Living with psoriasis

[Mommabearof2]

I am a 33 year old female been having psoriasis since age 20 I have tried every topical cream there is the light box ect. Nothing made it better the psoriasis covered about 50 percent of my body. A little over a year ago I started taking Humira after the starter dose I noticed a big difference I was wearing shorts again after over ten years ,but was short lived after a year of being on Humira I did my routine lab work and I tested positive for ANA (lupis-like symptoms) they cut me off Humira cold turkey not even one month later all the psoriasis came back plus 10 times worse I now experience severe joint and muscle pain that i never had before. I am being sent to a rheumatologist next month and hope they can help me.

[Simba1992]

Hello mommabearof2,

Lately I have done a lot of research on thyroid-AI connection. Seems like psoriasis is one condition that has a significant connection and doctors are recommended to examine the function of the thyroid when treating psoriasis. I hope this has been followed up. To determine dysfunction of thyroid a compleate thyroid panel needs to be done. Just a thought😊

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/170...

[Barrister]

My son has very severe psoriasis covering much of his body. He started Stelara injections just over a year ago and after the second injection he started to see a difference. He has the injection once every three months. I have psoriatic arthritis although don't have psoriasis but once the rheumatologist heard about my son, he said that's what I have although it has been called spondyloarthropathy as well because I also have lymphocytic colitis which apparently goes along with spondyloarthropathy. Clemmie

[Hidden]

Please don't panic. Sometimes meds can cause Drug induced Lupus. The symptoms go away after the drug is stoped.

Let your doctor be your guide. I sell beer for a living, but I will tell you what I know. 30% of people who have psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis (PSA) Humira is one of the best drugs to control PSA. Your doctors probly stoped Humira to see if you have drug induce Lupus or PSA.

Some people have positive ANA and have no diseases. To better understand what the ANA test :

Think about fishing with a fish finder. Well, the ANA is really like a fish finder but instead of looking for fish we’re looking for anti-nuclear antibodies. If you use a fish finder you can see down below the water and determine if there are fish down there. You can also get an estimate of just how many fish there are. Now, you don’t know what type of fish they are or what they are doing. They could be benign dumb cod fish just swimming around not bothering anyone ( so a positive ANA is not so bad) or they could be a school of pirrhanas ready to attack. The same is true when we do the ANA test – we can see that there are antibodies but we don’t know what they are directed at or what they are doing. If you think of it this way you get a really good sense of the limitations of the ANA test.

[medway-lady]

I have Psoriasis and years ago we bought a water softener, I have no idea if its down to using soft water or the use of smaller amounts of detergent, or the lack of fabric softener but mine improved a lot. Now just a small amount on knee's the hands are fine just scared. Worth thinking about ? but it should not be drunk. We also have water filters built in and it may be a combination of both. At least mine does not itch anymore or weep from open scabs.

[KayEP]

Hi Mommabear, I also suffer from psoriasis, it flares up on my hands and feet when I am ill with something, e.g. an RA flare up. Since starting Biologics, several years ago, my sking has to be monitored for any possible cancerous growths, so I have to see a Dermatologist every 12 months. She prescribes any creams/treatments necessary. Have you been seen by a Dermatologist?