Introduction & Psoriasis

[Guest guest]

It has already been encouraging to read some of the info on the list and

the humor is outstanding!

My psoriasis began on my scalp during my sophomore year (57/58) -- yes,

I'm 58. The summer of '60, following graduation, it got REALLY bad --

becoming a thick crust and even got into my ears. I had my hair cut into

a " pixie " , soaked my scalp with baby oil at night, covered it with

plastic and shampooed it out in the morning. It even got down into my

ears. The young GP who saw me dug through his PDR and came up with

Cor-tar-quin; it even came in drops that could be used in the ears and

helped.

Over the years, I've tried all kinds of doctors (including several

university clinics) and treatments and have finally decided that the

best thing to do is treat the symptoms and tough it out. I use a lot of

petroleum jelly or mineral oil based creams to keep the skin soft and

pliable and hydrocortisone cream bought over the counter. On one of the

last trips to the University of Texas, x-rays showed " some erosion " in

the lower sacral area of the spine " where it usually begins " . What I've

found through all this is that the treatment for this form of arthritis

is the same for ANY form: treat with anti-inflammatories, muscle

relaxers and pain meds.

Now, there is no insurance or money to spend on doctors or treatment so

I'm having a tough time. The last 3-4 weeks I've not felt like leaving

the house except for very short errands and return home exhausted. That

eliminates my most pleasurable time at our nearby primary school as a

volunteer reading tutor and a lot of other things as well. I miss my

students!!

I was on disability back in '77 when I was a single parent of three

children. I'd hoped to find info within this list that would encourage

my latest idea of filing for disability again but have decided it would

be useless since I am now married and my husband has a fair paying job.

I've been told before that we didn't qualify for even medical

assistance, sooo .... Resort to plan A -- tough it out. What do you

know/do about muscle spasms when you cannot afford doctor visits? Is it

tendonitis or pa? Is it fibromyalgia or pa?

It does seem to me that whatever the cause of psoriasis, it's internal.

I can usually 'tell' when something is about to happen and start trying

to really 'get my house in order' before it hits. Now I'm having LOTS

of digestive difficulties as well and wonder if it's related. I've gone

on a gluten free diet with good results but it's hard to eliminate all

wheat/oats/rye/barley totally from the diet. I'm open to ideas and

suggestions on how to cope, especially with the attitudes of the healthy

toward one whose problems 'come and go' and appears to fit conveniently

with what one does not want to do: " S/he can do what s/he really wants

to do " or " You don't LOOK sick " (especially when I can cover most of the

involved skin with clothes) or " How do you make such a mess on the

floor; is that cracker crumbs? " .

BTW: Did you know that a diagnosis of psoriasis would disqualify a

candidate from service in the Air Force? We learned this when our elder

son said he thought he had psoriasis and they called in a dermatologist

to say it was " just seborrhea " .

Thanks for 'being there'.

Patty Bacon in the Pineywoods of East Texas