For many, psoriasis is a foreign concept. But for others, the concept is a personal one. The disease negatively impacts not only the skin, but the individual's social and emotional wellbeing as well. It encourages stares, judgment, and even ridcule. But there is hope.
Meet Adam Gibson, a local psoriasis patient. Over the course of several years, he contended with the disease and its frustrating implications. After a misdiagnosis and several failed treatment attempts, he remained strong in the fight for his health. Here, he discusses the illness, his own diagnostic journey, and the idea that you don't have to be alone.
1. What is psoriasis? What does it look like?
The basic definition of psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which an overactive immune system causes inflammation and an accelerated growth of skin cells. As a result, raised, red patches with a silvery white buildup known as plaques appear on any part of the body.
2. Is psoriasis physically painful?
Depending on how severe the disease is, it can absolutely be painful. In the beginning, my psoriasis didn’t bother me very much, but as it progressed, it became extremely painful. Before I found an effective treatment, I was covered in plaques from head to toe. Aside from the constant itching, my plaques would often crack open and bleed. The pain was almost unbearable.
3. Is psoriasis emotionally painful?
For me, psoriasis was never emotionally painful. I am fortunate enough to have a very loving and supportive family. They got me through some of my darkest days with psoriasis, which made coping with the disease a little easier. I know for some people living with psoriasis, it can be extremely challenging to deal with the daily impact of the disease, and not having a support system that helps you stay positive makes it all that more difficult to endure.
4. How have you had to change your life in order to work around your condition?
I was always extremely conscious of the clothes I’d wear in public before I found a treatment that helped to clear my skin. It was always the worst in the summer with the brutal Georgia heat! While I wanted to cover up the plaques on my legs, wearing long pants and jeans was simply out of the question, because my psoriasis felt like second degree burns. I couldn’t imagine walking around in long pants just to cover my skin. It was torture.
5. Do you feel that psoriasis has ever interfered with opportunities you would have had otherwise? If so, what were those opportunities?
Yes, definitely. Sports and exercise were always out of the question. People at the gym would often stare at me because the psoriasis on my skin looked like open wounds. Who could blame them? I probably wouldn’t want to use exercise equipment after seeing that either. Exercise itself was also very painful, because my skin would rub on the inside of my warm-up pants and I couldn’t stand the discomfort.
6. How did you feel when you learned that you had psoriasis? What was your reaction?
It might be hard to believe, but I was actually relieved when I found out I had psoriasis. It took six months before I received an accurate diagnosis, and at that point, the plaques had spread across my entire body. I visited a dermatologist in Atlanta, and he confirmed that the plaques on my skin were the result of psoriasis. I wasn’t thrilled with my diagnosis, because I knew it meant living with a disease for the rest of my life. But I was thankful to finally know what the problem was!
7. How do others react to your psoriasis when it is visible?
Before I found an effective treatment, I used to get a lot of stares, especially when the plaques covered my arms and legs. Generally, people just felt bad about what I was going through. In several instances, previous girlfriends even said that the plaques on my skin were “gross.” I tried not to let the stares and negative comments bother me and refused to take pity from anyone.
8. Describe the initial discovery of your symptoms before you sought treatment from doctors. What did you do? How did you feel?
The first psoriasis plaque appeared on my arm about six years ago. Having recently been around a friend’s new dog, I immediately thought the dog might have had ringworm and and somehow passed it along to me. I made an appointment with my family physician, and he confirmed my self-diagnosis of ringworm. Since the plaque was so small at the time, I really didn’t think too much of it.
9. Describe the process you went through once you began to seek professional medical treatment. Did you encounter any obstacles?
After the appointment with my family physician, I tried a cream to help treat the infection. Over the course of the next six months, the patches of “ringworm” on my skin started to spread, so I decided it was time for a second opinion. When I finally received my diagnosis of psoriasis from the dermatologist in Atlanta, we tried a number of different treatments, but I never able to find long-lasting relief.
10. Your current course of treatment appears to be successful. What is this treatment, and what does it entail?
I’ve been very lucky to have found a treatment called STELARA, which is approved to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Besides the tremendous results I’ve seen, I love that I get one shot every 12 weeks. With other treatments, I was using them on a weekly or monthly basis. With the convenient dosing regimen of STELARA, the only time I really have to think about my psoriasis is when I go to my dermatologist for the injection.
11. Describe how you felt when you began to realize that your current treatment would work.
I was thrilled! Within two weeks of my first injection, I began to see results. It was pretty incredible to watch the plaques on my skin disappear. After living with the physical symptoms and embarrassment for more than five years, I was excited to finally find a treatment that could help control my disease.
12. How has your life changed since you began using STELARA?
Now I only feel like a psoriasis patient on days when I receive my injections. I will always have plaque psoriasis since there’s no cure. When you live with a chronic illness, finding a treatment really makes a significant impact because it helps you get one step closer to having a “more normal life.” I’m no longer worried about people staring at my skin or saying hurtful things.
13. What else have you gained as a result of your experience with psoriasis?
Confidence. I wake up every morning feeling ready to take on each day. I’m comfortable wearing shorts and t-shirts now, and that's something I’d rarely do when I was covered in psoriasis plaques.
14. Is there anything else you'd like readers to know?
The two main things that helped me through the tough times were my support network and dermatologist. I don’t know who or where I’d be without my family, friends, and a dermatologist who knew what it would take to treat and combat the symptoms of my psoriasis. People can also turn to the National Psoriasis Foundation for support and resources, and learn about the available treatment options. You shouldn’t have to settle or deal with the disease on your own!
Take it from a man who knows from personal experience. Psoriasis may be a part of your life, but it doesn't have to ruin your life.
Comments