Psoriasis & A Healhtier Lifestyle

Jenn152

I was diagnosed with Psoriasis (www.psoriasis.org) in 2002 when I was a sophomore in college. I have been through countless types of treatment as I have 3 types of Psoriasis (Plaque, Guttate, & Inverse). I am very fortunate to have a fabulous attitude about my diagnosis, as there is NO CURE and it's never going to go all the way away, so I accept it as a part of who I am and what makes me great! :blushing: No lack of confidence here...

There have been periods of the last 9 years where it has covered upwards of 70% of my whole body/scalp :noway: I am what the doctors like to call a 0% success rate because very few of the treatments prescribed to me were really making a difference. I was a college student and although I was in good shape, I was drinking heavily and eating poorly (thank you early 20s) and my lifestyle was a major reason I had a hard time getting my disease in control. I was able to get approved for an injectable drug, after many many failed treatments, and that cleared it almost 100% :bigsmile: After relying on that for a few years (it is insanely expensive - over $3,000 a month, thank god for insurance) my doctor started talking to me about the possible side effects of long-term use (cancer... yikes) and that he would really like me to get off of it and try to keep control with other treatments (that never worked for me before :mad: ...). So I agreed, because cancer spreads easily enough on its own, I didn't want to give it a personal invite to my body!

Enter MFP and getting myself together weight-wise and health-wise! :drinker:

Little did I know, that all I would need to do would be to eat as cleanly as possible and maintain a solid workout routine to get my Psoriasis in check! It is by no means cleared, but I would say it only covers about 5% of my body right now and I can live with that! My dermatoligist is shocked and impressed to say the least. I am of course still using some topical treatments to keep it at bay, but it is very very manageable at this point and I couldn't be happier!

Anyone else using MFP with Psoriasis and have you experienced similar results?

BeautyFromPain

I don't have it on my skin, only my scalp but yes it has cleared up MASSIVELY!

ToddFo

Congratulations. That's awesome!

My wife deals with the same problem, but to a lesser extent. She has a really poor diet, and I'm always getting after her. I'm definitely going to point out your post.

Jenn152

Yes! Absoultely point her to this post! I would've never believed it either, until it happened to me

Redladystl

I do of the scalp very very bad. Only eating clean is the total cure for me. 100%!

SuperScrabbleGirl

My Mum has psoriasis and so did my Nan, so I was hardly shocked when I got it, but I was slim, active and 17 years old, so I didn't attribute it to my lifestyle. I've had two very bad flare ups in my life, the first was when it initially manifested itself, the second was when I was going through a ****ty time emotionally and was eating really badly, as well as drinking and trying to write my dissertation. I had to go to hospital and it just was not fun at all.

I'd say that I usually have 5 or 6 patches of it regularly, or I used to, because I can honestly say I maybe have one or two tiny spots now and haven't had anything bigger for a while (About 4 months). It has to be the healthier lifestyle because I don't treat it unless it's a really bad flare up.

How ace is that? Thank you vitamins and minerals.

Jenn152

How ace is that? Thank you vitamins and minerals.

AMEN to that!

mrsmellymac

I was diagnosed with Psoraisis when I was 14, but I've had it since I was little, the doctors just didn't know what it was or were too lazy to take a sample of skin and analyze it (thank you very much Army doctors >.<). But its something I've constantly dealt with. It has thankfully cleared up everywhere BUT my scalp. On stressful days, or menstruation, I get flare ups. I'll find it on my elbows, between my breasts, or on my nose. I put on some A&D and it goes away.

I never really thought it would deal with what I was eating, its always been emotional with me. During my pregnancy it was pretty much GONE. I don't take vitamins and I don't really spend money on treatment. I'm afraid of the shots because, quite frankly, my psoraisis won't kill me, and some of those vaccinations have deadly side effects.

Like you, I just come to accept my psoraisis. Its a part of who I am, and I'll try to keep it at bay.

I think my son has it too, I found some plaque-y skin behind his ears. Doctor said he's too young to do anything about it, so I'm just puttin some A&D on it. A&D is the best thing ever.

mrsmellymac

I should add, congratulations to your success with your recovery, that is amazing!! i bet you feel like a million bucks!! I know I feel like crap even with a few areas with my flare ups....the itching...OH GOSH THE ITCHING! ahhh! lol (it makes me itchy now) :embarassed:

Jenn152

I should add, congratulations to your success with your recovery, that is amazing!! i bet you feel like a million bucks!! I know I feel like crap even with a few areas with my flare ups....the itching...OH GOSH THE ITCHING! ahhh! lol (it makes me itchy now) :embarassed:

Oh yeah the itching and cracking and bleeding... is AWFUL! I would scratch myself til I bled IN MY SLEEP! hahah it was horrendous! I think as we get older and learn what our triggers are it is easier to handle.

mrsmellymac

Oh yeah the itching and cracking and bleeding... is AWFUL! I would scratch myself til I bled IN MY SLEEP! hahah it was horrendous! I think as we get older and learn what our triggers are it is easier to handle.

