Scratch That Darn Itch .. .. ..

Snake Oil Salesman You Are On NOTICE

2011-05-24T16:06:00.004+10:00

I know I don't post here very often. I don't always have all that much to share. I do however want to get a message across to the spammers out there who think that commenting on posts on this blog stating that they have a CURE for psoriasis & that is - your comments will NOT be published. Let me tell you right now that there is NO cure there is ONLY remission! If someone tells you that they have a cure then they are nothing more than the equivalent to a snake oil salesman.

Please be very careful as to what you buy from people offering a cure. They may seem genuine in their beliefs but deep down they only want your money. They don't care if their product helps you or not. What is that saying: Buyers BEWARE!

The best way to find something that helps you is often by trial and error. From word of mouth of friends or family; people you trust. From your Pharmacist, GP or your dermatologist. I would hate for you to be ripped off or be disappointed by something that may in the long run make your skin worse.

I Should Be Grateful

2010-11-15T11:23:00.003+11:00

I feel awfully slack for not posting here more regularly but there truly isn't much to 'report' on as far as my psoriasis is concerned.

I am still having regular reviews with my dermatologist. About once a month. Dr R. keeps making the tar solution stronger. He seems to think that stronger means that it will get rid of it faster. I don't think its working, at least not how he wants it to be. I get new spots all the time. Although I shouldn't complain. I should be grateful that my skin looks like it does right now. Compared to 12 months ago I look great!

My GP is still impressed with how good my skin looks, at least my arms at any rate its about the only body part he sees on a regular basis when I get my blood pressure checked. It was good when he checked it last.

I just have to remind myself that I could be worse. Just learn to be grateful that you look as good as you do right now.

World Psoriasis Day October 29 2010

2010-10-29T10:58:00.001+11:00

The aim of World Psoriasis Day is to

increase awareness & understanding
to let sufferers know they are NOT alone
to dispel myths surrounding psoriasis
to let people know psoriasis is NOT contagious
to encourage health care professionals to learn more about psoriasis & to help them increase access to treatments for all sufferers (for those with psoriatic arthritis &/or psoriasis).

If you know somebody with psoriasis please remember they need your love and support. Psoriasis affects a person mentally almost MORE than it does physically!!

Friends & Your Psoriasis

2010-10-15T14:43:00.005+11:00

Do you wish that your friends understood how you struggle with your psoriasis? Do they even notice any more that you're having a flare or that your skin looks different?

Have you ever asked yourself these sorts of questions or just wondered about the answers?

Not that I have many friends that I see on a regular basis. In fact I mainly see Mark & the boys and hardly anyone else. I did wonder what my friends thought of my flare ups or even if they ever wondered how my skin was, whether I was having a good day or not. Were they being quiet because they were embarrassed with what my reply might be? Honestly you could do your head in with all of these questions and what if scenarios!

As far as I can remember I don't think any of them said anything about my skin. Either that or my memory sucks. To be honest I think my memory sucks :P

I think the quote below sums up what true friends are. No matter what we say, what we do or how we feel affects a true friendship.

A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway. -- Fr. Jerome Cummings

Just remember that even if you're having a hard day with your psoriasis talking about it to a friend or loved one may make a big difference. Who knows what treasures (or tips) they my hold that can help you. Hey you can even come & vent here with me. I wont mind.

Do You Hide From Your Psoriasis?

2010-09-15T11:36:00.005+10:00

There is a lot of pressure placed upon women to have the prefect body. The perfect skin. The perfect hair! The perfect EVERYTHING!

How on earth are we meant to live up to that kind of pressure? Well obviously we can't! No one is perfect. I certainly know I'm not. Maybe practically perfect like Mary Poppins but even that would be a stretch!

I know I used to place a lot of pressure upon myself when I was younger to look nice, be a little bit trendy but most of all look as pretty as I can. Are you the type of person that buys clothing to hide your skin? I no longer do that. I might buy clothing specifically to hide body parts I don't like but not to hide my psoriasis. These days I am much more about comfort. Who cares what I look like as long as I am clean & not overly slobby. I'm no girly girl that likes to dress up and wear make up. As long as I don't look like a bogan I'm happy.

I'd like to think that I have come to terms with the fact that I can bare my skin. That I am not afraid to show of my arms or legs (within reason I dress modestly without looking old fashioned). I would like to think that I don't care what people think about my psoriasis. I don't worry about it anywhere near as much as I used to. To be honest there are some days during summer where I see people staring at me and think take a picture it will last longer. I never say it out loud but I have thought it. Although I know my boys have said it, well Brodie has.

Are you comfortable in your own skin or do you hide behind your clothing?

Scalp Psoriasis

2010-09-12T11:26:00.009+10:00

What do you do when you have psoriasis on your scalp? How do you stop the itching? What treatments are available? How do you get rid of it? Will I ever be able to wear dark colours again without the fear of being covered in flakes?

All of these questions run though your mind when you have psoriasis on your scalp. In fact just thinking about this makes my head itchy!

I used to even wish that I only had psoriasis on my scalp. At least that way no one could see it. It was horrible to have people staring at me while I was in the supermarket or just out at the shops. I would cover up as much of my skin as possible, hiding it in shame. I don't think that way any more. I could care less if people saw my red & angry skin. If the mood struck I would use it as a reason to educate people. If my boys were with me they would stick up for me telling people its rude to stare. Brodie gets really defensive if people stare at my skin. I tell him not to worry about it, although I can see that it still bothers him.

Anyway I was talking about scalp P. Apart from seeing your G.P. or dermatologist there are a few over the counter things you can use that may help you.

You can soften the scales with warm water & warm oils (like olive oil).
You can use a fine tooth comb to gently lift the flakes off. Try not to break the skin as it can lead to infections or it may even cause your hair to break off at the scalp.
Use over the counter shampoos with tar or oatmeal bases. They can help reduce flaking & itching.
Use an anti-dandruff shampoo. Sometimes that helps reduce the flakes.
Limit the use of hair dryers, hair straighteners etc as they may dry the scalp out more.
For quick relief press a damp cloth on your scalp where its itchy.

Please remember these are just tips. They may not work for you but it doesn't hurt to try. If you are unsure how this may affect your skin try them in an inconspicuous spot. That way no one will notice if you have any flare ups.

If you have any tips that you use that work for your scalp I would love to hear them.

Dermatologist Review

2010-09-01T11:43:00.005+10:00

I had yet another review with my dermatologist today. I can't believe that its been a month already since my last visit. Doesn't time fly when you're having fun.

Well at least the derm knows that my skin hasn't been improving since my last visit. I think he was surprised though. He said that the stuff I was using was awfully strong. Yes it is strong but I don't always believe that strong is always good.

I suggested that perhaps we go back to the stuff that I was using when I first started seeing him (coal tar based creams). Surprisingly, he agreed and wrote me a script for it. He stated that he had been omitting an ingredient from the scripts that he had written before & he is sure that this one will work since it did the job before.
I honestly cannot work out why on earth he kept changing it. If it works why change?

Anyway, my script is now getting filled at the chemist. I am sure they hate me coming in to get these lotions & potions made up. I told them I'll be back in a day or two. At least that way it should be made up by the time I get there.

**That photo of the coal tar cream doesn't really do it justice. That stuff looks a much darker yellow in real life & has a very, very strong tar smell.

Treating Your Psoriasis By Changing Your Diet

2010-08-30T10:03:00.007+10:00

Do you think that changing what you eat could help your psoriasis? It's a question that is often asked by a lot of people on various forums. Would altering what you eat really make that much difference? I have no idea if it would or not but it may be worth a try.

Perhaps it might be an idea to keep a food diary. In your diary you could list what you ate & how it affected your skin. I'm not sure how accurate it would be in isolating what might trigger a flare. You may have to eat the same thing several times to make sure the food really does make a difference.

Some people swear that going gluten & yeast free helps them tremendously. Perhaps following a gluten free diet may help. I have not gone totally gluten free. I like my bread way too much for that but I have switched to wholegrain & wholemeal breads. I don't know if it has made a difference yet or not but it sure does taste nice.

Being alcohol free also will help. I'm not a drinker so I cannot compare what its like to have a flare up from drinking alcohol. There are many P sufferers out there who swear that giving up drinking has helped them. Plus a lot of health websites recommend being alcohol free when it comes to psoriasis. So it must be a good thing to give it up.

Fatty red meat & dairy foods often cause inflammation. So avoiding foods that may induce that would be a good thing to give up. Plus we know for many other reasons that too much fatty food is not good for you as far as clogging up your arteries by increasing cholesterol levels & blood pressure. Avoiding heart disease is always a plus in my books especially since high blood pressure runs in the family.

Eating a lot of fresh fruits & vegetables would be a good way to help improve your skin. Colourful vegetables are believed to be loaded with antioxidants. Which is something that we are told is very helpful to us in maintaining out health.

I switched to a Low GI diet about a month ago. I don't know if it has helped much as my psoriasis is coming back. I do know that I generally feel better than I did since switching. And eating Low GI foods hasn't been all that much of a change for us as a family. We were pretty much doing that anyway without realising it. We just eat a little bit more healthily these days.

If you do keep a food diary please let me know how you went. I would love to know what foods irritated your skin.

