Psoriasis

[breakingtime91]

I have had signs of psoriasis since it showed up on my first deployment in 2010. It started out mild and just some plaques on my scalp. It progressed slowly and started to show up in other areas over the years, my legs and face being the big one. Finally I had enough a year and a half ago and went to get re-diagnosed since I kept getting told it was ring worm while in the military and later the Air force (my wife is active duty Air force). A newish doctor that I was seeing took one look at the massive plaque on my left shin and said, verbatim, "no one told you that you have psoriasis?" Fast forward six months, none of the ointments are containing my severe psoriasis and I am in constant pain. To my relief it has progressed to the point that medicines that are not topical are put on the table and I jump on Humira. I honestly have no complaints since I went from about 60-75% full coverage with plaques and spots to about 5%. I would like to, someday, move away from needing medicine and I think the only way I can see that happening is through life style and diet changes.

Currently working on eliminating things from my diet such as alcohol (tough for me since I like to have a drink on the weekends), dairy, and grain. Basically I am moving towards a constant Whole 30 diet. I exercise six days a week (mostly weights) but am looking at incorporating more low impact cardio into my workout plan. This is more for me doing a brain dump and I know we have some smart people on this forum so I am open for some discussion and ideas.

[SD]

I became very sick taking Humira. One thing I can say is be mindful of that big orange thing in the sky. My skin is very light sensitive now and I no longer tan But just burn. Everyone’s situation is different, a Rheumatologist has improved my health. Before I retired if I was involved with a significant blood exposer he made sure I was tested throughly. A few times I’ve tried to stop using, only to find myself having problems 4/6 weeks later and it is back on the meds. FWIW I was misdiagnosed for years, ringworm if you only new how many times I was told that.

[breakingtime91]

I became very sick taking Humira. One thing I can say is be mindful of that big orange thing in the sky. My skin is very light sensitive now and I no longer tan But just burn. Everyone’s situation is different, a Rheumatologist has improved my health. Before I retired if I was involved with a significant blood exposer he made sure I was tested throughly. A few times I’ve tried to stop using, only to find myself having problems 4/6 weeks later and it is back on the meds. FWIW I was misdiagnosed for years, ringworm if you only new how many times I was told that.

What issues did you have with Humira. I am almost a year in with very few negative things to say. My last blood work looked good.

[FPS]

DermaSmooth has worked the best for our daughter’s scalp fwiw. Psoriasis sucks, sorry to hear you are dealing with it.

[Jaywalker]

Has a dermatologist taken a skin-rash sample for a lab which then agrees with the psoriasis diagnosis? I ask because my dermatologist hoped my rash was psoriasis because he could treat it; it wasn't, it was eczema. An allergist then skin tested me for allergies and it turned out I had recently developed food allergies to foods I had eaten all my life. I can no longer eat beef, chicken, lamb, wheat, rice, and some others I'd never had trouble with previously. I'm now eating mostly pork and fish and treating the areas with cheap and effective VaniCream, which keeps the skin redness at bay. BTW, the dermatologist denied it could be allergies but he was wrong.

[Caesar]

My daughter was diagnosed with juvenile psoriatic arthritis at age two. She presented with swollen, painful joints and lesions on her skin. After years of treatment, she’s in remission but a gluten free diet helped her during her flares.

[breakingtime91]

Has a dermatologist taken a skin-rash sample for a lab which then agrees with the psoriasis diagnosis? I ask because my dermatologist hoped my rash was psoriasis because he could treat it; it wasn't, it was eczema. An allergist then skin tested me for allergies and it turned out I had recently developed food allergies to foods I had eaten all my life. I can no longer eat beef, chicken, lamb, wheat, rice, and some others I'd never had trouble with previously. I'm now eating mostly pork and fish and treating the areas with cheap and effective VaniCream, which keeps the skin redness at bay. BTW, the dermatologist denied it could be allergies but he was wrong.

Yup, tested and proven. If you google psoriasis, that is the text book image of what I had also.

[breakingtime91]

My daughter was diagnosed with juvenile psoriatic arthritis at age two. She presented with swollen, painful joints and lesions on her skin. After years of treatment, she’s in remission but a gluten free diet helped her during her flares.

I notice when I eat or drink a lot of things with gluten or refined grains my skin gets worst, which sucks since I love beer lol

[john c]

A good friend of mine has moderately severe psoriasis. He said that cutting nightshades out of his diet (potatoes and tomatoes) really helped. Also, he's considering getting a UV chamber to dose himself with a certain type of UV.

The worst part is the accompanying arthritis. I hope Humira works for you.

[breakingtime91]

A good friend of mine has moderately severe psoriasis. He said that cutting nightshades out of his diet (potatoes and tomatoes) really helped. Also, he's considering getting a UV chamber to dose himself with a certain type of UV.

The worst part is the accompanying arthritis. I hope Humira works for you.

Doctor told me the best thing I was doing was lifting, which I have been doing since the age of sixteen. I recently got more serious about it but she is really enthusiastic about my combination of fitness regimen and humria. I just am of the mind that I would prefer not to be on something that messes with my immune system for the rest of my life.

[Shellback]

My wife's friend has her own business making all natural tallow balm. She's had several clients who've used it successfully on their psoriasis, including my 7yo son.

If you're interested in trying an all natural, home made, alternative product shoot me a PM and I'll get you set up.

[Thn9mm]

If you truly have 60-75% BSA (Body surface area) covered with psoriasis, then a "Biologic" is very appropriate. There are many options among biologics and although Humira is a very good choice, it is not necessarily what I would prescribe (I am a dermatologist). My first choice is Cosentyx because it is much more specific in its immunologic mechanism compared to older medications like Humira. It is so specific that routine lab monitoring is not necessary for most patients. If you wish to avoid injections then Otezla is an oral medication alternative. However, I do not think that it works as well as COsentyx and there are some gastrointestinal symptoms for many patients.

