Hanging in there

Ive been working on taking care of my husband the last few days as he has been having some health problems. Ill be posting more in depth in a couple of days when I get a chance to catch my breath!

Another day

Well I had my doctor appointment on Monday. She upped my antidepressant again and since I started taking it I have been struggling to stay awake so that's why I haven't posted. The nurse called me today but I was taking a nap so I returned the call but they didn't get back to me today. I talked to my doctor about my feet. She had x-rays taken and had a look before I left. She said she is going to have the radiologist look at them but where I'm complaining about the pain in my big toe joints she says she does see some arthritis starting. She said it doesn't look real bad to her but that she isn't an expert so sent them off. I imagine that's what they were calling me back for. That or my thyroid results. She drew blood to check my levels again. I guess Ill find out tomorrow.

My hands and feet are doing right about the same. My hands have been very red and even my pcp noticed it. This disorder, disease, condition, horrible nightmare, genetic monstrosity or whatever you like to call it, is so strange. It almost seems like it changes everyday. Its amazing how it affects people in different ways, even in good ways. It brings the worse and the best out of us I believe. We reach out to each other with kindness, caring and even love for one another even when we ourselves are in pain. I don't know why I ended up with psoriasis but I'm going to make the best of it.

Anyway, Ill be posting again with pictures here soon. I hope all of you have an itch free day!

October has swooped in...

I love October. Its a a time when the leaves begin to change and fall off the trees. A time to start bundling up and start planning for Halloween. But along with the season comes the cold weather which is so hard on my feet. I have another PCP Visit on Monday and Ill ask her to start looking into why they hurt so much. But it seems that the cold weather has really kicked up the pain level and they are at about a 4 or 5 all the time now.

I haven't had a "bad flare" but its been more of a small roller coaster ride for my P. I'm on Celexa which I think she will be kicking up to 40mg on Monday, Amaryl for my diabetes, Lisinopril which is a blood pressure medication but its used to help protect your kidneys and that's why I take it, Ativan for the panic attacks but luckily I haven't had any in a while and Levothyroxin for my thyroid. I also have been taking a multi vitamin, one of those chocolate chews once a day with dinner. I never could keep the pill form down but taking it this way, I'm doing great with it.

Now, its sort of like my PPPP rotates between my hands and feet although my feet are still in pain and my hands have been making me crazy. I have also noticed they have a red tint to them all the time now. I'm wondering if that's that one condition where all the blood goes to that area. I'm going to make an appointment with my derm sometime next week I think and even though I don't have a lot of confidence in her Ill ask her about it.

Here are some pictures I took today.

 

 

So you can see, its not really severe right now, but it sure is enough to irritate me and my feet hurt pretty bad. I'm going to ask my doctor if I can take some darvocet for the pain. I hope she lets me. If not she can give me something else.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great month! Ill be posting closer to Halloween unless something else comes up :)

Better or worse...

Some days its hard to tell if I'm getting better or worse or if its just simply changing getting better in some spots and worse in others. I'm very disappointed that I didn't get to continue the Keflex but I have other medical issues going on right now and it was necessary for stop so I could take other medications. What medical issues? Thyroid disease, diabetes, kidney issues, depression, anxiety. Nice little mix there isn't it? So I'm on Celexa and Ativan for the anxiety and depression, Amaryl for the diabetes, Synthroid for the thyroid disease and Lisinopril for my kidney issue. Yes Lisinopril is generally used for high blood pressure and to protect against heart attacks but it is also used to help protect the kidneys from protein. Or so my doctor says!

So here's my hands as of tonight...

They're just slightly peeling but not bad and just a few tiny spots where a blister tried to come up and just didn't quite make it. I have a couple spots you cant really see in the pictures where I picked a piece of skin off and it pulled good skin off and bled a tiny bit. Thats my fault, I'm a picker, I try not to but it seems to be so hard to not pick sometimes.

Now for my feet, which look rougher and I have been having pain with the last couple of weeks. Here's my left foot. Its the better one I think.

 

 

Now my right foot. This is the foot that's been giving me trouble. It hurts, half the time I don't want to walk on it but I'm doing the best I can to suck it up. I'm not going to complain about it, it is what it is. 

 

 

 

 So there you have it. Not the best of updates but who knows what the future holds.