Did You Know?

2010-08-23T11:01:00.006+10:00

Did you know that ....

applying moisturiser to you skin every day can help keep your skin healthy. You should use it every day even when you aren't having a flare up!
hard water can irritate your skin and cause flare ups
alcohol found in perfumes (and aftershave) can irritate the skin and make your skin feel like it is burning especially if you are experiencing flares.
scents in perfumes can act as irritants or allergens & can induce flaring or make it worse
running a humidifier can help moisturise your skin
smoking can trigger or prolong flares because nicotine affects the immune system making it work harder
soaps which are gentle, non-scented & free of dyes are less likely to affect your skin.
anti-bacterial soaps will help reduce the risk infection during a flare
if your scalp is affected using a tar based or salicylic-acid based shampoo may help you
drinking alcohol is one of the most common triggers for a psoriasis flare & it can impair your immune system just like nicotine can
keeping a psoriasis symptom journal on how your body is affected during a flare may help you work out the triggers that cause them ie: if you change soaps, laundry liquids, new foods, stress levels etc

Nail Psoriasis

2010-08-18T11:15:00.003+10:00

Do you have Psoriasis in you nails? I do. My nails have been affected since I was 15. To be honest I can't even remember what my nails looked like when they were normal.

I spoke with my dermatologist about my nails a couple of months ago. He recommended that I rub my celestone ointment into the base of my nails where the cuticles are & just above it. He said that it should help them begin to look more normal. I've tried it but I can't honestly say that its helped or not.

My nails tend to improve over winter and then become all pitted again once the warmer weather starts. I always notice that over the summer months my nails look awful. That's when I tend to use nail polish it helps make them look smoother. There is one setback with that though. My nails tend to become discoloured once I take the nail polish off. It looks disgusting when the nails are tinged with yellow. So I try not to use too much nail polish at all these days.

If you want to read up on some possible treatments & info I found some on the Everyday Health website.

And my BIG tip for your nails. Keep them trimmed. You're less likely to catch them on things. They sting like mad when you catch them on stuff. It tends to make the nail lift up from the nail bed. OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!

Is Remission Possible?

2010-08-16T11:12:00.003+10:00

I was reading an article over at everyday Health about Psoriasis Remission and it got me thinking about when I was symptom free. It seems like a lifetime ago. I was 14 and living in Darwin with my sister & her husband. I spent a whole year living up there, going to school, working and most importantly being outside every day.

I don't think I was totally in remission I vaguely recall having P around my ears but since my hair covered that up it didn't matter. I also remember that when I was around 11 years old I had been taking methotrexate. Old Dr. Hakendorf my dermatologist at the time had put me on them. You know I think they would totally frown on using that stuff on someone as young as I was but I guess back then it didn't matter as much. All I know is that it helped BIG time and that my skin improved. While I was in Darwin it was even better!

At the rate my psoriasis is going right now. Its coming back again. I have more and more spots showing up everyday. I keep putting more stuff on it but it truly doesn't seem to be as effective as it initially was. I have to admit though that my calves are still looking okay compared to how they were 12 months ago. Its my thighs and back that seem to be 'growing' more spots or the existing ones are getting larger.

One day, who knows I may go into remission. Its something worth dreaming of and hanging on to. I would love to be able to say HEY I have NO more spots! My skin looks normal! Right now the only thing (to me at least) that is normal is a cycle on the washing machine! Nothing else is 'normal'!

Anyway .. check out the article I was looking at. It mentions ways to help you try and keep psoriasis at bay if you ever go into remission and what to do if it starts coming back. Keeping up to date with treatments & possible solutions isn't a bad thing. Knowledge is power!

Getting Some Much Needed Sunshine!

2010-08-14T14:28:00.006+10:00

What a gloriously sunny Saturday afternoon it is here! I went out with Angus into town for a bite to eat and a little bit of retail therapy. I was after some more wool for my stash so that I can make these super cute Christmas toys from this really neat pattern book by Jean Greenhowe I bought off ebay the other week.

I thoroughly enjoyed the ride home. Being winter its not terribly hot in the car right now and the sunshine streaming through the windows felt fabulous. I almost didn't want to get out of the car and come inside. Too bad the ride home was such a short one. At least I got some of that valuable Vitamin D that my GP is pressing me to get. If it wasn't so windy outside I might go out for some more sunlight. In fact I might go out there for a little while any way.

More Coal Tar Potions

2010-08-04T17:49:00.003+10:00

I had another review with the dermatologist today. I swear I was only in there for 5 minutes. I guess I shouldn't complain really as I only had to wait for about 20 minutes before I got in to see him.

I have been prescribed some more tar based potions and more celestone cream. At least I think its cream. I've already put the script in at the chemist so I can't check that at the moment. The potion needs to be made up (I am sure that the chemist hates making it up) and its stronger than the last lot. I think its 30% LPC this time. Who knows if it will work or not.

All I know is that Spring is around the corner and I am looking forward to getting some natural UV on my skin!

Psoriasis Awareness Month

2010-08-03T11:14:00.003+10:00

I know it's probably not psoriasis awareness month in Australia but it most certainly is in the US. So I thought why not help spread awareness anyway!

The National Psoriasis Foundation has started an Awareness Challenge Month if you are interested in checking it out.

Awareness & Knowledge is POWER!! Help others learn more about psoriasis and how it affects the people who have it.

What Causes Your Psoriasis To Flare?

2010-07-27T17:13:00.005+10:00

I was reading an article over at Everyday Health about different things that may cause your psoriasis to flare or what may trigger it to begin with. It got me thinking about what sets mine off.

I remember as a kid a scraped knee from falling over while roller skating or even falling off my bike could cause a new spot to appear. Definitely a trigger if I ever knew of one & that dreaded Koebner Effect (also known as Koebner Phenomenon). Koebner is the guy who put two & two together and worked out that cuts & scrapes may cause psoriasis to appear. How nice of him to name it :P

Colder weather makes me flare. I'm not sure if its the lack of sunshine on the skin, the extra moisture in the air or the fact that we stay indoors with the heater on that cause it. I know that there are a lot of people, just like me, who have major (or even minor) flares during the winter months. Perhaps we all need some UVB during the colder weather. I know that helps me. (Yeah I know I said I wasn't using it at the moment)

Stress is definitely a trigger. There's so much going on at my place with various health issues or behavioural issues with the kids that there really isn't much of a chance that my stress levels will ever ease up. Of course it improves during the day when they are at school but the phone calls home don't help & then of course stress levels increase once school gets out. What a lovely rollercoaster ride that can be. Thank goodness for the happy pills (anti-depressants) I get from the doctor.

Now that I mentioned stress its also a catch 22 situation. You have a flare up and you get more stressed that you are flaring and that your skin is at its absolute worse. Some days you just can't seem to win. Please supply me with MORE happy pills on those days or Chocolate!! And lots of it!!

They say smoking & alcohol triggers flares. Considering I gave up smoking years ago & I never really drank I don't see that as a problem for me. The fact that I still get these blasted flares doesn't seem to matter to my psoriasis one bit that I no longer use either of these things.

Some medications cause flares also. I read that some blood pressure meds (beta blockers) can cause flares. Happy pills probably do too but hey they keep you happy so maybe they make you care less about flares. Who knows!

Also getting sick such as a head cold, sore throat or the flu may also be triggers for flares. So the best bet is to try and stay as healthy as you possibly can. Not an easy feat for lots of people but as long as you do the best you can that's all that matters.

Blood Tests

2010-07-23T17:46:00.005+10:00

I went to my doctor the other week so that he could organise a series of blood tests since he told me to remind him next time I had to see him. It had been quite some time since I had them done. At least twelve months or more ago. I finally remembered to phone up on Wednesday to get the results from the practise nurse. She said that there was a bit of concern with some of the results so I made an appointment to go see my GP this afternoon.

It seems that my Vitamin D level is a lot lower than it should be. Dr F told me that I need to get more sunlight. I was thinking that perhaps I should start doing my UVB again. That should provide at least some Vitamin D.

My blood sugar level was higher than it should be. I had a level of 6.2. I now have a referral for a Glucose Tolerance Test where I drink that extremely sweet cordial like stuff. What a joy will that be. I have to stay at the pathology place for two hours with that one! I guess I will need to take my knitting or some crochet with me for that one!! To be honest I was expecting to go for this test again. I had to have one last time but everything came back normal. Diabetes does run in the family (both my Mum & my brother Wayne had it) & I was warned when I was having Angus that I was glucose intolerant. I guess you could say that I am pre-diabetic.

I also had a higher than normal level of Uric Acid. Not exactly sure what that one means but Dr F mentioned gout. Not that I have ever had that one. He did tell me if I had suffered from gout I would most certainly know of it. He just wants to repeat the blood test in about 6 months to see if anything changes.

I found some links on what these three things are if you wish to read further.
Vitamin D deficiency
Uric Acid Test
Glucose Tolerance Test

Plodding Along

2010-07-20T12:44:00.004+10:00

Gosh I feel so awful about not posting on here more regularly. The trouble is I never really know what to put in the posts all the time. If anyone has any ideas about the things I could include I would be very grateful.

