Hey all....

[usedtobecool]

The reason I decided to post is that Ive been battling with this soul swallowing , life ruining monster since I was about 48 (and now Im 55) on my own as far as financially. I would pay cash to see a derma and he would give me samples since I was on a budget and I only had it on my knees and elbows a little bit but it never for 1 minute stopped its slow but sure progression...once it takes an area it keeps it. So Ive tried every topical known to man the last one bieng enstilar which works for a minute by the time I got through the can it wasnt working any more and the monster came back with a vengeance. Well now a few years down the road its on pretty much 80 percent of my body including my face and hands which u cant cover with chlothes.I live in southern california with my beautiful and understanding for now girlfriend who offered insurance thru her work and im signed up and went in last week to see if I could get hooked up with a derma and get some of the"good stuff" like stelara it may kill me which is what my old derma used to say but I am dying anyways inside and out so I gotta try it cause the road im on rite now is real dark and twisty . I basically go to work and thats it and I spend about 2 to 3 hours fixing my face every day and I always wear gloves and long pants and long sleeves which kills me....I used to be a surf rat shorts no shirt endless summer shit. I used to be cool now I have trouble even talking to people for fear of my makeup wiping off and my red face peeking out so Im hoping for the best and Ill keep posting when something good happens i got my TB test done so I can go into the new dermas with my results in hand so he knows im serious if he tries to give me some kind of cream youll probably hear about me in the newspapers...I dont want to kill again. Ha ha just kidding! ttys

[jiml]

The reason I decided to post is that Ive been battling with this soul swallowing , life ruining monster since I was about 48 (and now Im 55) on my own as far as financially. I would pay cash to see a derma and he would give me samples since I was on a budget and I only had it on my knees and elbows a little bit but it never for 1 minute stopped its slow but sure progression...once it takes an area it keeps it. So Ive tried every topical known to man the last one bieng enstilar which works for a minute by the time I got through the can it wasnt working any more and the monster came back with a vengeance. Well now a few years down the road its on pretty much 80 percent of my body including my face and hands which u cant cover with chlothes.I live in southern california with my beautiful and understanding for now girlfriend who offered insurance thru her work and im signed up and went in last week to see if I could get hooked up with a derma and get some of the"good stuff" like stelara it may kill me which is what my old derma used to say but I am dying anyways inside and out so I gotta try it cause the road im on rite now is real dark and twisty . I basically go to work and thats it and I spend about 2 to 3 hours fixing my face every day and I always wear gloves and long pants and long sleeves which kills me....I used to be a surf rat shorts no shirt endless summer shit. I used to be cool now I have trouble even talking to people for fear of my makeup wiping off and my red face peeking out so Im hoping for the best and Ill keep posting when something good happens i got my TB test done so I can go into the new dermas with my results in hand so he knows im serious if he tries to give me some kind of cream youll probably hear about me in the newspapers...I dont want to kill again. Ha ha just kidding! ttys

Hi usedtobecool   to the club ....I agree it's a nasty disease that we have to come to terms with and battle on trying to beat it or at least control it .....
Your old dermatologist was not very good if he told you Stelara would kill you .....but you know there are so many other things that can control the disease have a look at the oral treatments here Oral Treatments For Psoriasis he may well try you on one of these before Stelara
I hope you can get it ...but the point I'm making is that if you don't get it there are many alternatives including other Biological see Biological Treatments For Psoriasis

Good luck with whatever you get ...do let us know what you get and how it works for you

A great way to hear what's new in psoriasis research and members experiences is to subscribe to our free monthly newsletter Groups and then click on join group  

Jim

[Turnedlight]

Hi and welcome.
Sorry to hear about how psoriasis has taken over, it’s such a common disease that I always think we should be very used to seeing people with it, but it doesn’t seem to work like that.
If you’re like many sufferers, sunshine should help a lot so being uncovered on the beach would be better than covering up but I totally understand how it feels to feel you’re being stared at - I don’t like it on my face but I have come to a point where I can’t be bothered to cover arms or legs and I have stopped feeling so self conscious.
I hope you get your treatment soon to give you a break..

[Fred]

Hello usedtobecool   to Psoriasis Club.

Good to see you managed to log in ok and post an intro.

I know it's not easy but try not to let psoriasis rule your life. Having a negative attitude about it will only make it worse, so try every day even just for a minute or two to take your mind of it. I can recommend our [Group Specific] board only available to members for that, you will find plenty to take your mind off things for a while in there.

Stelara is a great treatment I done very well on it for over 6 years. Your old dermatologist is talking utter rubbish and Stelara will not kill you, in fact it will do the opposite and give you your life back.

I'm sure once you get a few months of Stelara under your belt you will probably be back in your shorts by the summer and your girlfriend will think she has a new fella.

Regards.

Fred.

[Kat]

Welcome! I hope you have great success with your new dermatologist and we don't hear about you on the news if they try to give you another topical!

Since you're in the US, I'll tell you what I've found so far as it may or may not help you. I was on Acitretin (oral med) and it was covered on our prescription plan. For me, the cost was still around $300 per month. (Worked but won't go into details, stopped it after a bit) This time, the dermatologist prescribed Stelara (a biologic). The good part about biologics is that they can fall under not just your prescription plan but your medical plan as well. My medical plan didn't cover it all so they did a "buy and bill" plan which I still don't understand but the cost ended up free to me. Of course different insurance plans here will handle each case differently but it doesn't hurt to include a discussion on cost of whatever treatment they offer up front.

Hope you get some relief soon!!!!!

[D Foster]

Hi and welcome to the club , I have had this bloody stubborn problem for years and I have had everything that you can think of but I have been on Stelara now for around 5 years and it has given me my life back. It's really good and it's the only thing that really works for me so all the best and I hope that you get on to it.

[Bill]

Welcome usedtobecool,

The bios have brought about some very remarkable transformations in quick time. Good to see you getting some treatment and I hope things turn good for you very soon.

Cheers

[usedtobecool]

Thanks for all the cheerful words of wisdom guys I was starting to get that alone on a desert island feeling. Im glad I found u people here reading ur posts helps to remind me im not alone and I want to tell my story from the states which Im gathering could be much more difficult to get what I need than if I lived in europe or thereabouts.  So if that would be the case for me u guys just let me know if u need a roommate!ha ha

[Kat]

Thanks for all the cheerful words of wisdom guys I was starting to get that alone on a desert island feeling. Im glad I found u people here reading ur posts helps to remind me im not alone and I want to tell my story from the states which Im gathering could be much more difficult to get what I need than if I lived in europe or thereabouts.  So if that would be the case for me u guys just let me know if u need a roommate!ha ha

Nooooo, don't abandon me! There's so few of us on the forums.

However, if you do decide to move in with one of these crazy people, let me know and I'll tell you who to stay away from!

[Fred]

Thanks for all the cheerful words of wisdom guys I was starting to get that alone on a desert island feeling. Im glad I found u people here reading ur posts helps to remind me im not alone and I want to tell my story from the states which Im gathering could be much more difficult to get what I need than if I lived in europe or thereabouts.  So if that would be the case for me u guys just let me know if u need a roommate!ha ha

Nooooo, don't abandon me!  There's so few of us on the forums.

However, if you do decide to move in with one of these crazy people, let me know and I'll tell you who to stay away from!