Now its been suggested that if I quit smoking (I quit several months ago) that this would go away. It didn't. If anything it may be worse now than when I smoked. Also it has been suggested that I'm allergic to bugs and/or bug feces. I don't feel this is the case. I'm also on a medication for my allergies, but honestly, I cant see that this would be the case. My diet has changed and is changing again, doing this has not helped at all either. The Keflex was helping, but I needed to do the best thing for my body right now. So your guess is as good as mine, what caused this, what will heal this...

I just know that tomorrow is a new day and I hope everyone has a great one!

Better days

Well I thought I would go ahead and post today even though I wasnt going to until next week. Ive been doing pretty good and I feel like the Celexa has really kicked in. Im not so stressed out now and today I can really tell its working because I can say today that I am happy :)

Now since starting the Celexa I was taken off Keflex. I was really worried what might happen especially since some say Celexa caused their P or caused them to have flares. I was scared! Ive been on it now about 3 weeks give or take and I have to say, I think my skin is getting better. Ill post some pictures I took the other day. My feet arent the greatest. My right foot in particular is pretty rough. Its p[ainful too which doesnt help. I dont dare say anything on the NPF website because the last time I put pictures up there were a couple of people who said hurtful things to me so now Im afraid to. Anyway, heres some pictures from a few days ago.

Taken 9/8/09

 My hands are doing better but Ive been doing stuff today so theyre all red Ill take pictures tomorrow when I havent irritated them so you can see what they look like right now.

Alright, well thats all I have to say at the moment! I hope youre all doing well :)

Celexa

Well my hands are about the same, they aren't too bad, I do have some tender spots however and they are dry and peeling like crazy. Last Friday I went to the new PCP I have and she put me on Celexa because I haven't been sleeping and have been having panic attacks and mild depression. Well I didn't know at this point that Celexa has been known to cause psoriasis and to cause flare ups. *BIG SIGH* But since starting the Celexa I have been sleeping and I hadn't gotten more than an hour of sleep at a time for the two weeks prior so I am so thankful that the Celexa seems to have helped this problem. Its nice being able to sleep. When you get sleep its like seeing the world in color instead of black and white. Ill have to keep an eye on my PPPP very closely though. If I flare up Ill know it must be the Celexa doing it or at least it may be involved. If that happens then Ill have to go back to my PCP and ask her to change my antidepressant to something else and pray that doesn't also cause a flare. I have a spot on the bottom of my foot that has been extremely sore and if that doesn't get better Ill show her the spot. I am thinking of bringing up that my feet have been very very painful and ask if she can either check for arthritis or refer me to a rheumy. I hope I don't have PA.

Alright, I have things to do, hope you all have a wonderful P free day!

Gah Im in a flare!

Before I start, I didn't notice until today there was no "Subscribe to" button on my blog. You should be able to subscribe now and Ill subscribe back on you're as well.

Ok, so I don't think it was the chlorine in the pool. I'm thinking it is the fact that the doctor who prescribed me the Keflex was on vacation and I couldn't get a prescription refill until Friday. I have been off Keflex for two weeks. I'm on them again now though. I need to call my derm because I'm not sure that the topicals are doing any good at all. Maybe she will have me try another one, I don't know, I don't have much faith in her to begin with.

Ok so I took pictures the other day of the newest flare up. I think its going to be more mild this time, but here are the first ones.

Taken 8/22/09



And since I seem to have left my camera at my aunts house, those are the only ones I'm posting today lol I am using my topicals I did last night and the night before, I don't think I will have to use them tonight, but Ill decide closer to bedtime. My feet might get the topicals and not my hands because my feet are really bothering me. My right foot in particular is hurting pretty bad today.

So that's the update for now, I will try to get my camera and post more pictures tomorrow for you.

Hey can everyone tell me what you think has been the most beneficial thing you have done for yourself concerning your P.

Have a great day!

Just checking in!

I just thought I'd lay down a few lines tonight. I'm about to finish watching America's Got Talent and then slide into a warm bath with peppermint clove salt and oatmeal. I do have some areas on my hands but I cant tell if it's I'm just flaring or if its irritation from the chlorine in the pool. I'm sure Ill find out as Ill be in the pool on Friday too. I guess I don't care if it IS the pool doing it because I love to swim, I rarely get to do it and I'm not going to be stopped! LOL Besides, I can bounce back from anything right? :)

Phew!