I had a review with my dermatologist almost two weeks ago. He's kept me on the same coal tar preparation but has now given me celestone cream (mydr.com.au) rather than the ointment. I don't know if it will make any difference as the strength between the ointment and the cream is the same.

I am hoping that both of these things will help the psoriasis on my legs. I am just getting so tired of it not clearing up as well as it did when I first went to the derm. I'm even getting new spots again so I dab a little extra of the lotion on. I don't know if its working or not.

To be honest I was thinking of using my UVB lamp again but the mornings here have been pretty dang cold of late. It was -1C (30.2F) this morning when I got up at 7 o'clock! Yeah I know I could do my UV treatment later in the day when its warmer but I like to do it immediately after a shower so that I don't feel so cold standing there butt naked! Its my excuse & I'll stick to it for now.
If my UVB lamp was like the cabinet in the photo then I wouldn't need to worry about turning round & round like a chook on a rotisserie. Those were the days when I used to use one of those machines!

Anyway, I go back to see the derm in two more weeks. Who knows what will happen between now & then.

P on the Scalp & in Folds of the Skin

2010-06-12T10:47:00.007+10:00

I had a review with the Dermatologist on Wednesday. He was pleased with how things are going & is glad that the lotion I requested last time was working. I have to admit though it isn't working as fast as I would like but hey at least it is doing the right thing and making my skin better.

The derm wanted to up the LPC content to 30% again but I reminded him about what the Chemist had told me on how the ingredients separate once the LPC strength was too high. So he agreed to let me have the exact same 'formula' as last time. Thank goodness he is listening to me because I wasn't sure that he would. He seems like that REALLY old fashioned type that is more of a do as I say kind of person. I'm glad I was proven wrong. So now I am armed with a script of this potion with 2 repeats. I don't need to go back to see him until early July.

I have noticed that since going back to this style of potion the P in the folds of my skin is improving (you know those areas we don't talk about like near the groin, the spare tyre & armpits etc). I hated that it was so hard to get rid of there & this is helping even without having to use too much in the folds.

An added bonus is that my scalp is no longer as flaky. I know for certain now that it has nothing to do with the shampoo & conditioner I got from the hairdressers a few weeks back. It hardly made any difference to my scalp at all. In fact the only thing it truly did was make my hair super shiny (which I LOVE).
I don't use this potion on my scalp even though the derm said that I could if I wanted too. I hate the idea of using anything on my scalp as far as the lotions & potions are concerned. It makes my hair all oily & dull and my hair is the ONLY thing that I love to have looking really nice (I'm not a make-up person. I get too lazy to use it & I can never work out what type of foundation to use or what colour).
As I said I don't use in on my scalp yet the P on my scalp is improving. I was thinking that perhaps just using the stuff on the rest of my body was enough for it to improve in other areas. After all I do use a reasonable amount of the potion & it does get absorbed into the skin. Just a thought and as I said its improving. Always a good thing in my books!!

Finally!

2010-05-31T09:24:00.005+10:00

After waiting 4 weeks to get in to see my dermatologist I finally was able to see him last week. Yet another SHORT visit for a rather LARGE amount of money.

When I told my derm that my psoriasis was coming back he of course wanted to take a look. I hate having to flash my skin at the best of times but he had to see how much of my P had come back. I think he was a little surprised that his latest concoction (coal tar based goop in vaseline or some such thing) wasn't working as well as he had hoped. To be honest the only thing it was good for was making the flakes really soft so that they could be picked off. Not that I condone picking it but it sure did make my skin feel less itchy ones the flakes were gone.

I asked if it were possible to go back to the lotions I was using earlier in the year. They were at least working. Not as well or as quickly as I had expected but they were at least working. Thank goodness he actually listened to me and said okay. I also mentioned that the Chemist said that the stronger the potion the more the ingredients separated from each other and my derm said he had wondered about that. So we agreed that I would use the LPC at 25% rather than the 30 he had used once before. I was a little disappointed when he said that he would exclude the salicylic acid from the preparation. I found that was extremely useful in smoothing out the skin. The derm seemed to think that it might be annoying my skin. Maybe it was. He's the expert so I'll go with the flow for now.

Armed with a new script for yet another potion I headed off to the Chemist. I am so glad that the people there know me so well (I've been going there for years) & that they are very accommodating when it comes to making up these lotions & potions. It also helps to tell them that I will be coming back the next afternoon to give them anywhere up to 36-48 hours to get it ready.

I've been using the new lotion twice a day since Friday night. I can't believe the difference its made already. My P is less flaky. Its wonderful! Finally something is working again.

I go back to see the derm next week on Wednesday. I wonder what his reaction will be this time.

Before I forget, once again we have reached the PBS Safety Net & we are now on free prescriptions until the end of the year. Which means we have spent more than $324 on scripts since the beginning of the year. I know that amount of money may not sound like a lot to some people for prescriptions (I know there are some who pay hundreds of $$ for just one script) but it's a lot when you are on a set (low) income.

Shampoo & Conditioner

2010-04-19T11:55:00.004+10:00

I finally went & got myself a haircut last week & while I was there I asked the hairdresser, Sarah, what she would recommend for the psoriasis on my scalp. To be honest I am completely fed up with the itching & since breaking all of my fingernails recently I have absolutely nothing to scratch with and its driving me balmy.

Anyway, Sarah, suggested I try Redken's Soothing Balance Shampoo & Conditioner. Now I am not endorsing the product, I don't even know what its like yet as I haven't tried it. I thought I would finish my current bottle of Sunsilk that I have been using.

I'll let you know how I went one once I have used it for a while.

Yet Another Review

2010-04-14T11:42:00.007+10:00

Well what an expensive 10 minutes that was. $70 for a fleeting visit with the dermatologist. And that was a "Cheap" consultation so he keeps reminding me. Thank goodness I get almost half of that back from Medicare.

I flashed some of my skin to show him that my P was coming back, quite a bit of it now too. I told him that the lotion from last visit, although its stronger, doesn't seem to be doing the trick. That it is too runny and doesn't seem to 'stick' to the skin long enough to make any major difference to it.

The derm once again mentioned that this was a pretty strong preparation & that he was surprised that it hadn't worked as well as he expected. Then he went on to state that he would add some vaseline to this preparation to make it 'stickier' & that he would prescribe some steroid cream to put on first. Turns out its just celestone cream but that mixed with the coal tar may make a difference. Well I am hoping it will.

There is appointment made for another review this time. Dr R said that there wasn't much point of making one yet until I know whether this new mix of stuff is working or not. He said it may last me two weeks or it might last me a couple of months. Either way there was no rush to see him again unless there is NO improvement. And there I was thinking he kept changing the prescription so that I would have to keep coming back. Dr R even said that he wasn't this under control so that I don't have to come back & see him. Gosh that would be nice to go into remission. One can only hope.

Back to the Derm in 6 Weeks

2010-03-03T13:11:00.004+11:00

Well I had another review with the dermatologist around an hour ago. I swear I have the wrong job. He gets paid a hell of a lot of money for the very short visits that I have with him & he CONSTANTLY reminds me that I have a discounted rate because I am on a carers pension.

I let him know that my P is coming back. To which he said that wasn't good. Well of course not. The whole idea of coming to see you is to make it go away. Sorry for the sarcasm its just how I am feeling right now - all hot & bothered from running around in town before coming home. So ... He's written another prescription. This one is much stronger than the last one and he's put back some of the ingredients that he left out last time.

I'm crossing my fingers that this new stuff will work this time round. Oh gosh I hope it does. I just want to be psoriasis free. I haven't been psoriasis free since I was a teenager & I was living in Darwin. I cannot believe it that I have tears in my eyes when thinking about that. Please cross your fingers & toes for me that this new script will finally get rid of the stubborn spots that are hanging on for dear life. I don't pick the new stuff up until tomorrow afternoon. I'm making sure that my Chemist has time to make it up. I hope he will, he's been pretty good with making up the position the last couple of times I've left scripts there.

Emotional Roller-Coaster

2010-03-01T17:27:00.004+11:00

No real change from last weekends post other than there are more and more new spots appearing all over the place. To be honest I thought I would have more of a flare with all the going on here of late. You see our eccentric (and relatively young) neighbour passed away early last week. I wont go into it much here but its been an emotional week at times. You can check out my Blooming Lovely blog for more details if you feel like reading about him.

Anyway I thought with the emotional roller-coaster that we have all been on this past week that my skin would be worse than it is right now. Thankfully it isn't too bad at the moment. I only have to wait until Wednesday to let the dermatologist know how my skin has been misbehaving. Who knows what alterations he will make with the coal tar potions this time! Let's hope its to something that works better than this current lot. You know he should've left the last prescription alone. It was working!!

It's Coming Back

2010-02-21T17:24:00.002+11:00

With my last review a few weeks ago the dermatologist altered the potion (coal tar preparation) that I was using. This time round there is no salacylic acid in it. As far as I know it helps make my skin smoother. I don't know if he changed any other ingredients apart from making it stronger. This time round I am not doing as well as I would like. My P is starting to come back. Even the boys have notice. Its more evident on my legs than my arms but its definitely coming back. Not happy Jan!!!

