Kim Kardashian and her Psoriasis diagnosis. I am glad that Kim has shared openly about her recent psoriasis diagnoses. I hope that Kim finds some relief from her psoriasis symptoms. Her concern is really because how she makes her living her looks which is a fine way to make a living and she has the right to do so. Her Mother has the condition, she understands the affects of the psoriasis and how it can affect her life. I do have some understanding of her discomfort, because the love of my life has Psoriasis.
Last week, Sherri Shepherd from the talk show “The View” said openly she does not get what the big deal is psoriasis is like dandruff. I don’t normally comment on what is said by celebs. But Sherri Shepherd, you truly are ignorant on this subject and should have kept your mouth shut.
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease . It is a disease that can be debilitating – psoriatic arthritis, is a disease that comes from Psoriasis along many other serious health conditions.
I have had the misfortune to see what the flake skin disease can do to a family. My husband has 90% coverage of Psoriasis and is inflicted with Psoriatic arthritis. We have heard many, many treatments over the years.
So Sherri here is your education on effect of this simple skin issue aka Psoriasis:
- When my husband could not move for 6 months- Sure it was a like dandruff.
- When my husband could not limb the stairs to come to bed and slept in recliner- Yea the white flakes were annoying
- When they gave a Handicap pass to a 38 year old man and he walked with a cane- A good loofah will scrub that away.
- When you take cancer medications and expose yourself to treatments that can give you skin cancer- Have you rubbed the diaper from a new born baby on the spots? (really)
- When I drag my husband off the toilet because he did not have the strength – Vaseline will clear that right up.
- When you husband asks you not to leave him alone with the kids because if something go wrong he might not be able to move to help. We changed our diet.
- When he lost 50lb in 5 months because it hurt to eat because of the pain- Have you drank the urine from a English donkey?
- When we got to the end of all experimental drugs and had an allergic reaction to the last one- Soak in vinegar then wrap in plastic wrap?
- When the drug to treat it cost $20,000 a month- Have you tried Lestoil cleaner on the spots I hear it helps cost $1.89?
- When I cried every day because I was not sure if I wanted to spend the rest of my life caring for an invalint at the age of 36-Calamine lotion take me away.
- When my son asked my husband when they can go camping or fish again..then he just stopped asking- Yea the mayonnaise is a great moisturizer.
- When you wake up with blood all over the sheets because he scratched himself raw in the middle of the night- Neutrogena t-gel with coal tar can help?
- When you think at the age of 21 that you should have a vasectomy so you do not want to pass the disease on to your future children- Have you tried fish oil?
- When my children wondered why Daddy could not hug them because he cant handle a squeeze- Just don’t wear black clothing people won’t notice.
- When you think you family will be better off without you when you are at your sickest- Because Head and Shoulders can fix it.
Believe it or not my husband has tried many of the suggestion above (I will leave you guessing) because when there is no cure, you do get desperate and what else are you going to do but laugh.
So I ask people to understand Psoriasis is Not contagious. There is no need to get out of the pool when some one with spots gets in.
Psoriasis is a disease that affects 7.5 million Americans of that 30% get psoriatic arthritis (2.5 million Americans) , there is no cure, just treatment, and affects my family.
My response to Sherri Shepherd:
So NO Psoriasis is not just dandruff.
To get more Information about Psoriasis check out the National Psoriasis Foundation
I had no idea! I too thought this was something akin to flaky skin. Wow! Thanks for the education.
-r
i love that you shared. i can’t pretend to know what it’s like – but i can sympathize and offer to go for coffee or wine anytime you’d like.
hugs-
Hillary
My dad has had psoriasis for as long as I can remember – probably more than 30 years now. My sister and I both have eczema and psoriasis, but not at all like my dad. My sister had a terrible episode (breakout?) for the 6 months leading up to her wedding and she still has scars on her legs from the sores. She still has occasional outbreaks, but nothing like it was before. I have a few spots on my arms, but most of my psoriasis is in my hairline. Not fun for a young woman.
My dad is currently part of a clinical trial to treat his psorasis – each needle would cost my parents $4,000, and that’s under the Canadian health care system. He’s tried all kinds of creams, pills and diets over the years to no avail, and he knows that there is a risk involved with being part of this clinical trial, but he also knows that he is helping out future sufferers.
I just wanted to share a bit of my story after reading your post… I hope I didn’t offend or hijack your post. I understand the frustration and the aggravation and just wanted to commiserate. Thanks!
Thank you so much for commenting. I hope the clinical trial helps your dad we are so close to some of the best hospitals in the country University of Penn that my husband has been in on some of the trials. The one dr got the fda trials through in Embrel. Recently they are doing studies how plaque psoriasis can build up on the artery inside the body. So make sure your Dad /sis /you gets you heart check out regulary. It was something we never heard of before seeing this top doc. Good Luck!