I thought I was going to have this really bad flare last night and apparently my hands were just irritated, possibly from the swimming pool, because last night I decided to not use any topicals at all and this morning my hands are 100% better than last night!




They do look a tiny it rough still but I'm on the break from topicals. That's why I decided not to use any last night. My feet are doing better too. They weren't bothering me much last night though. I don't really use the topicals on my feet much and Ill explain why. I like to be barefoot most of the time. This house I'm living in has old hardwood floors. If you have ever had hardwood floors, you'll know that no matter how many times a day you sweep you always have dust and little bits of whatever the dogs track in from outside and the cat finds under the couch etc lol So putting topicals on my feet would just end up being a mess of crap stuck to the bottom of my feet. Using them at night I have to wear socks over top with the cream and when I use the ointment I have to use Seran wrap and socks. In the winter that's ok, I don't mind much but in the summer it gets so hot on my feet it drives me nuts!

Now about my feet, the bottom of my right foot has been bothering me for quite some time now. Although lately I have been using the Halobetasol ointment on my feet. The skin on the bottom isn't red or anything, but its thick. Like really thick, cracked, peely, scaly, painful. I have tried soaking my feet, I have tried using Dermarest on my feet (Dermarest did help peel a tiny bit but not enough) I have used plain Vaseline, I have used my peppermint jelly, my homemade moisturizer, Aveeno daily lotion, Vaseline hydrating lotion, Eucerin ointment, I have tried just about everything on it and nothing... NOTHING is helping to soften it or make it smaller. It seems it just keeps getting a little bit bigger everyday. Towards the top of the spot its very painful. It hurts to walk on it pretty bad. I also have another pain spot down towards the heel which isn't in the bad area, doesn't appear to have any P on it, but there's a small lump there, just under the size of a dime. My husband thinks its just a calloused spot like maybe something in my shoe is rubbing so I'm going to be looking for a new pair of shoes asap and see it that helps. Anyway, the redness has gone down tremendously, almost to nothing so I'm happy about that.



Its really hard for me to take pictures of the outside edge of my feet so I usually skip those parts and just take pics of them every now and then.


All in all I am very pleased with how I am doing. I think it may have been the chlorine in the pool making the blisters show up last night and all the redness because today as you can see, it's much better. Well I need to get other things done, so Ill leave this for now. Take care everyone!

Oh no... flaring up!

Well.... I don't know who it was that said "All good things must come to an end" But Im seriously debating hunting him down and beating the daylight out of him.

I don't know what it was, if it was just being busy, if it was the swimming pool, if it is just fate, but I'm flaring again. It started about 3 this afternoon, its 9:40 now, both palms have blisters are all red, burning, hurting, painful when I try to grasp something. My pinky finger on my right hand, right on the tip has blisters and is very very painful to touch. All in just a matter of hours. You could sit and watch them come up. Grrrr!

Well I went swimming today, which was worth it I guess because I really did have a lot of fun. I don't know if maybe the chlorine in the pool made me flare?

Does it make any of you flare up? I guess I will be pulling out the topicals tonight and wearing gloves to bed. God I hate this stinkin disorder, THIS SUCKS! I'm going to continue to take the Keflex but if it doesn't clear back up then Ill know the Keflex isn't working and Ill try to find myself some new options.

In a nutshell

Ok, I'm going to try to put everything from the last 4 - 5 months into one post and catch up to today so that I can continue on from here :)

So you hopefully have read my P story which I previously posted. I haven't always had my camera to be able to take pictures so you wont see any from when it was severe. I have had some really rotten days even when my hands and feet looked mostly clear. Having something like psoriasis is not just physical, it's also a very hard emotionally and mentally. Its hard. It doesn't matter if you have pustular, palmoplantar, guttate, plague or any other type of psoriasis I haven't mentioned, this is a very hard skin disorder to have, no matter the severity.

So when I first started taking pictures I had like the very start of my first flare. I started getting the blisters and the pictures were taken the next night. They come up so fast you can almost watch them rise, literally. I only had pictures of my feet because at this point my hands hadn't really started doing anything yet. I had maybe 5 tiny blisters on the palm of one hand when the ones of my feet were taken.