Too bad that I've had this set back. It will probably mean that I'll be visiting him in another months time. Although I wont know until I see him again on the 3rd of March.
Crossing fingers & toes!

More Potions

2010-02-14T14:39:00.002+11:00

I had a review with the derm on Feb 3rd. He's prescribed yet another strength of the stinky tar lotion. Mainly because I complained about how the stubborn spots are still there. I know I should be grateful for the fact that the creams have worked at all & that I have almost normal looking skin.

I finally took the script to the chemist the other day to be filled. Angus described it as looking like the banana flavoured milk ice blocks we've been getting recently. He's not wrong there! They do look like those banana lollies you can buy in the supermarket. Almost the same shade of yellow!

Good news on the derm front though. I go back in one months time & he said that if things are still going this well he will make it longer between visits. I can't wait for it to be every two months or more!! I so want to look 'normal'.

Nail Psoriasis

2010-01-15T11:53:00.003+11:00

I've had psoriasis in my fingernails since I was 15 years old (just a few years ago I might add :P - although my boys will tell you otherwise). The dermatologist I saw in my 20's said that there wasn't anything that could be done to help with the nail P. So I learnt to live with it.

There were many a time when I used to 'hide' my nails under nail polish to make them appear normal at least from a distance but nothing would EVER get rid of the pitting or the lifting up from the nail bed. In fact I noticed after a while that if I didn't wear nail polish that my nails would sometimes grow 'smoother' and less pitted.

Over the past few years, since I moved to Victoria, I noticed that my nails only began looking worse over the summer months and that come autumn they started to look smooth again. A coincidence perhaps? I have no idea but so far this summer my routine has not changed. My nails look bad in my book. You can decide from the photo that my baby took for me. Have you ever tried taking a photo of your own hands? I found it difficult as the pics ended up really blurry.

I am finding it really awkward with the nails lifting from the nail bed at the moment. I knock them on all sorts of things when they are in this condition and it can be very painful. My only tip is to keep them trimmed so that it is less likely to happen.

I'm crossing my fingers that once autumn/winter comes along my nails will begin to be 'normal' again.

Another Update

2010-01-12T09:52:00.004+11:00

Happy Belated New Year!!
Shame on me for not posting sooner. Sorry but I got side tracked with Christmas, New Year, the boys and life in general.

I must remember to take photos of my skin to share with you again. You wont believe the difference that a month as made. I have loads of 'normal' skin! I mean it looks kind of normal to me at least. There are 'shadows' for want of a better description as to where my psoriasis was on various parts of my body & in other parts it just looks like I have a nice suntan.

I had a review with the dermatologist last week. He is impressed with how I am going and doesn't want to see me for another month. Which is good because it was a bit of a struggle to see him every fortnight and having to pay so much to see him for less than a 5 minute consultation. It not that easy when you are on a Carer's Allowance.
The derm still brags at how good this stuff is. He's a bit cocky if you ask me. He is definitely old school though and OLD is the word I use to describe him.

Our free scripts that we had since June of last year has now finished. It finishes at the end of the calendar year. So we start paying for all of our scripts again. I don't mind but when I have to buy anywhere up to 5 scripts some weeks it certainly adds up. Thank goodness I have organised it so that we don't all run out at once and I've staggered things so I get maybe 2 scripts a week.

Speaking of scripts. The Chemist has a very hard time making up the preparation that I use. I know the derm said that this stuff works and it has but the stress/waiting that I have to do to get it is horrendous to say the least. Last week I put the script in on a Thursday before lunch & said I would pick it up on Friday afternoon. I went in around 3:30pm hooping that it would be ready. No more like thinking it would be ready. Well guess what! It wasn't! I don't know if you can imagine how upset I was. Being let down yet again by the same people. It happened to me about 10 days before when I put the previous script in. I know they got busy before the new year so I let it go. This time I swear it was because it was a NEW worker (chemist) in the shop. I bet she saw that it was to be made up and left it for the boss to do when he came in the next day or something like that. I know it happens as it happened to me years ago when I lived in Whyalla. A family run chemist that I went to. The Dad ALWAYS left it for the daughter to make up. Which I thought was kind of miserable of him.

Back to this time though. The Chemist said that it takes about an hour to make up. I thought giving them a day and a half to prepare it was a good thing. I am guessing I have to give them around 48 hours instead for the next one. I swear that they hate it when I walk in the door now just in case I have the script for this stuff to be made. I am sure that they want to run in the opposite direction!

All in all though I suppose I shouldn't complain. There are plenty of bonuses going on where my skin is concerned. The fact that I am beginning to look 'normal' is great! Someone from Church commented on how good my skin is looking. She said it was the best she has ever seen it. It felt good to hear someone say that.
And even better .. I don't have to get the vacuum cleaner out every day to clean up after myself! It's wonderful!!

Look At My Arms!!

2009-12-09T15:12:00.004+11:00

Take a look at my arms! Don't they look fantastic. That stinky old-fashioned coal tar prescription from the dermatologist is certainly doing its job! My arms haven't looks like this in years!

Speaking of the dermatologist. I had a review this morning. For the amount of money I pay to see him I only spent less than 5 minutes with him. I'm not happy about the amount of money I have to pay for the teeny bit of time I see him.

I told him how my skin didn't feel quite as smooth this time round as it did with the first lot of coal tar potions. To which he said he was glad that I mentioned it as he tweaked the potion last time and omitted the salacylic acid from the script. He said he would put it back in this time round. That it has a kind of peeling action that makes your skin smoother. Whatever! As long as it works I don't particularly care. I just want smooth NORMAL skin!

I go back in a months time and he has given me a script with two repeats. Not sure how I will make three small jars last for a whole month but I can always resort to other lotion and potions that I have. He also mentioned that I should get about 10 minutes of sunlight a day but only early in the morning as its cooler then. Well der!

Let's see how things go for the next month! I am just glad that my skin is beginning to look more normal each week. The kids were stoked as they could see freckles on my arms and legs. They've made comments like I didn't know you had freckles Mum. They think its neat. In fact so do I.

Quick Update

2009-12-01T17:33:00.004+11:00

Here we are one week on from my last visit with the derm. I tell you I am not impressed with this new lotion/potion thing! In fact my skin no longer feels smooth like it did for the previous week and a half. I often wonder if I will ever truly beat this beast! It's so dang annoying.

And to top things off I just realised that I was meant to pick up another batch of potion from the chemist this afternoon because he didn't make it up yesterday like he was supposed to. It too late to get it now as the shop closed a few minutes ago! ArghHHHHH
Darn them for not having ready this morning when I picked up all of our other prescriptions. I'll have to go as soon as they open up tomorrow because I KNOW I wont have enough to do tomorrow mornings application.

Sometimes I swear I hate this blasted disease!

I took a pic of one of my arms but haven't transferred it from the camera to the pc yet. I'll post it as soon as I can to show you how good at least one of my arms looks.

Dermatologist Review

2009-11-25T10:42:00.004+11:00

Well I had my first review with the new derm. For the amount of money I spend to see him I was hoping for MORE out of my visit. I finally got the bill for my first visit. Initial consultations always cost more and he said I got the discounted rate because I am on a Carers Payment (Pension). The first visit cost me $120 and today's review cost me $90. So of course me being the good person that I am paid for both visits today and went straight to medicare to claim the rebate.

Dr R told me that I would get a lot of it back because he wasn't charging me so much! Well I got $103.30 back! That's a heck of a lot of money to pay when you don't have a lot to begin with. Oh well not much I can do I suppose. What happened to to good old days when medicare got bulk-billed for everything?

Anyway now to get with what the dermatologist actually said about my psoriasis. He was suitable impressed with how the coal tar potion is helping. He even boasted again about how he ALWAYS gets good results with this particular preparation. I hate to burst his bubble but if I use it for too long it wont work as well. My body tends to get build up an immunity to any treatment after a while.

I told him how the preparation with the Salicylic Acid seems to be working better than the other one. So he's prescribed me with (get this) only two jars to last me for two weeks when I go back to see him again (on December 9th). Now the first time I saw him he prescribed TWO jars of each type and they barely lasted two weeks. How on earth does he expect me to make two jars last when I am chronically covered? I will most certainly have a flare up before I back to see him when I run out of the new potion. This new coal tar potion will be a lot stronger than the first lot. Not sure exactly what is the exact ingredient that he is increasing all I know is that the percentages are going up from 10% to 15%.

I do have a teeny bit left from both of the jars he prescribed me. I'll put them aside to use when I run out of this new stuff. I just hope and pray that I don't flare too badly once I run out. Or I will have to resort to the old stuff that I have plenty of (meaning the tubes of topical cortisone ointments from the GP).

I just hope that the new potion works FAST and perhaps I wont need quite so much of it. I have to look for that silver lining somewhere I guess...

Day 8/9 - Coal Tar

2009-11-19T11:31:00.002+11:00

Its day 8 (or 9 depending on how I'm feeling) using this stinky new preparation from the derm. I'm still not liking the smell but I must admit is it helping.

As I mentioned (well I think I did) there are two preparations. One has salacylic acid (for the left side of the body) and the other has some aqueous cream (for the right side of the body). I have notice a difference in my skin. I wouldn't say its been miraculous or anything but its less red, less scaly and there are signs or 'normal' skin showing through the psoriasis. My feel are looking almost 'normal' too. All good I guess. Oh and the left side seems to be faring a teeny bit better than the right.

