Hey guys- My story

[guttateheartache]

Hey guys, I'm Sam. Im a 22 year old male. My mum has psoriasis and up until recently I thought I was spared. Ended up getting a serious throat infection and having a psoriasis outbreak afterwards. Also around this time Id broken up with my first girlfriend and was very stressed which effects it alongside a chaotic lifestyle in which I was heavily drinking, smoking and using illicit drugs. Psoriasis came in waves and up until july was manageable apart from on my legs. Tried putting coconut oil on them after recommendation from a friend and the condition worsened getting very itchy, I picked at it constantly thinking I might have scarred it. Ended up going to doctors and got prescribed Dovobet. It all went downhill from here. Dovobet whilst working at first triggered a massive reaction in me. Ended up getting it on my scalp, genitals thighs, heavily on lower legs, moderately on arms and back. Needless to say I was mortified. Have since got it slightly under control by giving up smoking and drinking and taking drugs less alongside the use of lecithin, dermol 500, chlorella, meditation and citrus fruits. This has massively impacted my self steem and I find it's making me very tired alot of the time. Any help would be appreciated, Glad to be a part of this community as feel a bit uncomfortable bringing it up around friends sometimes.

[jiml]

Hey guys, I'm Sam. Im a 22 year old male. My mum has psoriasis and up until recently I thought I was spared. Ended up getting a serious throat infection and having a psoriasis outbreak afterwards. Also around this time Id broken up with my first girlfriend and was very stressed which effects it alongside a chaotic lifestyle in which I was heavily drinking, smoking and using illicit drugs. Psoriasis came in waves and up until july was manageable apart from on my legs. Tried putting coconut oil on them after recommendation from a friend and the condition worsened getting very itchy, I picked at it constantly thinking I might have scarred it. Ended up going to doctors and got prescribed Dovobet. It all went downhill from here. Dovobet whilst working at first triggered a massive reaction in me. Ended up getting it on my scalp, genitals thighs, heavily on lower legs, moderately on arms and back. Needless to say I was mortified. Have since got it slightly under control by giving up smoking and drinking and taking drugs less alongside the use of lecithin, dermol 500, chlorella, meditation and citrus fruits. This has massively impacted my self steem and I find it's making me very tired alot of the time. Any help would be appreciated, Glad to be a part of this community as feel a bit uncomfortable bringing it up around friends sometimes.

Hi Sam and    to the forum, here you will find yourself among friends and fellow sufferers  that will be happy to talk about Psoriasis and how it affects us, also we are happy to share personal experience of what works for us and what doesn't ...
You are now a member of probably the best psoriasis forum on the Internet, it is fully independent, spam and Internet nasty free, it is a friendly safe platform for us to support each other and learn about the new treatments and research,
About your condition it's a shame at your age to be burdened with it, I was diagnosed myself aged 17 and hid myself for years but if there was ever a good time to have psoriasis I suppose this is it.....there are so many good drugs on the market and I would suggest you contact your doctor and tell them you want to be referred to a dermatologist ...tell them that it's not just your skin that's affected, but also your self esteem and it's having a devastating effect on your life ....tell them your quality of life is bad, and they should refer you to a dermatologist and get some proper treatment, as the steroid creams seem to have made your condition worse

I wish you luck and hope to hear more from you
Jim

[pingu]

Hi Sam and a warm welcome to the forum Loads of good people here to help.

Sounds like you had a tough couple of months to say the least. I am not an expert but many say that psoriasis is/was triggered by an event, traumatic or otherwise. Whether this was the sore throat or the stress of splitting with your GF.

Nobody is going to preach to you but the cleaner your life style many find helps.

Your GP is the first port of call and will prescribe first line drugs like Dovobet. If you are at all unhappy with the way that is working out get referred to a dermatologist, you may need to wait a little while under the NHS. The visible signs are what you can see and what is often more difficult to deal with is the emotional side of low self esteem etc. Particularly difficult when you are younger but as Jim said now is a good tome to have psoriasis with so much that can be done.

I had psorisis for 35-40 years and was constantly just given Dovobet until I sought a referal and with the new drugs and therapies available a lot of people can have considerably better results than the GP prescription drugs.

Good luck.

[Caroline]

Hi Sam,

Welkome to psoriasisclub.
Both Pingu and Jim have already said the essential things to start with. So i don't have to repeat them.

The forum is packed with information and experiences of real people with the current existing drugs. Sometimes this is even better than scientific research, as you learn that everyone is different in his/her reactions.
Very good to decrease smoking and drinking and drugs. I fear that psoriasis is a condition where you gain from a regular lifestyle, moving, sports, diet, etcetera

There is also an off topic section where you can join in for a chat and a drink with the other members.

Cheers and enjoy yourself with us.
Caroline

[Fred]

Hello Sam   to Psoriasis Club.

Throat problems and stress can both be triggers for psoriasis, I first got it at around age 25 and it knocked my self esteem for six. Thankfully today treatments are better and people are more understanding, also as the others said you are now part of our group and you will always find a friendly bunch willing to listen or share advice.

We also have the "Members Only" boards where you will find something to take your mind of psoriasis for a while, I'm often found in Off Topic and if you do venture in there I'm the sensible on so you can't miss me. I can't guarantee that you will meet a new girl friend here, but we all know how you feel and you are very welcome to offload if it helps.

I'm in agreement and disagreement with what the others have said.

Agreement: Get an appointment with a dermatologist, they are better suited to treat you. Also like they said tell your GP how it is effecting your quality of life, they have an obligation to take your mental health issues seriously. So take a copy of the DLQI and fill it in then take it to your next appointment. You can find it here: Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI)

Disagreement: Reducing or stopping Alcohol, Tobacco and recreational drugs made no difference what so ever to psoriasis. Yes obviously you are better off health wise without them but if you look it another way. Lighting up a joint removes stress, giving up smoking puts on weight, drinking a couple of glasses of red wine now and then is beneficial to ones health.

As for the natural approach, I'm not a fan as it's not something I could stick with and the evidence is not convincing enough for me. Some do well on it, but if it was as simple as removing some things from our diet we wouldn't be here at psoriasis club because we would all be free from it. Maybe it could work for you as it has for some, but not many keep coming back with updates about how well they are doing and this only makes me think it's like all treatments and it will fail eventually.    

Re the coconut oil: Make sure it's a good quality virgin one as the cheaper refined versions may contain chemicals that could be causing the itch.

At the end of the day Sam I would say get a dermatologist and keep coming back here. We can help you through it, but remember there is No Cure and what works for one may not work for another. It's all about finding what works for you and getting it under control.

Regards.

Fred.

[dyorke]

Hi Sam

Welcome the the club.... you will find everyone friendly and helpful...
I certainly feel a whole lot better now I have shared my Psoriasis story with the gang.

Get an appointment with a Dermatologist and then you  can work together to find the best treatment for you.

Good Luck

Tink x

[Turnedlight]

Hi Sam, nice to meet you :-)

[pingu]

Hi Sam and welcome

[Kat]

Welcome Sam!

[Sandra]

 Sam
I know just how you feel about Dovobet! Months of being wrapped in tar and bandages, psoriasis clearing, I was given dovobet to finish and had a massive reaction to it!
Lots of information and support available here.
Sandra

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