Oh yes, the other night I was scratching my scalp in my sleep and i woke up with blood under my nails. I might need mitts or something, like what we put on babies while they sleep lol.

Its really nice to be able to talk to people about this!

does anyone suffer from psoraic arthritis? The doctor said I don't but my joints hurt really bad where I flare up.

Jenn152

i do not suffer from psoriatic arthritis YET... but my doctors all say that it is basically inevitable for psoriasis sufferers! oh well... again, nothin i can do about it, so ill maintain walking and working out forever... lol

JeSuisPrest

My mother suffers from it and have occasionally wondered if those are flare ups I get on my scalp. What exactly do you think contributed to the improvement you have seen? What are you doing differently? What changes have you made exactly? Is it something you've stopped eating??

debiann58

hi my name is debi i am 58 and have this for 45 years, except for the pass four years it was not to bad, the past 20 years have i been way over weight, i have been over two hundred pounds and not very healthy i need to make some big changes how i eat and i need to start moving more it was nice seeing this group thank you for starting this, hope we can share more storys debi

mrsmellymac

hi my name is debi i am 58 and have this for 45 years, except for the pass four years it was not to bad, the past 20 years have i been way over weight, i have been over two hundred pounds and not very healthy i need to make some big changes how i eat and i need to start moving more it was nice seeing this group thank you for starting this, hope we can share more storys debi

yes, its great to be able to share. I haven't been able to really talk about it to anyone because I don't know anyone else with it!

I've heard fish oil tablets help. I haven't taken them (i'm REALLY bad with taking pills and stuff).

Jenn152

My mother suffers from it and have occasionally wondered if those are flare ups I get on my scalp. What exactly do you think contributed to the improvement you have seen? What are you doing differently? What changes have you made exactly? Is it something you've stopped eating??

i just eat as few processed foods as possible. i am by no way a vegatarian/vegan and i am not obsessed with organic. but i do buy all fresh produce and i try to avoid eating alot of things that come from a "package" so to speak. I still eat some things that do, but as a whole i try to make sure every meal has some sort of fresh vegatable involved and lean meats. i eat tons of veggies and fruits. :O) I also take a Fish Oil tablet every day (that is more for my heart health, but it assists with Psoriasis as well)

dixiech1ck

I am a psoriasis suffer as well. My dad has it. I was diagnosed as a kid with serrobic dermatitis, go to see another derma when I moved to Pennsy who took one look at my nails and said "My dear, you have psoriasis." =( I get it pretty bad on my scalp, behind and in my ear canal, on my backside and around my breast area. It's painful. But what I've started noticing lately is that the oil spots on my fingers get worse, making my nails crack so easily. My toenails have started to turn black and blue -- my 2nd toe on my left foot, the nail is nearly pulling right off my foot. Has anyone else experienced nail pain??

I was also diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. I got really sick in January and by April, still was not better. Went for a multitude of bloodtesting, my CRP came back at over a 3.0 (it should be under .85) for inflammation. I've been on naproxen and meloxicam, and nothing helps. I don't want to go on high powered meds yet. The weight loss has been a huge help though on my joints.

I have to go back to my derma -- my scalp is just driving me nuts. What works for you? I have a scalp wash, prescribed, but it doesn't seem to work well. I HATE carmex -- that stuff puts my hair in terrible knots, no matter how much I try to condition my hair after. =(

Jenn152

For my scalp, I use Loprox (prescribed) shampoo every 3-4 days and I also try to use Derma Smooth Scalp Oil (prescribed) as needed once a week or every 2 weeks, that one you put on and then put a shower cap on and go to sleep so it can be on all night, then i wash it out in the morning with regular shampoo & conditioner. I also used Nuetragena T-Gel when I didnt have insurance, there is a target brand that is great too.

I go to my derm every 6-8 weeks. So he can keep an eye on me.

I do not have the nail issue, but my friend at work does. His are also very dark and rutted, very painful he says.

poesch77

I suffer from Psoriasis as well.....very bad on my scalp ( wearing black=not good) tad bit on each elbow, inner corner of eyes on occasion and now most recently on my dang hands, palms and thumbs! This is tough because it is hard to keep ointment on the hands! I got my first patch in my early 20's and have been on various creams, ointments and a mousse type RX for my head. Tried different shampoos to no avail. Seems to be more intense when I have TOM....fish oil does help when I take it! I am glad to hear I am not the only one with these problems!

Jenn152

There are Millions of people affected by this disease I am very open and honest about mine and I even educate my office with info boards and tid-bit info emails during the month of August every year (August is Psoriasis Awareness Month). I talk to strangers about it on the street (ya know, the people that ask if you have poison ivy or an allergic reaction). This is a part of me and I am not ashamed of it at all. I love making people aware of it, so they can become more compassionate as a whole :happy:

Scholastica1974

Jenn152 - it's not inevitable that you will get psoriatic arthritis (PA). As someone who has severe psoriasis you are more likely to get PA than someone who has mild or moderate psoriasis but from my understanding I think the chances are pretty much 50/50. I have PA but it's mild. My severe psoriasis is pretty much in remission at the moment and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that long may it continue