Talk to your MD about Cosentyx or if you are in the Spring, TX area and need a second opinion then let me know.

[breakingtime91]

If you truly have 60-75% BSA (Body surface area) covered with psoriasis, then a "Biologic" is very appropriate. There are many options among biologics and although Humira is a very good choice, it is not necessarily what I would prescribe (I am a dermatologist). My first choice is Cosentyx because it is much more specific in its immunologic mechanism compared to older medications like Humira. It is so specific that routine lab monitoring is not necessary for most patients. If you wish to avoid injections then Otezla is an oral medication alternative. However, I do not think that it works as well as COsentyx and there are some gastrointestinal symptoms for many patients.

Talk to your MD about Cosentyx or if you are in the Spring, TX area and need a second opinion then let me know.

Thank you so much, ya Humira has completely changed my quality of life and ability to perform my job without feeling embarrassed (I am a educator by trade and often teach infornt of adults and students, red spots on my face would often leave me embarrassed and nervous). I have asked several people this but what is the risk with biologics to major organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys? Are they effected by alcohol, most answers have pointed towards no but I am curious.

[BN]

I had eczema when I was younger. It is pretty much under control now. I don't have any advice because my treatments were decades ago.

An experience I had in High School: A new word we had was eczema and a girl was asked to use it in a sentence. Her reply: Bill Nesbitt has eczema. :( I sort of slid down in my seat.

[Thn9mm]

The risk of biologics to major organs (heart, liver, kidneys) is low, that is we have not seen it yet (not saying that we will). The main risk of biologics, depending on their effects on the immune system, is an increased risk of serious infections and cancer. All biologics affect the immune system but some do so broadly, while others are more specific. Humira has a broad effect, therefore it requires more monitoring and has more risks for serious infections and cancer. Cosentyx and others like it is more specific, and therefore requires almost no monitoring and does not carry the black box warning like Humira. Think shotgun vs AR with 1-6X variable optic rifle. Humira is shotgun approach and COsentyx is AR with scope.

[breakingtime91]

The risk of biologics to major organs (heart, liver, kidneys) is low, that is we have not seen it yet (not saying that we will). The main risk of biologics, depending on their effects on the immune system, is an increased risk of serious infections and cancer. All biologics affect the immune system but some do so broadly, while others are more specific. Humira has a broad effect, therefore it requires more monitoring and has more risks for serious infections and cancer. Cosentyx and others like it is more specific, and therefore requires almost no monitoring and does not carry the black box warning like Humira. Think shotgun vs AR with 1-6X variable optic rifle. Humira is shotgun approach and COsentyx is AR with scope.

Thank you for the info, I will be bringing this up and looking into it’s viability for my treatment.

[Cookie Monster]

The risk of biologics to major organs (heart, liver, kidneys) is low, that is we have not seen it yet (not saying that we will). The main risk of biologics, depending on their effects on the immune system, is an increased risk of serious infections and cancer. All biologics affect the immune system but some do so broadly, while others are more specific. Humira has a broad effect, therefore it requires more monitoring and has more risks for serious infections and cancer. Cosentyx and others like it is more specific, and therefore requires almost no monitoring and does not carry the black box warning like Humira. Think shotgun vs AR with 1-6X variable optic rifle. Humira is shotgun approach and COsentyx is AR with scope.

I love me some Pistol Forum. So much good stuff.

[Casual Friday]

The risk of biologics to major organs (heart, liver, kidneys) is low, that is we have not seen it yet (not saying that we will). The main risk of biologics, depending on their effects on the immune system, is an increased risk of serious infections and cancer. All biologics affect the immune system but some do so broadly, while others are more specific. Humira has a broad effect, therefore it requires more monitoring and has more risks for serious infections and cancer. Cosentyx and others like it is more specific, and therefore requires almost no monitoring and does not carry the black box warning like Humira. Think shotgun vs AR with 1-6X variable optic rifle. Humira is shotgun approach and COsentyx is AR with scope.

My 7 year old was prescribed Humira injections biweekly for chronic and severe joint pain. She came to us one night and showed us a "bug bite" in the crease of her leg that was the size of a golf ball. It was staph. Doc's recommended we continue the Humira because it was helping with her joint pain. We got the staph cleared up with antibiotics and a few weeks later it returned. They did the full body scrub on her and another round of antibiotics and that was the end of the Humira. Really sucks because it was helping her pain but the risk was too high.

[breakingtime91]

My 7 year old was prescribed Humira injections biweekly for chronic and severe joint pain. She came to us one night and showed us a "bug bite" in the crease of her leg that was the size of a golf ball. It was staph. Doc's recommended we continue the Humira because it was helping with her joint pain. We got the staph cleared up with antibiotics and a few weeks later it returned. They did the full body scrub on her and another round of antibiotics and that was the end of the Humira. Really sucks because it was helping her pain but the risk was too high.

I have had one infected cut that I had to get antibiotics for because my body wasn't fighting it off on its own. That was kind of the moment that I decided I really needed to think hard about what I was injecting myself with biweekly.

[Jaywalker]

I mentioned it previously but it was buried among some other points - VaniCream. I see good results on the web for both eczema and psoriasis. It works, apparently, by holding in body moisture and shielding skin from irritants. If I apply it to my hands (the site of my eczema) several times a day after I've washed them, I am asymptomatic - no rash. It's cheap enough to try, I think - a pound runs about $14 from Amazon (I get mine by prescription). I have reapply it several times a day because I wash my hands frequently.