I did run out of the potions yesterday morning so I didn't have quite enough to slap on the usual amount I have used so I needed to use it sparingly. I noticed that I flared a little (but was thinking it is partly hormonal too) and I was itchier than usual. I suppose that was because there were more flakes to get rid of. I can't wait for the day when I don't have to vacuum all the time!

I go back next Wednesday to see the derm. I hope I have enough potion to last until then.

Stinky Coal Tar

2009-11-14T13:33:00.002+11:00

Well its day three of the new potion use! All I can say is that I have horrible memories of this stuff as a child. Stink, smelly coal tar. I smell like a ROAD!

The only thing it has done so far is make me flake more. The skin on my chest is drier than ever and sore. I've had to moisturise it in between the morning and night time application of this stinky stuff. I can't even tell if it is working or not.

I feel yuck! I'm itchy! And I am feeling depressed! To top it off I have a head cold in this warm weather! ArghhHHHHH! I can't win. I just want this blasted stuff to GO AWAY!!

My New Derm

2009-11-11T10:57:00.003+11:00

I met my new derm today. He looked a lot older than I expected him to be not that it really matters I suppose. He took one look at my arms and said "You don't do this by halves".
To which I told him that there is hardly any 'normal' skin on my body. In fact its been that long since I had normal skin that if I didn't see 'normal' skin on other people I wouldn't know any better!

Anyway after flashing him my tummy and my back so he could get a bit off a look as to how extensive things are he said that he wont be giving me any cortisones. Gee Whiz! That's all I had been getting from the GP any how.

From what I could gather he only ever prescribes topical treatments for psoriasis. Damn I was hoping that he would give me a biologic or even methotrexate. Anything to get a handle on this and FAST! But no he prescribed his own concoction that needs to be prepared by the chemist. Something chemists HATE doing because it means that they have to make it rather than just pull it off the shelves.

While I was still with the derm he asked if there was any one else in the family with it. Of course I have never known if anyone else had this blasted disease and its only been in the last few years that my Dad has developed it in his nails. So I had to say no. That no one ever talked about it if they had it. I mean who would? People used to cover up and pretend that it wasn't there. Its only been in the past decade or so that ppl began to talk about it openly.

Where was I .. oh yes the concoctions that he prescribed (he couldn't even give me a name for it when I asked). He's given me two. One for each half of the body so that we can see which one works better than the other. He told me that he has had a lot of success with them over the years. Well I blinking well better hope so!! I want something magical that actually DOES something good for my skin. There is only so much more of this crap I can take because right now I feel totally fragile!

The derm also said please don't be offended but I have found that while treating people for psoriasis that they should lose weight at the same time. That something to do with the metabolism seems to help while being treated. Blasted if I know but I am unsure that I can lose weight. I've never been successful in the past, at least not being able to keep the weight off. I wonder if I will ever win?!?!

He wants me to come back in two weeks time to check on my progress. The only thing I am worried about is the fact that he didn't bulk-bill this to medicare and that I have to pay for all of my visits. The fact that I told him I am on a Carers Pension helped. He said I will be at a reduced rate. Reduced by how much is anyone's guess. I just hope that we can afford these visits. If not I am screwed with Angus's birthday and Christmas coming up things might be a lot leaner this year than I want it to be.

On the way home I dropped the script into the Chemist and hoped that he will be able to make it up by later this afternoon. He couldn't promise me that he would be able to. I'll call in after I pick Brodie up from the bus stop and 'hope' that its ready or I have to wait until tomorrow. I did apologise in advance though, as I know that chemists hate to prepare this sort of stuff.

Right now though I don't know whether to be happy that I had seem my new derm or whether I should cry because there is so much more work to be done. I just want to be rid of this NOW!

One Week To Go!!

2009-11-04T14:59:00.002+11:00

One week to go until I get to see my new dermatologist! I can't wait!!

I am so tired of this stupid disease. I'm so tired of seeing where I've been sitting due to all the flakes landing on the floor or the seats. That vacuum cleaner of mine has seen more work these past few weeks than it has in years! I wish I could've chosen the colour of the carpet instead of it already being here when we moved in. I would've picked something that didn't show up the flakes so much!!

Now don't get me wrong I have met some amazing people because of this disease and have made some lasting friendships. I don't think I would've met these people under any other circumstances. So there is a blessing here if you look for it. So in some ways I wouldn't change a thing. I just think after 34 years of this stuff there would be something out there that helps.

I truly hope that this new derm of mine will be able to give me something that helps. I don't care if I have to go back on the methotrexate. I just want to have a normal life for a while. Where I can go to the supermarket without anyone staring at me. Yes I know I could use those moments to educate them but it gets tiring after a while. There are only so many times you want to tell someone why your skin looks the way it does.

Sorry for the rant but its better out than in. I have a BIG problem about bottling things up and not saying how I feel. It gets me into all sorts of trouble!

I am so Sore :(

2009-10-20T14:50:00.002+11:00

My skin is horrifically dry today. I don't know if it has anything to do with the weather getting warmer, my hormones or what ever it is. All I know is that I've put moisturiser on a few times already and it still hurts. I'm not too bad while I am sitting down but once I get up to walk its horrid.

It looks like I either need to slap on some more stuff or soak in the tub later tonight. Geez this stuff sucks big time today!!!!

No More Daivonex

2009-10-08T10:35:00.001+11:00

Daivonex ointment is no longer being manufactured. A darned shame if you ask me as it was one of the things that used to help me the most. The people at the chemist told me the other day because they owed me some tubes and have been unable to get them. Guess I need to find something else. Its a good thing I now have a dermatologist appointment.

Dermatologist Referral

2009-10-08T10:23:00.003+11:00

I got back from seeing my GP a short time ago. I specifically went in to ask him for a referral to a dermatologist. My doctor asked me when I last saw a derm and it was back in 2002 when I first moved to Victoria. I remember because my previous doctor didn't want to give me a referral purely because seeing any form of specialist here is expensive.

Anyway back to my GP. He told me that there really hasn't been many changes in dermatology treatments but I said to him that the derm might know of some new cream or something. My doctor then said that I was an optimist. I then told him that I like to look for that silver lining in the dark clouds. He laughed and said there really aren't any silver linings to find. Bah Humbug!

I just phoned the hospital where this dermatologist comes to visit and would you believe that I only have to wait for a month to get in to see him. I was pleasantly surprised. I honestly thought that I wouldn't be able to get in for another three months. I am so glad that I don't have to wait that long. Roll on November 11th!

I can't believe that I am actually excited about seeing a new doctor! I'm hating the fact that I need to show him my skin on most of my body. I do like to cover up but not because of my P. I cover up because I'm not exactly a yummy 'skinny' mummy. Never mind but I am crossing fingers that there is something worthwhile for me when I see him & my skin improves!

P Blues ...

2009-10-05T10:35:00.003+11:00

I still have a case of the P blues. Well maybe not as bad as before but I am really getting fed up with this. I keep looking at the 'trail' of flakes I leave behind everywhere I go *sigh*

With the weather getting warmer now I really would like to clear up a bit more so that I don't get THOSE stares from people. Sometimes I get so pissed off with the stares I tell people that they are rude for looking so long. Even the boys will now say something to strangers. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not yet. Oh well as long as they aren't rude I guess its okay. They are just standing up for their Mum.
I also hate the fact that the boys get teased about my skin. People can be so cruel!

I go and see my GP on Thursday morning so I'll have a really good talk with him then and mention how I really wish to see a dermatologist. I just hope that I don't have to wait too long to get in to see one. Thankfully I now know of one that visits our local hospital so I'll suggest that one to him.

I Got The "P" Blues

2009-09-28T16:01:00.003+10:00

I don't know it seems like I have the "Psoriasis Blues" of late. Everywhere I go I leave a trail of flakes and it's so depressing. The amount of times I have to drag that vacuum cleaner about the place and clean up "my" mess is getting to me.

I've been doing the right thing by baking and using my lotions and potions but my skin still gets ultra dry and burns when I use them. It even hurts when I just use moisturisers. I just can't seem to win right now. I swear doing the right thing just doesn't seem to help right now. I know that if I stop things will get worse. It's a catch 22!

Looks like I need to have a good chat with my GP about seeing a derm. It's been several years since I've seen one so its probably time to go see one again.

To UVB or Not To UVB

2009-09-26T09:27:00.002+10:00

Sometimes I wonder, especially when the weather has turned cool in the mornings, whether I should bother with continuing my UVB treatment. Then I see how my skin is sort of better and think perhaps its not such a bad thing after all.

I did give myself a week off last week as I had been extremely busy on the days I normally give myself my 'cooking' treatments. On those days I had meetings at schools, doctors/surgeon appointments and various other things that just had to be done.

When I resumed my baking this week I dropped my time back to 1 minute 30 seconds. I didn't burn which was a good thing so I'll up the dose next week to 2 minutes 15. I know it doesn't sound like much of an increase but believe me when you get a burn and become itchier than usual its a HUGE difference!