A couple of days later my hands flared up and ugh, it was almost unbearable. I couldn't even dress myself, I couldn't walk, I couldn't use the restroom without assistance. I crawled around on my knees and elbows when I had to do anything. Thank God for my husband. I wouldn't have made it through that without him. It got really severe on the bottom center of my feet and my fingertips and hands.

These were taken about 2 weeks later.


At this point I only had one picture of one hand, its the one I use as my header for this blog. It was taken about 1 week after the previous feet pictures you see here.



All the skin ended up peeling off. The worse part of this has been the pain and not being able to live the way I want to. At one point it was so bad it was bleeding, the itching was driving me insane, it looked like my skin was rotting. I was crawling around the house on my knees and elbows because I couldn't walk.

So this is like one big roller coaster. You get better you get worse you get better again, you get worse. I did at one point clear up on my hands, my right hand completely but not my left. My left hand is always worse than my left which I am grateful for because I'm right handed.

Ill post some pics and date them so you can see how it gets better then worsens. Thank God its never been as bad as when it first started and I couldn't walk. Since that first flare, it's been much milder but as I said, it goes from mild to moderate then mild.

These were taken on 5/29/09 You can see I was doing great here. I had been on Presidone for a week and using Halobetasol Propianate Ointment 0.5% for 2 weeks at this point.




This was 5/30/09. Just a little bit of red spots and a tiny bit of peeling.


6/07/09 Check out my right hand, its beautiful! My left hand was getting a little rough though.



6/20/09 After using Halobetasol for a week prior to the pictures. I had to stop using it per doctors orders on this day.


6/22/09 Still not too bad I guess but what you can't see is the pain. The feeling like you have been playing with fiberglass.



6/23/09 The next day, you can really see how fast this stuff flares. My fingers were really hurting there. It didn't help that they were swelling up either.



6/24/09 Still about the same.



6/30/09 It looks a little bit angry here.



So, the 5th of July I got out of bed and my right heel hurt. It was a shock, put my foot down and OUCH! So I baby it all day and take it easy. Well the 6th comes and its worse. I really don't like going to the doctor. Besides it being about 15 miles away in the next town over, sometimes I just feel like its such a waste of time. So going against my husband telling me I need to go I stay home. Well when the 7th got here I could only limp around and I knew I needed to do something because it wasn't getting any better. I waited until I knew there wouldn't be a lot of people in urgent care and drove in. The doctor who was there that night is awesome. I really like her, she listens to what youre saying and doesn't just blow you off like a lot of doctors do. She determines that I have a skin infection from a small crack in my heel. Oh yay right? You bet your butt yay! lol She put me on Keflex. Well I had been trying for a while to get my dermatologist to put me on Keflex because one of the gals on the NPF forums says that it helped clear her up, so this is something I REALLY wanted to try. I was so happy. You couldn't slap the smile off my face. So I go on Keflex. At that point I was only taking baths with oatmeal and epsom salts and occasional Halobetasol. The next pictures were taken 3 days after I started the Keflex.

7/10/09




Next ones are taken 5 days later. Still kind of angry looking.

7/15/09




A very wise woman told me it takes time to heal, be patient. :)

Next ones were taken on the 18th, 10 days after starting Keflex.

7/18/09



Next ones you can really SEE the improvement. They're taken 23 days after starting on Keflex.

8/01/09



Wow huh? Yea WOW! To me this is a HUGE improvement! I did use my Halobetasol about 4 days during that time. If I wouldn't have I don't know it would have done so well.

Now, that pretty much brings you up to date. Right now I DO have some blisters coming up again. I'm using Halobetasol for a couple of days and then not for a couple days, on and off. I would be in trouble if it weren't for the Halobetasol I think.

So I have hard days and easy days and lately they have been more easy ones which is good. I have had days I hurt so much I couldn't open a bottle or hold a glass. Days I had to have help doing the most simple things.

I hope they find a cure one day. But until then Ill keep treating my psoriasis and doing the best I can while I try to help others. Ill try to keep posting updates on here, plus I have 3 other blogs so I'll most likely be going between them all on alternating days.

As for me Ill end this post for the night. Today is my 9th wedding anniversary and we have a drive planned to Lake Michigan to see lighthouses. Have a great day!