Psoriasis Journey
Even as a little kid, I would occasionally get these patchy, flaky rashes that would suddenly appear, and just as suddenly disappear. Since the doctors were unable to see the flare ups, they just chalked it up to an allergic skin reaction to something.
Now, I don't blame the doctor's for that. This started way back in the '70's to early '80's...a time where every man, woman, and child were bereft of a cellphone. No digital camera's, no tablets...heck the smallest Apple device was able the size of desktop laser printer.
All the doctor's had to go on was what my mother and I were able to describe. And since my mother only saw them once, and they were gone the very next day, it was hard even for her to accurately describe the look of the skin.
Fast forward a few years, to the mid '90's. I was then serving on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, when these small skin abrasions started appearing on my hands and knees. At first, I assumed it was just dry skin. Especially when some of these raised areas became hard, flaky, and even split open.
Since my job required me to constantly expose my hands to various oils and compounds (I was an Electro/Environmental System Specialist on fighter jets) I figured it was the working conditions that was drying up my skin. After a few months when the areas didn't exactly go away, but seemed to spread to other areas of my hands and even my eye lids, I figured it was high time I made a visit to a doctor.
Doctor looked at me for a few seconds and said confidently, "Eczema". So, he provided me with some Aquaphor, and Eucerin. It helped, but they never went away. Plus, as a side note, my figer nails started to lose their round edge and became more rigid in texture. If you looked closely, you could just make out a few little dots appearing on the nails...plus, they kept breaking at the slightest impact...usually to the quick.
Fast forward to the the early 2000's, and I am now a silly-vilian gain. My hands look worse, large patches of raised ugly red, peeling, bleeding, scaly looking skin. I still get flare ups on my lids, cheeks, neck, scalp, elbows, knees...
Went to a dermatologist. Looked at my skin and nails for several minutes. Finally the correct diagnosis...Psoriasis. He gave me some ointments and lotions.
So over the next several years, I had good days and bad. I took to hiding my hands as often as possible. I was tired of the looks I would get, like I was carrying some leprous disease that would infect the mass populace by my presence at work. People would keep an awkward distance from me...even friends. My self esteem would get lower and lower. My kids even once made a comment about my hands, innocently, and I felt myself start to shrivel in embarrassment and shame.
Around 2010 I came to grips with the "look" of my skin. I stopped carrying, to some extent, how others viewed or treated me. That's when it got worse.
Now, I don't blame the doctor's for that. This started way back in the '70's to early '80's...a time where every man, woman, and child were bereft of a cellphone. No digital camera's, no tablets...heck the smallest Apple device was able the size of desktop laser printer.
All the doctor's had to go on was what my mother and I were able to describe. And since my mother only saw them once, and they were gone the very next day, it was hard even for her to accurately describe the look of the skin.
Fast forward a few years, to the mid '90's. I was then serving on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, when these small skin abrasions started appearing on my hands and knees. At first, I assumed it was just dry skin. Especially when some of these raised areas became hard, flaky, and even split open.
Since my job required me to constantly expose my hands to various oils and compounds (I was an Electro/Environmental System Specialist on fighter jets) I figured it was the working conditions that was drying up my skin. After a few months when the areas didn't exactly go away, but seemed to spread to other areas of my hands and even my eye lids, I figured it was high time I made a visit to a doctor.
Doctor looked at me for a few seconds and said confidently, "Eczema". So, he provided me with some Aquaphor, and Eucerin. It helped, but they never went away. Plus, as a side note, my figer nails started to lose their round edge and became more rigid in texture. If you looked closely, you could just make out a few little dots appearing on the nails...plus, they kept breaking at the slightest impact...usually to the quick.
Fast forward to the the early 2000's, and I am now a silly-vilian gain. My hands look worse, large patches of raised ugly red, peeling, bleeding, scaly looking skin. I still get flare ups on my lids, cheeks, neck, scalp, elbows, knees...
Went to a dermatologist. Looked at my skin and nails for several minutes. Finally the correct diagnosis...Psoriasis. He gave me some ointments and lotions.
So over the next several years, I had good days and bad. I took to hiding my hands as often as possible. I was tired of the looks I would get, like I was carrying some leprous disease that would infect the mass populace by my presence at work. People would keep an awkward distance from me...even friends. My self esteem would get lower and lower. My kids even once made a comment about my hands, innocently, and I felt myself start to shrivel in embarrassment and shame.
Around 2010 I came to grips with the "look" of my skin. I stopped carrying, to some extent, how others viewed or treated me. That's when it got worse.
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