Looking Better

2009-09-08T12:04:00.005+10:00

Gosh I hadn't realised that it had been so long since I posted anything here. At least I can give a bit of an update on how things are going 'skin' wise for me at the moment.

I've continued with my UVB and am now currently up to 3 minutes per side. I'll keep at that level for a while longer as I am still getting a bit burnt from that dosage. Not that you can see the physical effect of the burn since my skin is so pink from the psoriasis. In fact the only way that I can tell that I have a burn is that at night, after I've done my baking in the morning, I get extremely itchy on my back. As I said I cant see the burn but I can feel it.

I'm still taking one primolut tablet each morning and I think that it is still helping with my skin. I can at least see more and more freckles all over my body. Especially my arms and my torso. Not so much on the legs though. That darned P seems to be more stubborn there.

I went to the chemist the other week to get my daivonex prescription filled and once again they are having problems filling the order. The guy that owns the chemist said that he will phone me when it becomes available. So for now I have settled with the advantan fatty ointment which seems to be doing what is is supposed to. I cant really complain I suppose. Although I would dearly love to have something that will help the P on my legs. After all it is spring time here and the weather is warming up. I would like to be able to wear skirts and t-shirts without being too self-conscious. Not that I used to let that bother me before but things are a little different at the moment. Perhaps I will become more confident again later on. Who knows!

Spammers You Are On Notice!

2009-08-26T07:53:00.002+10:00

Okay Spammers you are on alert! If you insist on making comments with links to herbal sites or so called 'cures' I will reject you comments. I have had enough. There is NO cure! There is only relief and if lucky remission of this disease.

So back off and stop sending me rubbish. I wont check the links for so called 'cures'.

Psoriatic Arthritis or Carpal Tunnel?

2009-08-14T13:00:00.010+10:00

I went to see my GP on Wednesday. Well not my doctor really as he is on a holiday until Aug 25th so I saw another doctor in the same clinic. In some ways I wish I had waited until Dr F came back instead of seeing Dr C.

The reason I went was to let the doctor know that my wrists, arms and shoulder seemed to be hurting more than normal & that I didn't think that the mobic I was taking for my Carpal Tunnel (CT) was helping (I did forget once again to mention my hip pain). Once I mentioned this Dr C got me to squeeze his hands and then place my hands together in different positions to check them. He then asked me if I had any test done etc to confirm if it was carpal tunnel and had anyone spoken to me about treatment options that were available. I had to say No tests were done.
While Dr C was checking out my hands he noticed that I have psoriasis and he suggested that I might have arthritis. Of course the first thought in my head was NO NOT Psoriatic Arthritis! He organised for me to have a blood test to check for various markers that would show inflammation levels, liver function, etc and gave me a referral for a nerve conduction study (NCS)

I saw Dr Li all those years ago when I was first diagnosed with CT and he didn't believe in sending people to see specialists or sending them off to have loads of tests done. Maybe he was mindful of how much money these things could consume as most of his patients were on benefits of some kind. In fact the one and only time I asked Dr Li for a referral to a dermatologist he said I don't know they are awfully expensive to see. He reluctantly wrote a referral and I saw the derm a few times only but that was enough because the main aim was to get a UVB lamp - which is exactly what I got.

I am now booked in for the NCS on Wednesday Aug 19th in the afternoon. I'm truly not looking forward to is as I have been told that it hurts. I am such a wuss when it comes to pain. Who on earth thought of this blasted test to assess for carpal tunnel anyway? Some kind of torturer? Sending electricity, even in small doses, through the skin/body sounds like torture to me. I am not happy Jan!

Before I get too distracted by the test that I am having I wanted to find out more about Psoriatic Arthritis (PA) & treatment options for it. In some ways I am truly hoping that the diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel is confirmed and that this test isn't a waste of time. I would really hate for this pain that I am having to be PA. The thought of me having arthritis scares the pants off me. At least CT can be fixed if needs be by an operation PA can't. The links (Arthritis Victoria) that I did find in regards to PA have been very helpful.

To be honest I shouldn't really complain about Dr C. considering I have never seen him as a patient before he is being very thorough by sending me off for different tests. It's a shame that Dr Li didn't do it all those years ago. It would've save me some time in working out where to go to from here. And of course I'll keep you all updated on the outcomes of the tests. Wish me luck for next Wednesday!!

Back Doing UVB

2009-08-14T10:28:00.004+10:00

Yay I finished my antibiotics last night and was able to begin my UVB again this morning. Albeit I am back to 45 seconds per side but its better than nothing. To be honest I thought that my skin would have flared more than it did before I was able to start up again.
Crossing fingers that I don't burn and that things keep getting better.

Sentimental Sop!

2009-08-11T10:43:00.004+10:00

I don't know what is wrong with me lately. I've turned into a sentimental soppy thing. I was checking out my skin thinking that the mirena must be helping a bit due to the release of the hormones. I honestly thought that my psoriasis would be flaring a bit at the moment due to my not baking with the UVB.

Anyway I was checking out the skin on my arms, thighs and abdomen thinking wow doesn't that look good. I can see freckles that I hadn't seen in years. I can still see the psoriasis not a problem but its paler, thinner and definitely not flaring. Even now I have tears in my eyes because I can see almost normal skin. Can you imagine that? Getting teary because my skin looks good. How soppy is that? I can't remember my skin looking this 'clear' in a long time.

I just hope and pray that maybe this summer I might look just like everyone else. I only have three more doses of antibiotic left and then I can begin my UV treatment again. I can't wait to show my GP. He would thrilled to see how good my skin looks right now. Too bad he is off on holiday for two more weeks. Let's just hope that I stay looking this great!

Maybe I should take a photo just in case it doesn't last.

Not Happy Jan! Stupid Antibiotics!

2009-08-08T19:16:00.006+10:00

Well I had my little operation yesterday as schedule. In fact I was the first one in theatre and I was back on the ward by 9:10am. Apart from feeling a little bit of pain not much more than the usual period pain I get it wasn't too bad. Of course once the paracetamol wore off it was a different story. However, I was ready to go home by around 11am or earlier, the only thing was I had to wait for the gynaecologist to come to the ward to check me before I could go home. Well guess what! It was around 12:20 by the time a doctor came to see me. Not MY gynie but one who works with him at least came to see me before I left. I was home by 12:45pm. So that wasn't too bad. He said everything went well, gave me a booklet to keep a record of my bleeding/spotting if I have any so that I can tell Dr Mc when I see him in the middle of October.

My ONLY complaint is that I have to take an antibiotic for a week are the insertion of the Mirena (a hormone releasing IUD). Well the antibiotic (Doxycycline Hydrochloride) came with a warning label stating that should not have excessive skin exposure to sunlight and sunlamps while being treated with this medicine! I am so NOT happy! All that hard work for the last two and a half weeks with the UVB lamp and all the lotions and potions is going to go to waste.
My skin had been looking beautiful. It was smooth yet red and on my arms I could see the freckles through the thinning layer of psoriasis.

Its really breaking my heart right now to know that my skin will take quite a few steps backwards because of this antibiotic I have to take. I know I only need to take them for 7 days but that can be a long time when it comes to my skin. I wont be able to start UV again until next Friday. By then I will have missed three doses. I just hope that I can keep it under control by just using the lotions and potions.

Update

2009-08-01T11:13:00.002+10:00

The hospital phoned on Wednesday to let me know that my procedure has been postponed until Friday August 7th. Which isn't such a bad things as I wanted to get my skin under control a bit better.

I have been doing my UVB again and just recently upped the dosage to 1 minute 30 seconds. Well let me remind you how important it is to use sunblock when you have any UVB treatment. My face got burnt yesterday because I forgot. Nothing like having a nice red nose and looking like Rudolph during winter. Except my winter is in July and not in December when its Christmas and would fit in with the silly season!

Since I did get burnt I'll be keeping my dose the same for a few days until I am no longer burning. I'll also remember to use sunblock on Monday when I bake again.

Hospital Booking

2009-07-24T10:32:00.003+10:00

I'm stressing out a bit here. I don't think I mentioned that the gynaecologist said I needed to go into theatre to have a couple of procedures done. I know I mentioned that I had been having problems with my menstrual cycle and how the bleeding was so erratic and sometimes extremely heavy & that is why I was put on the Primolut tablets.

Well the gynaecologist mentioned on Wednesday when I saw him that I needed to go to theatre and that I may possibly have a wait of up to three months before I get in. Imagine my surprise (well SHOCK is more like it) when I was phoned up yesterday afternoon and told that I have been booked in for Monday August 3rd! I mean that is less than two weeks away! In fact its Monday week!

I was hoping that I would have time to begin UVB treatment again. To hopefully get my skin under a bit more control, at least my legs anyway, before I would have to bare all. Well not all but you get the gist of it. I am feeling awful right now. I don't know whether is because I am really covered with P or not. Or whether its the fact that I don't want anyone to see all of my skin apart from Mark or the boys. I know they don't care what my skin looks like. In fact I don't think that they see the psoriasis when they look at me. But at the hospital?! That is a whole different ball game.
I wish I didn't have this blasted stuff right now. And most of all I wish my Mum was here! I could use a hug from her right now.

