since being home my skin has settled down a bit too. I've been able to use my lotions and potions more because it's much cooler here (except for this coming Thursday and Friday when it's meant to be 40 - 41C). My skin is looking calmer than what it was while we were away. I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the water. The water at Dad's place had a real horrible taste to it and we certainly don't have that taste here. It's much nicer.

I'm wondering if my skin will flare some more before the school holidays are over. The boys are certainly beginning to drive me nuts with their constant bickering and there have been times when they have gotten into a fist fight. Well Brodie has the fists out on his brother .. poor Angus just cops it all. I'm getting so tired of them being together. They wont even go out to play!!! I wish the holidays will hurry up and end. Only 22 days until school goes back .. .. ..

Yay - we're finally home!

Boy am I so glad to be home. It was truly nice being away seeing family and friends but there is nothing like coming home!! We had such a long trip. We left at 6 p.m. Adelaide time and we arrived home at 6 a.m. our time - an 11 and a half hour trip!! By the time I wound down from travelling I finally was able to get about 4 hours sleep and a shower. It certainly made me feel a lot better.

Heatwave & Holidays

Being on holidays interstate is just not a very good thing for my skin right now. We're still at Dad's place but for right now I am visiting my niece's home to feed her animals (she's on holiday in Moonta), check email and to stay cool as its meant to be 42C (a little over 107F) and there is no air-conditioning at Dad's place. There was no way I would willing swelter in these kinds of temperatures.

My skin has been awful itchy today, even more so than the last few days. I'm thinking it is because I got Angus to put some cream on my back this morning and now it's all loose and in need of being rubbed off.

I know that I am not the most reliable person for doing my UVB but I truly need it right now. My skin has flared quite a lot since we left home last week. I need to get back into my routine with my baking and my lotions and potions. There is only so much that natural sunlight can do for me and there is no way with this current weather pattern that I am going to 'sunbake' at all. The sun has way too much bite at the moment!!

Merry Christmas

Sorry I haven't posted much recently. I'm hoping to rectify the lack of posts in the New Year after we return from our holiday interstate. We're visiting my Dad for Christmas and staying for his 80th birthday, which is in the first week of January.

Just a quick mention, the new cream from my GP is working a treat although the tubes really do not last very long. The psoriasis on my arms is looking great. It's a pale pink and I can see freckles under all the p! It's the first time in years that I can see all the freckles on my arms. Too bad the rest of the body isn't looking as good. Never mind perhaps in time it will.

From our home to yours,
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
May your day be filled with love & laughter, lots of joy and much happiness,
May you be surrounded by the ones you love.

Merry Christmas!

GP Visit

I went to see my GP this morning to get some new scripts written up. He asked me if I would like something stronger than the celestone cream that I have been using. I said sure why not. So he has written up a script for advantan cream (my dr.com). The only problem is that they come in really teeny tubes and he needed to prescribe them in lots of 6 but he needed to get an authorisation for it because of the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS).
Now all I need to do is collect the script from the chemist.

Psoriasis Health Talk

At Health talk there will be a live talk on ~~ Genital Psoriasis: Uncomfortable and Unmentionable it will be held on Thursday January 3rd at 7 p.m. Eastern time (USA) or 4 p.m. Pacific time. So for us Australians it will be on Friday January 4th at 11 a.m.

Too bad I will be on holiday interstate when this one is on because it would be an interesting topic. That definite unmentionable thing that we do not even want to think of let alone look at or talk about!

Hot Weather

We've had a mini heat wave here and it's not quite summer yet. Today is our second day of 37C (100F). I hate hot weather especially since we don't have air-conditioning any more. We sold our aircon last summer to our neighbour as we have no where to put it so that we can use it effectively. There is no window we can install it in and we don't dare to even think of putting it in the wall as this is a Housing Commission Thankfully a cool change is meant to come later today and the temperature should halve for tomorrow, well that home. So we just use oscillating fans in the bedrooms and the lounge room.'s what they have predicted anyway. I'll believe it when I see it - you know how wrong the weather bureau can get it.

