[quote]Hodge_Podge18 wrote:
I wasn’t really sure where else to post this since there’s no general health board to put it in, so here’s as good a place as I could think of.
I have psoriasis. Had it since I was five years old, and it’s sucked every damn day. Especially when I hit puberty. During my early teen years the physical pain and burning feeling from having 70% of my body covered in, more or less, an open wound caused me to actually consider ending my own life. As far as I was concerned, that was as good as it was going to get and it would only get worse. Luckily I never did go that route and now have quite the tolerance for pain and suffering. 
Now that I’ve explained that, I can explain this. The only reason I mentioned that last bit was just to give a perspective on how severely one’s life can be affected by this disease. That’s what psoriasis is… an immune disease. Genetic, not contagious or transferable. But, even with that being said, that’s not the reason I’m posting.
I’m curious if any other T-Nation members have had to deal with psoriasis or know someone who has. I’m interested in how lifting and diet affects my condition. I’m currently taking medication to help regulate my immune system to fight the disease and have been taking it since early 2008. That also sucks. Twice a month I have to inject myself in the leg with a dose of the drug Humira. While it works, it also feels like i’m stabbing myself in the leg with a dart. But since it works for the most part I won’t bitch too much.
One thing I have noticed over the past few years is that Humira isn’t helping clear up all of my psoriasis like most people have reported. The psoriasis is affecting my eyelids and recently has caused my left eye to look like I have a ruptured blood vessel. I went to the eye doctor and they said it was something called epicluritalsomethingorother. I don’t remember specifically, but I do remember being told it was supposed to go away on its own within a couple weeks. It’s still here, and while it doesn’t hurt or affect my vision, I am getting sick of having to assure people that I don’t have pink eye and that I’m safe to be around.
I must admit, for the past eight or nine months my diet has been the shittiest it’s ever been, and I worked out maybe four or five times in that time frame. Work schedules were all fucked up since last summer and manpower’s low, but no one wants to hear excuses. I know I’ve been being lazy, so I don’t need to hear that. I’m just curious if it’s the poor diet that’s causing the P to act up more than usual or if it’s just hormones reacting oddly.
Not looking for medical advice or anything like that. Just some conversation to stimulate the thought process, since my doctors don’t seem to have anymore ideas than I do at the moment.
As I asked already, is there anyone else on these boards with the condition that notices a stark difference between when you’re leaner and healthier and when you’ve slacked off and fallen out of shape? And just to be clear, I am talking about the psoriasis and whether it’s clearer or not.[/quote]
Hey Hodge, I have psoriasis too. I don’t have it to the severity that you have, but none the less live with it to my own degree. I only have it in relatively small patches on my knees, elbows, and knuckles.
Interestingly, I didn’t “develop” psoriasis till I was in the Marine Corps. My life up till then I had pretty much flawless skin. My theory, however aweful it may be, is it was triggered by the copious amounts of drugs and vaccines I was given. Anyone whom has been in the military knows what I am talking about. I read somewhere that certain medications/vaccines can trigger it. I am the only one in my family to have it.
What I have found to help mine (again my is no where near the severity to yours) is lower body fat, eliminating inflammating producing foods from my diet, getting plenty of sleep, and keeping strees as low as I can. Now, you can barely notice I have it, I really just have redness in those areas as long as I apply a tar coal ointment a couple times a day.
Years ago, it was worse and it really did bother me, I was very self conscious about it. Really people just need to be educated on it, because I don’t think a lot of people know what it is and what it looks like. I’ve tried prescription medications and cortizone injections, but I actually got worse flair ups from these. I now use an OTC product called MG217, and I love it. Doesn’t stain your skin and after about 30 minutes soaks in your skin and looks normal, at least for me.
I wish you the best man, I couldn’t imagine how tough its been for you. Just don’t get discouraged and don’t let it control your life my man. Best of luck.