Her Skin and Bones - A Life with Psoriasis

Hello guys! Welcome and welcome back! I've been gone a while and I'm here to tell you why! So as you may know, I was put on Taltz at the start of August. I've got a few progress report posts in the "Current Treatment" tab. I had been experiencing headaches and migraines since beginning treatment, and was feeling alot of fatigue. I had put it down to starting a new treatment and having a loading dose - two needles on the same day. But the headaches continued. I was also dealing with extreme exhaustion, continued joint pain, and a few other things. And then I got sick. I went to the doctor at the end of August with what I thought was the flu. I mentioned my new medication, and the headaches etc. He took a look at me, and deduced I had a severe sinus infection, (the real cause of the headaches), an infection in my throat and a body so run down I could barely get out of bed. I was told not to take any shots while I had an active infection, and so I started...

Hey guys! So today I want to talk about options for when a doctor deems your condition not severe enough to step up to the next rung of treatments. This can happen for a number of reasons, and can be quite upsetting, because for us, the fact that it is there at all feels terrible, and feels incredibly unfair that a treatment should be ignored because its by textbook example "not bad enough". However, when you consider that some of the treatment options offered can cause more problems that they solve, its important to remember that in some cases it may be in your best interests, plus, you need to have somewhere to go, should things get worse. Its not impossible to climb the medical ladder, but it can take a lot longer than someone with a large amount of coverage. I know its incredibly frustrating. It can take such a long time to get onto a treatment that even dents the surface of the issues, and no one wants  to keep it longer than they have to. But the problem with an a...

Hello again! So over the past few days, I have been writing a post ready to get up, this isn't it. Its been a while since I've posted, and this is why. I've been sick over the last 2 weeks - Picked up the flu, a nice sinus infection, beginnings of a chest infection, thrush and about 10 more layers of exhaustion. I thought I was getting better over the weekend , and went and got my hair done. It turns out I was wrong, and I live with regrets :p. I'm still fighting with the side effects from the Taltz, so fatigue is not a word that covers how I've been feeling, and my bed has been my home over the last week especially. I spent too much time out in the cold, and I am physically paying for it now, which is disappointing. I've been in a bit of a hole mentally over the last month or so, and I'm not yet sure if the timing is coincidental with the start of my Taltz treatment, or brought on a bit by it. Either way, last night it came to a head with thanks to so...

Hey Guys! So today, I want to talk about weight. I know this may be a sensitive topic for a few of us, because we lose so much control over our bodies when it comes to battling a chronic health condition. I want to start by saying that while my experience is from that of the underweight, I want to stress that those on their fight to lose unwanted weight are just as welcome, valid and important. I will not tolerate any prejudice from one towards the other, because the reality is, we all fight our own battles for our own reasons, and while we may have opposing goals, we are all trying to be a happier, healthier version of ourselves. Treatment options can be a big cause of our weight fluctuations, and a huge cause of frustration and embarrassment for us, as can the health issues that require them like PsA, Pso Lupus and Crohns. They can directly affect the way we feel inside ourselves, and change our physical appearance so much that sometimes just leaving the house takes courage. Th...

Hello again! Today I want to talk about pregnancy when you have a chronic health condition. **There will be TMI things, because child birth!** There is a lot (more) to consider when you choose to procreate, with any long term illness. I know I had a lot of things going through my head when we were deciding if we should start a family. I was, and still am terrified that my kids might have to go through what I did. It is my greatest fear! I am worried as they get older they will get picked on. I worry that other mums who don't understand wont want to let their kids come to play. I also worry that i'm going to wind up in a wheelchair, or be otherwise incapable of playing with them and teaching them things as they grow up. These things terrify me! I've always wanted to be a mum, ever since I was little. Never getting to experience our amazing little boy? Never getting to see Jason be the amazing dad he is? It just was never an option for us. I wouldn't change a thin...

Hey Guys! So, today marks 1 month on Taltz! This adventure has so far been a bumpy ride. It has definitely helped my skin, but differently to how Humira or anything really, has helped in the past. I'm still having trouble with my joints, although I'm definitely in less pain, I'm still in some pain, and still feel the restrictions in my movements as I did before I started. To my knowledge, this is currently in trials to become a PsA treatment, but unless mine isn't PsA, it's not really helped as much on that front as I'd hoped it would. While the side effects have been more prominent, they have been mostly common. The headaches have been fairly extreme, almost daily. While Neurofen or Panadol takes the edge off, its back as soon as they wear off.  The exhaustion. I have been so tired you guys. For about 2 days after the injection, I feel more energised, and actually struggle to get to sleep, and then it's kind of like a sugar crash only it lasts for t...

Hey guys. Todays post is going to be a bit less cheerful, because to be honest, I'm just not feeling it. I've been asked alot lately if I have PsA. The simple answer is yes. I've said many times that for me, my skin is a back seat issue, which I know is the case for many of us. My joints are my top concern, and the cause of most of my pain. Before I started Humira, I was diagnosed with PsA - I was about 19 at official diagnosis, but had the symptoms from about 15/16. It started in my lower back and particularly in my Sacroiliac joint. I tried massage, and physio, I was given a support belt, and told to wear it as often as possible. It was one that was designed to pull my pelvis back in, as the joints were being pushed apart. Then my hip joints started to go. I was regularly only able to walk with crutches, after a while I was told that I had recurring bursitis, and best course of action was to do cortisone shots into the joints as needed. Centerlink sent me for a ...

Hello! Sorry I've been AWOL over the weekend! We had a well earned night off from parenting on Saturday night, so we spent some time sleeping, went out for dinner and drinks with some friends, and generally relaxed! I even managed to get some art in! So today I thought I would dive into the most frequently talked about treatment that I see alllllllllll over social media, and that is the clean eating, diet controlled - self-care option. This is something I  have mixed feeling about. As I've stated all along, I don't advocate for those who "push" treatments on people. I'm all for getting the information out there, but I'm not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't be doing. I've come to the conclusion that most people who read this blog are adults. That makes you automatically able to take away from the crap I babble what you like. I know we don't all agree on treatments, I know that we are all different, I know that we all believ...

Hello! Welcome/ back! I've put together this little informational post to allow you guys to share with folks who may have questions. Hell, I've had this bloody condition for 26 years and even I learned some shit! :p So! Lets get started! What Is Psoriasis? Psoriasis is a long term skin condition typically described as patches of skin that are red, itchy, painful, scaly or flaky. Plaque Psoriasis is the most common type making up around 90% of total sufferers. Psoriasis is considered an Auto-Immune Disease. This is when the body can't properly decipher the good from the bad. In our case, our body attacks itself particularly related to our skin. In an attempt to push the "bad" skin out it rapidly produces new layers of skin, and pushes them through in a high volume, which our body cannot naturally er, exfoliate? So it builds up and forms plaques. The silvery appearance is caused by the fact that as it is pushed out, it loses its connection with the blood sup...

Jumping right on in! There are very few situations where it is appropriate to ask a stranger what is wrong with them. When you get it wrong, Its a bit like congratulating someone and asking when they're due, when they aren't actually pregnant. For me, Psoriasis becomes that topic that everyone "wants" to know, but don't really want to know. So I don't tend to talk about it in general conversation, and even when people ask, I've found most times they are doing it more so to be polite than to actually learn anything, so a vague answer is often given with a coating of verbal glitter to distract them and the subject changes and we move on. Most of us have been going through the motions with Pso for quite some time,  and we get somewhat used to what goes along with it. Some of us start to get our skin out more, open up a bit more and react less to others. I can usually spot someone who is new to the secret society of Pso Warriors though. They are often...