Okay since August is Psoriasis Awareness month, I decided to tell my story. I’ve been battling psoriasis for over 12 years. Psoriasis can be triggered by many different factors, any kind of open wound, viruses, stress, and a thousand other things. It all started out as a kid when I got mild sunburn on my scalp, once the sunburn settled, my mom noticed thy I was constantly scratching my head. There would be flakes in my hair and on my clothes. Originally I was taken to a regular pediatrician, and she had no idea what was wrong with me. She sent me to another doctor, who sent me to a dermatologist. Being six years old and being told that there is something wrong with your body, you don’t really understand whats going on. As I got older it began to spread to my arms, legs, and hips. I became extremely self conscious, I was wearing long sleeves and jeans in The middle of the summer so people wouldnt see my skin. I always kept my skin covered, so I wasn’t teased. My best friends at the time told me that I couldn’t touch her because she didn’t want to catch my psoriasis, which is impossible. When I was 15, still struggling, I also had a mild sunburn that was gone within a few hours. My whole back broke out about a week later, at first I wanted to ignore the idea that my psoriasis could ever get that bad. I remember crying on my way home from the dermatologist. That’s when I started phototherapy, I was so happy when they first told me about it. It seemed like such a quick fix. And I’m a huge advocate for phototherapy, even though I had to discontinue therapy because it was causing me to burn. I know that psoriasis is just something on your skin that isn’t pretty, and it’s something that I’m going to live with for the rest of my life. However my psoriasis has now caused what appears to be the early stages of psoriatic arthritis. Being seventeen and having to give up things you love because you’re always sore isn’t anything if wish on anyone. I just want other people with this condition to know that they’re not the only ones that have to deal with the flakes, the itching, the bleeding, the 4000 different medications they’re given to give a little relief. (ladysassquatch)