What an ignorant woman. But then alot of the world is ignorant and rude. I don’t suffer like your dad but I suffer from a different ignorence. I am obese. I don’t want to be. No one wants to be obese. There are many reasons why someone is obese and it is not always a matter of not eating so much. Mine is 1) genitic. I am the smallest of 6 children. I am 5′ 9″ and when I weigh 200 lbs I look great. My youngest sister is 6′ 1″ and one of my brothers ie 6′ 5″. My youngest daughter is 6′.
2) I have severe arthritis. I will be getting my second set of knees soon. That too was genitic. I inherented that from my father. He had his knees done when he was 52. My first round was when I was 45. I am now 57.
3) I am a compusive over eater. I have emotional damage that I have been working on for years. Instead of becoming anorxic or bulimic, I eat. This is also a slow death. I am generally under control. There are days (nolonger weeks) that I loose but in general I am stable.
Sally I am so sorry for the cruelty of others and ignorance you have felt in your life. Any arthritis is a horrible to live with. I hope your knee surgery goes well and you get some relief from your pain. Be well and I wish for good day to you.
What an ignorant woman. But then a lot of the world is ignorant and rude. I don’t suffer like your dad but I suffer from a different ignorance. I am obese. I don’t want to be. No one wants to be obese. There are many reasons why someone is obese and it is not always a matter of not eating so much. Mine is:
1) genetic. I am the smallest of 6 children. I am 5′ 9″ and when I weigh 200 lbs. I look great. My youngest sister is 6′ 1″ and one of my brothers is 6′ 5″. My youngest daughter is 6′.
2) I have severe arthritis. I will be getting my second set of knees soon. That too was genetic. I inherited that from my father. He had his knees done when he was 52. He was very tall and thin. My mom was the one with the weight and height. My first round was when I was 45. I am now 57.
3) I am a compulsive over eater. I have deep emotional damage that I have been working on for years. Instead of becoming anorexic or bulimic, I eat. This is also a slow death. I am generally under control. There are days (no longer weeks) that I loose the battle but in general, I am stable.
This is all to say that a high majority of people look at an obese person as lazy or not as good as them. It’s just dandruff or their just lazy. I am sorry that another ignorant person had thrown a dart that hit your family.
This is a wonderful article written I know all to well from your heart, your pain and your family’s suffering. One thing we often forget to mention is how much the disease affects the people that love the person with the disease. I only have an idea of how difficult it is for you. This post made my heart ache for your DH. I hope he finds relief soon.
As you know already my RA is flaring up and it sucks. I’m laying in bed now as I type this. I can hear my daughter playing in the other room and I went to be in there playing with everyone too. But, I’m paying for the activities I did while on vacation this week along w/ last night’s rain. My body is demanding a break. I hate that I’m 37 and I’m not normal. I hate being in this much pain everyday. I can barely walk today. I want to be freed of this cruel pain prison, so I can be free to play like a toddler, live like a 37 year old, work like s teacher. I miss my life!
(Hi. I’m not a regular reader. I just stumbled on this blog post while doing some more recent Psoriasis research.)
That was such an ignorant and insensitive comment.
I feel for you. I also have Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. I’m not quite as bad as your husband, but I’m well on my way. I’m afraid I’ll be that bad in the next couple years, and I’m only about to turn 31. I can’t imagine how bad I’ll be by 38. I’ve already had my Handicap placard for a year and a half and it’s depressing knowing the disease will only get worse.
I’ve been taking Methotrexate for almost 2 years now. As scared as I am to be on a cancer med and the horrible side affects I might encounter, it’s all worth the risk just knowing it may significantly slow down the progress of this disease.
And may I say ‘Thank You’? Knowing there are people out there that love and support sufferers, even when it takes a toll on their lives as well, gives me and others like me some hope. That love and support is important and I know that your husband appreciates it more than can be put into words. <3
Also, I've decided to spend August (National Psoriasis Awareness Month!) educating my FaceBook and LiveJournal friends about these diseases. Would you mind if I linked to this post? It really tells of the difficulty faced by sufferers and their families.
My husband has a mild case of psoriasis on his elbows. I had heard it could lead to other health concerns but had no idea it could be this bad. My husband has been lucky enough that he can mostly ignore it. But I don’t think either of us would dare to compare it to dandruff or simple dry skin.
I’m so sorry your husband and your family have to deal with this. It’s amazing how people will spout off when they know so little about something.
I am so glad you are getting the word out. I am always praying for your family to find help. I am very proud of you. The disease is an unbelievable problem.