My skin has been awfully dry these past few days, extra dry that is. It's driving me nuts because I need to put on more lotion than s\usual and since it is warmer I feel that my skin cannot breathe. I really dislike it as it makes me feel hotter. Guess that is just something that I have to put up with isn't it!! Oh well .. at least it is meant to be a lot cooler tomorrow so that should make up for the last two days.

Improvements

My skin is slowly improving. It's less flaky at the moment which is always a good thing. I don't have to get the vacuum cleaner out as often when it is like this. I can even see 'normal' skin on my arms between the patches. Well not between them but in them I guess you could say. I'll need to take pictures to show you how much better it looks. Although the patches are still very large it's nice to be able to see it improving.

I still asked the boys to scratch my back as I can't reach all the bits that are itchy. They both moan about who's turn it is to do it or they both decide that there is something critical happening that needs their attention. Looks like I am going to have to resort to bribery if this keeps up!! The the little dude when he finally does decide to help me complains that there is nothing to scratch as it's feeling smoother and there aren't any flakes coming off. I thought that would be a good thing for that to happen but he obviously doesn't think so. I explained that event hough there are less flakes it doesn't mean that I don't get itchy.

I'm still doing my baking, not that I truly want to continue doing so but it is helping a lot. I'm up to 3 minutes per side. It's getting long enough that I will stand their with a book to read to help pass the time. I just hate standing there, butt naked baking in front of the lights *sigh*. I wish there was some easier way to get rid of this blasted stuff but there isn't.

Creating A Positive Self-Image Broadcast

Health-Talk are having a live broadcast about "Creating a Positive Self-Image with Psoriasis" on Wednesday December 6th (US date) at 4 pm Pacific time {That's 11 am Thursday December 7th AEST for those of us who live in Australia}.
You will need to register.

Update

Well there's not much been happening here. Not really anyway. I've been doing my baking again after a bit of a break. Mark convinced me that it was time to start the UV again so I did about three weeks ago now. It's making a big difference on my chest and arms. Too bad its not doing much for anywhere else though. I suppose you could say all of the spots are a faded red (pink really) rather than the usual angry red. I do know one thing though, even though I have been doing the right thing again with the lotions and potions & the UV my skin has been biting like crazy at night. My legs, mainly my inner thighs, have been so sore and stinging like the dickens that I sometimes find it had to walk. Oh well I guess I should just get used to it.

Over the last few weeks I've also been having problems with my right knee being sore. Its made me wonder if I am getting psoriatic arthritis or just plain old arthritis. Not that I want either one of them. thankfully my knee doesn't hurt all the time but it gets painful enough when it wants too. Perhaps I'll mention that to me GP next time I go to see him. I don't want to sound like I am a hypochondriac of anything so ... ...

I read an interesting response in regards to a question about scalp P over at the Health Talk site, well kind of interesting lol. Here's the link if you wish to check it out. I guess it's easy to forget what kind of stuff you can use on your scalp to treat your psoriasis. It had been ages since I had P on my scalp and its only been since we moved to where we live now that it has come back. I've been thinking perhaps I need to get some T-gel or even Tea Tree Shampoo. Maybe I'll go into the chemist next week and check out what's on special before I buy anything.

Before I forget the Primary School's anniversary went really well. I even had my photo in the local paper (not that I saw it but I was told about it by a few people). It was a great day. The weather was not too hot nor too cold. Cold enough for long sleeves though!! Of course it was an eventful day for our Angus. He was playing on the equipment and ran smack dab into a pole. He had a cut between his eyebrows and it was pouring with blood. I had to take him to the hospital to get it glued. Just thinking about it right now makes my insides crawl. It was a reasonably deep cut. It's healed quite nicely though but I'm not sure if it will leave a noticeable scar or not. I'm hoping it wont.

Primary School's 125th Birthday celebrations

Looks like I got my wish for the weather to be cool enough for long sleeves tomorrow. In fact the weather forecast is miserable really. We've been told to expect hail and thunderstorms. It's really cold too. I know spring gets cold sometimes but it sure does feel like winter at the moment.

