Health Boards
Sun-18-09-2011, 19:32 PM
Coffeewithkate Wrote
Your bravery has given me the impetus I need to tell my story too.
*Deep Breath*
Six years ago I developed, what I believed, to be a fungal infection on my feet and I got some cream for athletes foot. BIG mistake!!! As a result my feet cracked, bled even worse and I also developed huge pustules. The pain was enough for me to end up in A&E who gave me a few painkillers and sent me home with advice to see my GP.
Before my appointment my hands began to go the same way. I was at uni at this point (and also going through a divorce). I couldn't pick up a pen, type an essay or even attend my lectures. I'm not sure how it came about but I ended up at my local Chinese Medical Centre and had a consultation. £400 and three weeks of a strict regime of lotions and pills and I was clear....seriously. I got on with my life, met a new partner, had a baby and never gave it another thought.
In 2009 and 2010 I miscarried twice, one being particularly traumatic as I haemorraged (sp?) badly requiring morphine and eventually surgery and transfusions. Within a month the tell tale signs were back. I didn't have the necessary funds to go back to the CMC so I went to the doctors who prescribed me Dovobet and some moisturiser. It was only at that point I learned I had PPP, that it was for life and I was told rather bluntly that I had to 'just deal with it'.
It has taken me a year to get an appointment with a Dermatologist. In between this time I had to give up work, was made homeless and have been dealing with my son being diagnosed as severely hearing impaired. I had to stop socialising (too painful to walk anywhere), I took to sleeping on a sofa bed as my bathroom was downstairs and, quite frankly, I was mortified at how many times I wet myself trying to crawl to the loo in time. I lost interest in my appearance and rarely bothered getting dressed or eating. My house became a wreck. I tried to clean the kitchen by whizzing up and down on a computer chair and god help me if I got any cleaning fluids on my skin. I've lived with clingfilm, plastic and rubber gloves for ages now. My breaking point came when my son had an accident upstairs, cutting his arm and I could barely crawl upstairs let alone run like I wanted to. I broke down completely and told my partner to move out and take our child with him as I couldn't look after him properly (he didn't btw :-) ).
As things stand now we have just moved into a smaller, more manageable place and my dermatologist is considering starting PUVA. I have become very forthright at telling people that I am a Psoriasis fighter (I don't like the word sufferer either) and that I require additional help with everyday situations. The majority of agencies/people I deal with have been quite receptive. I'm still fighting for counselling though.
Today is a good day mentally but I now have patches of psoriasis spreading up my legs, on and in my butock cheeks, my 'lady bts' and my underarms which I am going back to my dermatologist to discuss on Thursday. My partner has the day off tomorrow so I wont feel isolated but I am going to have to draw on my inner strength to get through the rest of the week when I shall be, once again, alone and isolated. I do have a couple of close friends but no family left to lean on so the fight to stay sane will continue.
Thanks for reading.
Your bravery has given me the impetus I need to tell my story too.
*Deep Breath*
Six years ago I developed, what I believed, to be a fungal infection on my feet and I got some cream for athletes foot. BIG mistake!!! As a result my feet cracked, bled even worse and I also developed huge pustules. The pain was enough for me to end up in A&E who gave me a few painkillers and sent me home with advice to see my GP.
Before my appointment my hands began to go the same way. I was at uni at this point (and also going through a divorce). I couldn't pick up a pen, type an essay or even attend my lectures. I'm not sure how it came about but I ended up at my local Chinese Medical Centre and had a consultation. £400 and three weeks of a strict regime of lotions and pills and I was clear....seriously. I got on with my life, met a new partner, had a baby and never gave it another thought.
In 2009 and 2010 I miscarried twice, one being particularly traumatic as I haemorraged (sp?) badly requiring morphine and eventually surgery and transfusions. Within a month the tell tale signs were back. I didn't have the necessary funds to go back to the CMC so I went to the doctors who prescribed me Dovobet and some moisturiser. It was only at that point I learned I had PPP, that it was for life and I was told rather bluntly that I had to 'just deal with it'.
It has taken me a year to get an appointment with a Dermatologist. In between this time I had to give up work, was made homeless and have been dealing with my son being diagnosed as severely hearing impaired. I had to stop socialising (too painful to walk anywhere), I took to sleeping on a sofa bed as my bathroom was downstairs and, quite frankly, I was mortified at how many times I wet myself trying to crawl to the loo in time. I lost interest in my appearance and rarely bothered getting dressed or eating. My house became a wreck. I tried to clean the kitchen by whizzing up and down on a computer chair and god help me if I got any cleaning fluids on my skin. I've lived with clingfilm, plastic and rubber gloves for ages now. My breaking point came when my son had an accident upstairs, cutting his arm and I could barely crawl upstairs let alone run like I wanted to. I broke down completely and told my partner to move out and take our child with him as I couldn't look after him properly (he didn't btw :-) ).
As things stand now we have just moved into a smaller, more manageable place and my dermatologist is considering starting PUVA. I have become very forthright at telling people that I am a Psoriasis fighter (I don't like the word sufferer either) and that I require additional help with everyday situations. The majority of agencies/people I deal with have been quite receptive. I'm still fighting for counselling though.
Today is a good day mentally but I now have patches of psoriasis spreading up my legs, on and in my butock cheeks, my 'lady bts' and my underarms which I am going back to my dermatologist to discuss on Thursday. My partner has the day off tomorrow so I wont feel isolated but I am going to have to draw on my inner strength to get through the rest of the week when I shall be, once again, alone and isolated. I do have a couple of close friends but no family left to lean on so the fight to stay sane will continue.
Thanks for reading.