Please keep your fingers crossed this morning!

[Guest guest]

I have a nasty suspicion (sp?) that I'm in the early stages of an outbreak

of guttate psoriasis I've managed to convince the receptionists at the

health centre to get me to the Dr this morning, and if she agrees that's

what it is, I'll push for a referral to the hospital dermatologist this

week so treatments can start this week or next. But please keep your

fingers crossed that I'm wrong...

What am I on about? Well, many of you will know what psoriasis is:

probably some of you will suffer from some form of it, but it comes in

several forms. The most common is plaque, which is thickened, raised

patches of skin from about 1 " in diameter, pinkish round the outside with

silvery scales - a lot of people have this on their elbows and live with it

happily without ever knowing what it is. I have plaques on my elbows,

knees, eyelid, scalp and torso on a more or less permanent basis. When

they're good, they're just unsightly and when they're bad, they're big and

red and angry and itchy and a royal PITA. But guttate is a whole new form

of torment: it's a rash which looks uncommonly like measles, where the

droplets are roughly round, have a red outside and a silvery, scaly

centre. Often it confines itself to limbs. My last outbreak covered 95%

of my body, including my face, hands (including palms) and feet. This one

(if it is) has my legs and torso covered already (first noticed it

yesterday). It doesn't itch for the first two or three days, but then it

itches like crazy - imagine having heat rash or thrush all over your

body. If you're lucky, a flare lasts around 3 months. My last flare was

in April 2000 and I still have some spots from it on my upper arms, though

the majority of the spots had gone by 10 months! Treatments consist of:

first, a very aggressive course of antibiotics - guttate is often triggered

by the presence of the streptococcus bacteria; second, the application of

strong topical steroids - which have major side-effect implications, not

least of which the fact that I've been using them on and off for most of my

adult life, such that they only have a very limited period of effectiveness

(they're very effective for about three days, marginally effective for a

further week and then they just make the problem worse) because you build

resistance to them over time; third, a combination of topical steroid and

UV light treatment, or UV light treatment on its own. Previously, I've

always been refused UV on the basis that I'm very fair skinned and have

lots of moles so its been assumed to be too high risk. However, the

research team I did some work with earlier this year have some new lights

and would be happy for me to have very limited photo-therapy under close

supervision. This is what I'll go for, if it is guttate, as I'm trying to

get pregnant and so very, very unhappy - even more than usually unhappy! -

with the idea of using topical steroids. But I guess if the worst comes to

the worst, the TTC will have to be put on hold while we get the psoriasis

under control... Major boo hoo!!

Strangely enough, the worst point of this particular affliction usually

comes about two weeks into it, when you've been keeping a grin fixed on

your face while you tell everyone what's wrong with you and explain that

it's not infectious (it's genetic). But at its height, last time, I had

people shooing their children away from me, taking wide detours round me,

and even, at the supermarket, had people " ewwww " ing and taking their hands

out of the veg trays that I'd just put my hands into, to pick up veg. It's

amazing how insensitive people can be...

As I say, please keep your fingers crossed it's just something I've eaten!!

Vicki

[Guest guest]

Vicki wrote:

> I have a nasty suspicion (sp?) that I'm in the early stages of an

outbreak

> of guttate psoriasis >>>>>>>>>>>.

Urgh sounds horrible and painful - you poor thing. I have never

suffered from Psoriasis but have a friend who managed to get it on

her nipples each time she has breastfed - very painful for her. But

guttate psoriasis I have never heard off and it does sound terrible.

People can be so insensitive - you maybe will have to have one of

those signs made to hang around your neck saying " Its not

contagious! " !!!!

Do let us know what the diagnosis is.

Trisha

SAHM to 3 boys

[Guest guest]

Please keep your fingers crossed this morning!

> I have a nasty suspicion (sp?) that I'm in the early stages of an outbreak

> of guttate psoriasis

Fingers very tightly crossed for you.

My best friend from uni (and DD's honouree,-she's Jewish, God mother) has

very bad eczema.

She spends her life balancing the relief offered my steroid creams against

their side effects.

She has it on her face and hands and I get very upset that people judge by

appearances. Their loss, they miss getting to know a very special person.

Sue Hutchinson, Mum to 30/01/98 and Isobel (HB) 23/02/01

[Guest guest]

>I have a nasty suspicion (sp?) that I'm in the early stages of an outbreak

>of guttate psoriasis I've managed to convince the receptionists at the

>health centre to get me to the Dr this morning, and if she agrees that's

>what it is, I'll push for a referral to the hospital dermatologist this

>week so treatments can start this week or next. But please keep your

>fingers crossed that I'm wrong...

I remember happily eating a jam tart made by a psychiatric in patient

who also had psoriasis (Stigma City really) and the other staff

sniggering a bit about flaky pastry. (It was delicious!)