I'm helping with the registration tomorrow and the packing up at the end of the day. I'll probably help out in other places too. Let's hope that the weather fines up a little though. I don't really like the thought of it being washed out. The kids are so excited about it all. It should be a great day.

Warmer weather .. .. ..

With Summer just around the corner I have been thinking these past few days about how my skin has been lately and what I am going to do about 'baring' all in public after having worn long sleeves and long pants for the past few months.

Now I normally could care less what happens, how I dress or how I look to everyone else but for some reason its been bugging me a little. Normally I wear whatever feels comfortable whether it be shorts, dresses, skirts, pants, long sleeves or short. Maybe I should continue to be that way but as I have said these past few months my skin has been hidden from view. I've only started taking notice of how bad it really looks this past week. Maybe its because I have been sick and hormonal that my skin has been flaring. It's been sorer than usual but I'm not complaining really it's just a bit more noticeable than usual. My legs just look like one huge red blotch, not to mention my arms look the same too. It's hard to find the 'normal' skin in some places.

We've got a big school event coming up soon. It's the 125th anniversary of the little dudes primary school. We're going of course but I've been thinking about that I will be wearing on the day. Now I cant go dressed in my usual track pants and jumpers. They're a bit too daggy to wear to something like this but for the life of me I have no idea what to choose from my wardrobe. Now of course I have been secretly hoping that it will be cool on the day. There will be so many people there that I have never met before who will have absolutely no idea what Psoriasis is. I don't want them to think that I am this horridly diseased person who may be contagious.

I don't even know why I am thinking this way at all. I doubt that by next weekend (when the anniversary celebration is) that my skin will miraculously heal and look 'normal'. I know the weather in October can be on the cool side but I also know that it can be really too. Spring weather is unpredictable after all. Who knows ... maybe it will be cold and I can hide my skin from view just for this day.. ..

Been Sick

I know I haven't written much of late but I haven't been feeling 100% this past week. Both Angus and I have had tonsillitis this week and we've been chillin' in front of the tv mostly. I've not had the energy to do much else.

I think my body has been through a bit this week. I don't know if I mentioned that last year I had a shot of depo provera and ever since then I have not had a normal period. In fact I have gone for months without having them. Truthfully I haven't minded at all because when I don't have them my skin 'behaves' a little better. Now I'm not sure if my skin is flaring due to the tonsillitis or the fact that I have had my period this week. All I know is that its sorer than usual and it feels awfully tight. If it wasn't so cold today I would've had a soak in a nice warm bath with some Skin So Soft Oil from Avon. I love that stuff and it makes my skin feel so smooth and soft.
Maybe I'll have that soak in the tub tomorrow depending on how I feel and how cool the weather is. It's no use going in the tub if I'm still not feeling the best.

ID photos

It's pretty much the same old thing day in day out and there's no real progress in how my skin is going. No major improvements or anything ~ well none that I can see. I did see my GP last week though and got some of the 'usual' lotions and potions.~ celestone cream and the daivonex ointment.

My face is as red as ever, well I think so at least. I had to get a passport sized photo today for my Working with Children application, which I need for Church as I teach Sunday School to the Nurser children. I truly do not like the picture that was taken. My face looks red; my hair looked yuk! And I even tried to make myself look nice before I left home. I had my hair looking very pretty and I even had a little bit of make up on. I don't know why I even bothered as all ID photos look disgusting and not like you really are. They don't even let you smile for them. How unnatural is that??!! Thank goodness I wont have to get another photo done for a very long time!!

Last Night

Last night at applique I was talking with a couple of the girls about my skin. I showed Mandy (not her real name) my arm and she was all ouch and ooohs about it. Not in a bad way though as she looked more concerned than anything. She was very interesting in know what it was like to have psoriasis as she has eczema on her hands at the moment. So I answered as many questions as she asked and it was nice to share what I knew. She doesn't judge me or treat me any differently. I just wish that there were more people out there like her. It would make the world a much better place!!