Gynaecologist Appointment

2009-07-22T14:50:00.005+10:00

I finally had my appointment with the gynaecologist this morning. I don't know why but I was feeling a little nervous about seeing him. He was so nice & polite. In fact he was very reassuring. I wont going into all of what we discussed today but the main thing I wanted to share right now was the fact that he saw no reason as to why I shouldn't be able to use Primolut as long as it is helping my skin.

He too stated that he had never seen nor heard of anyone's skin being affected by hormones. Well, he isn't a dermatologist so I wouldn't imagine that he would've come across as many psoriasis sufferers now would he? So I didn't expect him to know all that much about psoriasis and hormones & how they can be affected by changes in the body.

Mark came along with me. I am glad that he did. I like having him about for moral support. Plus it helped that he remembered to ask questions about what was going on. He did remember to ask what were the long time side effects, if any, for being on this type of medication. He said that he was not aware of any long term side effects other than the possibility of a slight increase in breast cancer. I mean there are pros and cons of all types of treatments isn't there? So to me at least its worth taking the hormone tablet since I get a better quality of life as far as my sin is concerned. I get to talk it over with Dr F when I see him next I suppose.

Back Using Daivonex

2009-06-11T14:15:00.004+10:00

After months of not being able to get a hold of any daivonex the chemist was finally able to fill my prescription the other day. So I have been happily using daivonex for the past few days. . My skin feels so much smoother. It's not felt this smooth in months. There is only one drawback. It seems redder than it has been in ages. The same kind of red when I get a flare but the only difference being is my skin feels smother. Oh well at least the daivonex is working and when I rub my skin it almost feels normal again!

Did I Speak Too Soon?

2009-05-29T22:14:00.004+10:00

After being on the Primolut tablets for a little over four weeks my skin began flaring big time. Oh I know I wasn't taking the tablets to help my skin the side effects from that was an added bonus. I just wish that it was still keeping the flares at bay.

After talking with Mark about what was going on with my body & the way I had been feeling as far as my cycle is concerned. We decided that I should come off the tablets for a few days. I know it truly is one of the last things I wanted to do as I know what the consequences are for stopping the meds. I will bleed like a stuck pig! I've already started getting pains again so I know that over the next few days I might not be moving too far from home. I am so dreading this. I could've phoned the doctors surgery but I didn't. Mostly because Dr. F is only part-time and I don't know if he is there on a Friday.

I'll start the tablets in about 5 days or so. At least I know that when I go back on them I get the added bonus of my skin clearing a bit. Until then I slap on some more lotions and potions and hope that my skin doesn't end up hurting too much.

Before I forget .. we're on freebie scripts again. We reached the PBS Safety Net earlier this week. We will now get free scripts for the rest of the calendar year.

On The Improve!

2009-05-18T16:30:00.008+10:00

I cannot believe the changes in my skin. After the flare up of last week when I was only on one Primolut tablet I didn't think my skin would look 'better' for another week or more. However after only a few days (five days) of taking two tablets again my skin is looking fabulous.

I have noticed that since my skin is improving I am needing to use less lotions and potions than before. I still use them constantly but I am not needing anywhere near the same volume as I normally would. It's great! It's a shame that we are heading for winter and I am having to cover up due to the cold weather but I would just love to 'show off' my improved skin.

GP Visit

2009-05-14T14:46:00.005+10:00

I went to see my GP yesterday to get some new scripts written up. I also wanted to show him how great my arm looked before my current flare up took away all the progress that had been made in the past week.

I had taken the Primolut tablets like he had said 2 a day for two weeks and then drop it back to 1 a day. Well as soon as I went to one a day the flare up started again. By yesterday you could still see some normal skin on my arm near my elbow.

Dr F. said to me that if he had not seen my arm he wouldn't have believe that a hormone tablet could make such a huge difference. He also added not that he thought I was fibbing or anything but he had never seen anything like it in all of his years as a doctor. He was so fascinated that he called in another doctor to check out my arm. Dr Anna was surprised to see the difference in my arm. She remembered seeing me just before Christmas last year and recalled how bad my skin was at the time. She too was baffled by what had helped me. She said that she had never seen anything like this either and told Dr F. that I might make a good case study.
If being a case study might mean I get free meds I am all for it! I don't think anything would come of the idea but its interesting.

Oh and to top it off Dr F. said that my psoriasis is the worst he has ever come across. It doesn't surprise me in the least. My dermatologist that I used to see in Adelaide used to say the exact same thing to me. I guess that makes me SPECIAL :P

Dr F has put me back on two tablets a day since I was flaring so badly. Not that he was treating my skin with the hormone tablets but since my cycle has always affected my skin he thought that it would be best to go back to two. I'm not complaining since it stops me from bleeding and helps my skin. Even if I can't use this stuff long term I will get a month or two of good skin its worth it. And possibly worth the big flare up later on down the track when I am no longer on the tablets. One other thing my doctor said was how attached are you to your uterus. Well ... maybe if I no longer had it my skin my be better but I'll wait and see what the gynaecologist says (I see him in July). I'm in no hurry to get rid of anything yet.

Photo Comparison

2009-05-09T17:32:00.008+10:00

Time for a photo update on my arm. Mark took a photo of my arm last night .. 11 days after starting the Primolut tablet & using the Advantan Fatty Ointment. I was shocked when I looked at the photos up close. There is such a HUGE difference. It's almost hard to believe that its the same arm.

I will definitely be showing these photos to my GP next time I go in to see him.

Hormones & Psoriasis

2009-04-27T15:25:00.011+10:00

I have been having a lot of problems with my menstrual cycle since the end of December and I have noticed that my skin has been flaring horribly the whole time. Kind of like a roller coaster ride up and down. It would flare then settle down a tiny bit then flare again. It seemed like I would never win.

I was totally jacked off with how my body was behaving. My cycle was up shit creek basically. I would bleed for two weeks, stop for two weeks, bleed for two weeks, stop for two weeks and then start again. When it got to three weeks of non-stop heavy clot filled bleeding couldn't stand it any more. I had to go to the doctor and do something about all of this. My skin was constantly flaring. I was sore. Could hardly walk because my skin was on fire. It was a nightmare!

So three weeks ago I saw my GP and he put me on a tablet called Primolut (mydr.com.au). They did the trick. Within three days of taking them my bleeding stopped. I was to take these tablets for two weeks which I did. During the two weeks of taking these tablets my psoriasis began to clear. I didn't know if it was the tablets or the new ointment that my GP prescribed, advantan fatty ointment. In fact the psoriasis on my arms (and the rest of me) hadn't looked so good in years. My arms had almost cleared and the rest of me didn't seem so flaky any more. Don't think that I wasn't flaky because I was but it was nowhere as severe as it usually is.

Once my script ran out though my skin began to flare again. In fact if you could see it now it looks absolutely horrid. It's ultra dry, very inflamed, extra red and throwing off heat like you wouldn't believe. I thought it would be neat to do a photo comparison later on while I am on these tablets but we (Mark really) took a photo just of my right arm as it looks the worst. Plus it was cold and I didn't want to strip as it were. Anywho .. you can see my forearm is pretty much all covered and very red.

This is what my skin looks like a week after stopping the progesterone tablet, Primolut.

I went back to my GP this morning. Mainly because I was having bleeding problems again & need to go see a gynaecologist about it. In fact I was in such pain over the weekend that I could hardly move on Saturday. Anyway I am back on the tablets again.

While at the doctors, my GP asked if the new ointment had helped my skin at all. To which I honestly told him that I don't know whether it was the advantan or the hormone tablet. I then went into great details with him as to how my cycle affects my skin. How that when I was pregnant my skin improved a great deal and flared once I had the boys. He was intrigued with what I had said.

He told me that I should google psoriasis and progesterone and see what comes up. He also said that I should talk to the gynaecologist about it when I get to see him & see what he has to say about hormones & psoriasis. My GP also said that it might be worthwhile looking into it as a possible treatment to help my psoriasis. This is great news to me as this is a doctor who frowns upon me using a UVB lamp and he isn't prepared to try anything new without the okay of a dermatologist. It certainly is worth looking into this further.

Psoriasis Link To Health Problems

2009-04-21T10:20:00.005+10:00

I was just reading an article that states women with psoriasis have a higher risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. To be honest that doesn't surprise me one bit. Just something else to be on the look out for ... especially since I already have high BP and that diabetes is in the family. Mum had it and my brother, Wayne, has it.

If you wish to check out the article here's the link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8008038.stm

New Ointment

2009-04-07T15:11:00.008+10:00

I got a new ointment from my GP today. I went in to see him for a couple of things today but one of the main things was because my Chemist is unable to get Daivonex at the moment. There has been a supply problem with it for the past two months or more. Anyway I got a script for Advantan Fatty Ointment (methylprednisolone). It only comes in a piddly little 15g tube so my GP had to phone up to get a special script. He said he was going to ask for 20 tubes for the price of one. A tube if I am lucky will last me a day if I use it as directed. Well even less if I use it twice a day like I am supposed to. To be honest neither the Dr, Mark nor I thought that the script for 20 tubes would be approved and that I would only get around 10. We were pleasantly surprised that the script was approved, well maybe shocked might be a better word.