Big hugs if it turns out you are right.

--

jennifer@...

Vaudin

[Guest guest]

Sue wrote:

> My best friend from uni (and DD's honouree,-she's Jewish, God

mother) has

> very bad eczema.

> She spends her life balancing the relief offered my steroid creams

against

> their side effects.>>>>>>>>>>

At our local Alternative Therapies clinic the owner was saying that

when she was doing her massage training there was one person on the

course who was always " ill " that day, and when they got to the

bottom of it she had bad eczema and had used steroid creams which had

thinned her skin and she was very self concious about it so would

never participate in the massage sessions.

I have tended to use Aloe Vera Cream which keeps it under control

most of the time - I have it on my elbows - and the two elder boys

seem to have outgrown it-thankfully.

I think that both eczema and psoriasis also have the vicious circle

effect - you get upset about it and the condition gets worse and then

you get more upset about it................

Trisha

SAHM to 3 boys 2 of which are now in bed.

[Guest guest]

But guttate is a whole new form

> of torment: it's a rash which looks uncommonly like measles, where

the

> droplets are roughly round, have a red outside and a silvery, scaly

> centre. Often it confines itself to limbs. My last outbreak

covered 95%

> of my body, including my face, hands (including palms) and feet.

This one

> (if it is) has my legs and torso covered already (first noticed it

> yesterday). It doesn't itch for the first two or three days, but

then it

> itches like crazy - imagine having heat rash or thrush all over

your

> body.

DH had a nasty bout of HUGE liquid filled blisters on his feet when

he was recovering from Leukaemia and the treatment for that, which

were incredibly unsightly and painful - no-one else could see them

except the nurses who tried to treat them (and me!) so I can

sympathise to some extent - how dreadful for you to have to cope with

this all over your body. I do hope the treatment will help quickly,

I'll be thinking of you.

> amazing how insensitive people can be...

>

I was thinking along the same lines as the first reply - how about a

badge which says " It's only catching if you stare! " or " And they told

me too much sex would only make me blind.... " or something else

equally frivolous - if you can bear it! I'm sure a sense of humour

helps, if you didn't laugh you'd cry I'm sure

Good luck with this, and with the TTC too - maybe being pregnant

(when it happens) will cure you of this, being pregnant does do funny

things to you...

Best wishes and hugs

Ruth

[Guest guest]

Vicki - really hope you're wrong - is there anything you can do to

prevent this surfacing? Why does it surface periodically?

love

Caro

Re: Please keep your fingers crossed this

morning!

> Vicki wrote:

> > I have a nasty suspicion (sp?) that I'm in the early stages of an

> outbreak

> > of guttate psoriasis >>>>>>>>>>>.

>

> Urgh sounds horrible and painful - you poor thing. I have never

> suffered from Psoriasis but have a friend who managed to get it on

> her nipples each time she has breastfed - very painful for her. But

> guttate psoriasis I have never heard off and it does sound terrible.

>

> People can be so insensitive - you maybe will have to have one of

> those signs made to hang around your neck saying " Its not

> contagious! " !!!!

>

> Do let us know what the diagnosis is.

>

> Trisha

> SAHM to 3 boys

>

>

> *** NCT enquiry line - 0 ***

>

> Live chat http://www.yahoogroups.com/chat/nct-coffee

>

> Have you found out about all the other groups for the NCT online?

>

>

[Guest guest]

> As I say, please keep your fingers crossed it's just something I've

eaten!!

>

> Vicki

Good luck Vicki - it sounds utterly dreadful. I get psoriasis, but luckily

only on my scalp and using Polytar shampoo keeps it at bay most of the time.

It usually clears up altogether when pregnant though.

My Mum however had it very badly as child and teenager - she has terrible

scars on her legs because the steroids caused her to gain a lot of weight

plus her skin became very fragile. She only got in under control when she

married my Dad according to her.

Hannah, 27

Mum to Bethany 7, Lawrence 5 1/2, Verity 3, Alfie 8 months

Visit me on the web at :-

http://hannahshome.20m.com

[Guest guest]

It's thought to be triggered by streptococcal infection: difficult to avoid

at this time of year! Any lingering sore throat can do it (but you have to

have the genetic predisposition first!)

Vicki

At 20:40 15/10/01, you wrote:

>Vicki - really hope you're wrong - is there anything you can do to

>prevent this surfacing? Why does it surface periodically?

[Guest guest]

) Just to add to your gallery of choice images, the cleaner at my old

office used to tease me about how I shouldn't eat baguette sandwiches for

lunch because I make such a mess with them. I never did have the heart to

tell her it was my skin!!

Vicki

>I remember happily eating a jam tart made by a psychiatric in patient

>who also had psoriasis (Stigma City really) and the other staff

>sniggering a bit about flaky pastry. (It was delicious!)