Share your journey
Do you have a story to tell about living with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis?
I feel very much alone with this
I developed psoriasis at 11. Clearly, there was a strong genetic link as my father had severe psoriasis. My mother's reaction was very negative in that she said no one would ever want to marry me with this! Not a great thing for a young adolescent to hear.
People look at me and think there is nothing wrong
I've had patches of psoriasis on my head and body since I was about 10 years old. Steroid creams are useless [for me]. Then joint pain and arthritis symptoms started when I was 26 and they all came on really quickly affecting every joint in my body from the jaw down.
I try not to fight it, but accept my condition
I try to keep positive despite the aches and pains and to keep active. I still work full time as a Taxi Driver but make no secret of my condition to friends family and everyone. I do have days when I feel exhausted but I use those days to do things like reading, letter writing etc.
A silent hidden illness
I have had my psoriasis for over 20 years now and seem to have it in places different from others, thankfully not on my face.I have had my psoriasis for over 20 years now and seem to have it in places different from others, thankfully not on my face.
It's so difficult to get an appointment at my GP surgery
I have had psoriasis for over 30 years. It started in my late 20s after the birth of my first child. I used steroid creams for years but the skin on my knees & elbows got so thin the slightest knock & it would bleed. So I stopped using the prescribed medication & just used moisturisers.
I have become better, stronger and more confident
When I was 12 I was diagnosed with psoriasis. I remember the day it just appeared. My mum and I thought it was just poison ivy, but then it kept getting worse.
Be positive and strong and don't give in
Just before my 40th birthday I woke up in the middle of the night with a horrific pain in the inside of my right knee. This developed into inflamed knees, ankles, wrists and fingers. I couldn't use my hands, couldn't kneel down, couldn't do anything. I was in terrible agony and very scared.
It helps to share
I have had trouble with my heels splitting for several years, I was referred to the dermatology dept and diagnosed with psoriasis. I have had multiple treatments and at the moment have had 7 PUVA treatments.
My triggers seem to be stress and cold
I started with psoriasis when I was 14 and then with psoriatic arthritis when I was in my late teens/early twenties. I had many treatments at first i.e. tar baths, coal tar cream, ultra violet light treatment 3 times a week, which helped a bit, but not a lot.