So I now have 10 tubes, the Chemist owes me 10 more as they didn't have them in stock, to try out. I hope that it helps. I am so tired of being so sore. My skin has been biting a lot of late and the heat coming off if is just beyond belief. Who invented this blasted disease anyway? Don't we have enough things to torture ourselves with without having an incurable illness like this to make our lives so miserable? I never asked for this and if I did I must have been completely insane to have agreed to it!

I suppose there is a small silver lining to this cloud for today. I have bought around 37 prescriptions since the beginning of the year. Only 23 more to go until we have reached this years PBS 'goal' of 60 scripts before we get our freebies. Give me another 10 weeks and I am sure that we will have reached our 'goal'.

A bit better today

2009-03-31T10:54:00.002+11:00

The skin is feeling a bit better today. Although I do get tired of it feeling awfully tight and extra dry after a wash. Yeah I know I should use more moisturiser :P
At least the shower didn't hurt my skin this time.

Tips for Dry Skin

2009-03-30T10:50:00.003+11:00

Good tips for P &/or Eczema

Argh .. horrid skin

2009-03-30T10:35:00.001+11:00

I hate my skin today .. even the water from the shower hurt this morning. When will this ever stop?

I'm Having A Pity Party!

2009-01-19T15:48:00.004+11:00

OMGoodness my skin is burning right now. It's so hot and sore, it's not fair. Oh I know it sounds like I am whinging but my skin truly does feel like it is on fire at the moment. I've moisturised and used the medicated creams that the doctor has prescribed but they aren't helping. I am hoping that this is just a hormonal flare up and that it will settle down soon. You should see all the flakes I've left all over the place and I vacuumed already today. It's so not fair!

I really hate my skin today!!

EBA Links

2008-12-06T22:26:00.004+11:00

From what I have just checked out perhaps EBA it isn't a new type of psoriasis but something that can occur in conjunction with psoriasis vulgaris (wiki) which is the most common type of P there is. It's still interesting to learn about I guess. So here are some links for you to check out. Knowledge is power after all

British Journal of Dermatology

Karger

Mediwire News

Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita (EBA)

2008-12-06T22:19:00.002+11:00

I was talking with Marks brother yesterday, I think it was yesterday lol all the days seem to be blurring together of late. Anyway he was telling me about a different type of psoriasis that I had never hear of before called epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA). It certainly doesn't sound very nice but then again when does psoriasis ever sound nice?!?!

I was trying to research EBA but there wasn't a lot of information out there. The only site I could find a decent description of it was a French one but at least the description was in English. Anyway go >>HERE<< to check it out.

If I come across some more links I'll post them so you can check it out.

Itchy Eyes & Psoriasis

2008-09-03T14:02:00.006+10:00

I've been waking up with itchy eyes for the past few days and on Sunday when I woke up my right eye was really red. I thought it might just be conjunctivitis so I phoned the doctors surgery Monday morning. Now my GP is only there a few days a week so I had to wait until today to get in to see him. That's not so bad I guess because the doctor Mark sees sometimes has his appointments booked for a week or so before you can get in to see him, unless it is an emergency then you get to see any of the doctors there if they have a space to fit you in.

Anyway back to my eye. Not only did my GP say it was conjunctivitis I also have an infection in my eye. Dr F. also stated that I have more psoriasis around my eye (including by my eye lashes) and that some of the flakes may be getting into my eye and making it sore. That explains a bit I suppose. Worse thing though is I now have to put 2 drops of Chlorsig Eye Drops (mydr.com) in both eyes and I HATE putting anything in my eyes!! I also have some Hycor Eye Ointment 1% hydrocortisone (mydr.com). I've had the ointment before but it should help with the P around the eyes.

Famous People With Psoriasis

2008-08-26T11:43:00.004+10:00

Thanks to a comment on another post in which some famous people were pointed out to me as having psoriasis. I just had to look up these P sufferers (for want of a better word) and list them here. It's kind of nice to know that we aren't alone in all of this - not that we were really alone but it's still nice to know that celebrities aren't immune. Gosh that sounds bad but I don't mean it that way. Perhaps they could use this to make the general public more aware of P and how it affects us & that it isn't contagious, etc.

Anyway here's a list of celebrities (past and present) who have P ~~

Jason Donovan ~ an Australian actor and singer
Benjamin Elton ~ an English comedian, writer and director
Arthur Garfunkel ~ American singer-songwriter (part of the Simon & Garfunkel duo) and actor
Robert I, King of Scots
Paul Ferris ~ businessman, author & former gangster
Marcus Dell Gastineau ~ former American football player
CariDee English ~ an American fashion model
Thomas Waits ~ an American singer-songwriter, composer and actor
Shawn Lane ~ an American musician
Jerry Mathers ~ an American television, film and stage actor (from Leave it to Beaver)
Dennis Potter ~ a controversial English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective
Joseph Stalin ~ General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee
Kenneth Starr ~ an American lawyer and former judge
John Updike ~ an American novelist, poet, short story writer and literary critic
Vladimir Nabokov ~ a Russian novelist, professor and lepidopterist

You can find out more about these people (and others) by checking out this article on Famous People with Psoriasis at Disabled World

Psoriatic Arthritis

2008-08-13T12:06:00.003+10:00

Oh Golly. I so do not want to get Psoriatic Arthritis (PA). I was reading up on it today and I have decided that this is one thing I do NOT want. Not that you really have a choice as to whether you get it or not. If you want to check out the site I was looking at for the information check >>>here<<< at Health Talk.

One thing I did take note of when I was reading was the increased likely hood of getting PA if you had certain symptoms such as changes in your fingernails such as pitting, ridges or your nail lifting from the nail bed. Lucky me I have those happening :P I have had problems with my eye for a little while with redness and soreness but I was thinking that was conjunctivitis or something (I really must see my GP about that I suppose) which is also another symptom.

I think I should resolve not to read anything else about PA ~ ignorance might be best when it comes to this. I certainly don't want to think I am turning into a hypochondriac or something! Sheesh. I remember my sister saying that about me when I was a pre-teen. I didn't like the idea then and I certainly don't like the idea of it now. I doubt my sister even remembers saying it to me either. Not that I see her anyway. Nor the rest of my family. I guess that's the bonus of living 800 kms (500 miles) away from them!

Anyway if you wish to learn more about PS check out the Health Talk site. They have a lot of information there on treatments, diagnosis and so on.

Interesting Email

2008-08-02T12:29:00.005+10:00

Goodness I know I haven't been blogging much here of late and to be honest I don't have a lot to say. Well I don't think I do. There was something interesting though that happened last night concerning this blog. I got an email stating that it might be a spam blog. Not too sure what that would entail but hey I know this site isn't one and clicked the link to get my site checked out and unflagged as it were. Thankfully that was all sorted out by the time I checked a few minutes ago. I know there are a lot of questionable sites out there but I would never have thought that Scratch That Darn Itch would have ever been marked as one of them. Oh well it's all sorted out now.

Researchers Identify New Genetic Links to Psoriasis

2008-07-02T08:11:00.003+10:00

I came across this link this morning about the genetic link to Psoriasis. Not that we didn't already know that there is a genetic link but you can check out the article & see what they have to say about it.

Researchers Identify New Genetic Links to Psoriasis

Psoriasis & Risks For Other Health Problems

2008-06-11T09:45:00.001+10:00

Psoriasis and Your Risk for Other Serious Health Problems

Webcast

2008-06-11T09:40:00.001+10:00

Five Things You Need to Know About Psoriatic Arthritis on July 3

Test Results

2008-05-01T14:30:00.001+10:00

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

2008-04-28T12:41:00.003+10:00

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!!

2008-04-27T18:55:00.005+10:00

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

2008-04-21T11:04:00.001+10:00

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

2008-04-05T16:50:00.002+11:00

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

2008-03-26T16:36:00.003+11:00

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

2008-03-13T11:36:00.003+11:00

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

2008-03-03T10:25:00.002+11:00

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

2008-02-26T10:06:00.003+11:00

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

2008-02-18T12:08:00.004+11:00

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

2008-02-09T14:23:00.001+11:00

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

2008-02-06T13:12:00.001+11:00

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

2008-02-05T10:44:00.002+11:00

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

2008-02-05T10:34:00.000+11:00

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

Antibiotics to treat psoriasis

Resistance to Remicade

New Ointment

2008-01-27T10:32:00.000+11:00

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

2008-01-17T23:03:00.000+11:00

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

2008-01-16T16:24:00.000+11:00

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

2008-01-07T21:30:00.000+11:00

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!

2008-01-03T14:59:00.000+11:00

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

2007-12-31T15:09:00.000+11:00

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

2007-12-22T14:49:00.001+11:00

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

2007-12-12T16:50:00.000+11:00

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

2007-12-11T13:49:00.000+11:00

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

2007-11-20T11:24:00.000+11:00

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

2007-11-13T10:39:00.000+11:00

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

2007-11-09T09:13:00.000+11:00

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

2007-11-03T15:01:00.000+11:00

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

2007-10-12T14:02:00.000+10:00

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 .. .. ..

2007-10-05T15:33:00.000+10:00

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

2007-09-28T17:13:00.000+10:00

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.