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Home » Health Articles » Psoriasis And Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriasis is a debilitating skin condition that can affect the elbows, knees, scalp, lower back, face and indeed, any part of the body., including the genital area.. It may also affect the fingernails and toenails making them thick and discoloured. The condition is evidenced by red scales and inflammation of the skin which becomes very itchy and distressing.

This occurs when the cells of the skin rise too quickly from their source below the surface of the skin before maturity. There is often a family history of psoriasis. Around thirty percent of sufferers will also experience joint inflammation and this condition is called psoriatic arthritis.

I was in my early twenties when I became aware of a reddening of my elbows and knees. At first, I took little notice but then the scaly patches and the itching began. These then spread to my knuckles, ankles and some small patches on the lower legs. No amount of moisturising lotions or the like seemed to make any difference. Finally, I went to my physician who diagnosed my condition as psoriasis.

I began a regime of applying corticosteroid lotions and creams and using coaltar solutions to the affected parts of my body but even these appeared to have little effect.

At times, I experienced significant physical discomfort. Itching and pain interfered with basic functions, such as sleep. This in turn left me feeling constantly tired and unable to cope with day-to-day chores, thus putting a strain on my family relationships. I began to feel self-conscious about my appearance and had a poor self-image that stemmed from fear of public rejection. Psychological distresses in turn lead to significant depression and social isolation.

Sometimes the condition got worse and then improved so I was then able to identify a number of things that produced flare-ups including infections, stress, and climate changes. There were also certain medications that seemed to trigger outbreaks or worsen existing patches.

The years rolled by and the disease continued to progress until I had large patches of psoriasis on my knuckles, elbows, finger joints, knees, lower legs, feet, and even the webbing of my toes. I also had it in my scalp and covering a large portion of my back. I lived in misery with the constant itching and discomfort.

Around six months ago, I received a phone call from my mother telling me she had just been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. Because this condition is genetic and I already had the skin condition, it was important that I see a rheumatologist to be tested. Of course, it was no surprise when I found that I too had psoriatic arthritis.

Blood tests conducted for this condition may rule out other conditions such as gout or rheumatoid arthritis. There is a particular antibody normally present in rheumatoid arthritis that is not present in psoriatic arthritis. These tests will often also show elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate or ESR which measures inflammation. They often show mild anaemia and elevated levels of uric acid.

My rheumatologist prescribed Methotrexate, an immunosuppressive drug. This medication has been used very successfully in the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. I take a low dose of this drug once weekly.

Methotrexate works by binding to and inhibiting an enzyme involved in the rapid growth of cells, thus slowing down the rate of skin cell growth. It was originally used in the treatment of cancer but was discovered in the 1950s to be effective in the treatment of psoriasis and was eventually approved for use in this condition in the 1970s.

Methotrexate is generally well tolerated in small doses but it does potentially have a number of side effects. For this reason, it is imperative that a patient on this drug follows the instructions of their physician very carefully. People taking this medication need to have regular blood tests to be sure that the body is processing the drug safely and not creating other problems, particularly in the liver.

I have been on Methotrexate now for around four months. During the first six weeks or so, I noticed little reduction in my pain levels although the skin condition did show signs of subsiding. However, in the past couple of months, my need for painkillers has definitely been reduced and the skin condition is almost gone.

My family laugh when they see how excited I get about having knuckles now instead of great patches of scales. I can even go barefoot without the embarrassment of the condition in the webbing of my toes. Some people used to think I had a severe case of tinea and would look at me as though doubting my hygiene habits.

The only downside I have is a feeling of tiredness and the fact that I am prone to infections. This is caused by a reduction in my white blood cell count. However, under careful monitoring by my doctor, these symptoms are reduced by antibiotics when needed and a good multivitamin.

Despite these downsides, my life has greatly improved and continues to do so. I am kept aware of all the possible side effects and regular blood testing keeps my physician and my rheumatologist informed about any concerns. Hopefully, I will be able to live a far better quality of life in the future.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Money Does Talk!

When buying something, you can buy in one of two markets. The first is buying on terms in the retail market and the second is buying in the wholesale cash market. This can be illustrated by referring to the biggest purchase we all make in our lifetime - Real Estate.

In recent years, when you are buying a house it is easy to get financing of the first mortgage, so the seller is not forced to finance the whole sale. What I mean is the seller doesn't become your first mortgage holder, the bank lends the money and the seller get the cash. Moreover, he will most likely make some concessions if he doesn't have to carry back a second trust deed.

Therefore giving the seller all cash, will usually get you a better deal than asking the seller to let you buy the house with a very low down payment, with him carrying back a sizable trust deed. The big savings come when you are buying real estate that doesn't have easy institutional financing available. The purchase of vacant land can be the best example.

My father was interested in buying industrial lots in the city of Montebello, just east of downtown Los Angeles. This was during the 1960's. In those days it was common for a buyer to put down 20% and the seller to finance the remaining 80% for 10 years at 8% interest. For example: a $10,000 lot would cost you $2,000 down with $97.06 payments every month. After 10 years the total of the principal and interest payments would be $13,647.45. If you wanted to build on the property you had to pay off the land loan, first. The sellers then would not have to wait the whole 10 years before getting all their money.

Many property owners sold their property because they wanted money and getting the $2,000 wasn't much money to them. So, my father would offer $5,000 all cash to the sellers. More than 1 out of 5 would take the cash up front instead of waiting for payments over 10 years. By offering the extra $3,000 cash down, my father saved $8,647.45 on the sale ($5,000 on the price reduction, plus the interest on the note). Now that is buying wholesale!!

Buying cars can be done the same way. When you pay retail, the dealer talks monthly payments. If he lowers the price, he'll raise the interest rate. When you are buying for cash, he can only talk price. When you are leasing an automobile, they don't even tell you the price!

The major consideration in leasing a car or not, is made by the leasing company to be all about what the monthly payment is going to be and how much extra it is going to cost you when you drive over 12,000 miles per year. Ever financed a used car from a "no credit check" dealer? He gets you for 36% interest on the balance you borrow, after getting a 50% down payment from you. Then if you miss a payment he takes the car and sues you for the difference. Buy what you can afford in cash and save making the lenders rich.

I read a report once that said that the average man makes $1,500,000 over his lifetime. Of that amount, he uses $600,000 to pay the interest on his purchases. Let's look at the purchase of a home, from a slightly different point of view. A man who makes $1,500,000 in a lifetime will be earning on average about $30,000 a year or $2,500 per month.

He can afford to spend 40% of his income on rent or a mortgage payment. This means that he can afford a $150,000 house. If he can qualify for a 90% loan he would owe $135,000 at 8% amortized over 30 years. That means he pays $221,609.58 interest plus the $150,000 principal to buy this one house and pay it off over 30 years. The interest alone is almost 15% of his lifetime earnings! Buying anything on credit can cost you more than the retail price because you must add the interest to the cost of the item.

My suggestion. Buy for cash and negotiate for the best price you can get. If you must borrow, pay it off in as short a time possible. Also, never borrow for personal consumption. Postpone the purchase long enough to pay cash. If you can't afford to wait until you save the money, you shouldn't buy the item. It is just too expensive. To buy on payments raises the cost even higher than the cash price, so it becomes even more expensive. So if you cannot afford the cash price, you definitely cannot afford the financed price. My suggestion is to pay cash and buy wholesale. BUY THE BEST, PAY CASH