Your Lives - Parenting a Child with Psoriasis

Watching them Suffer - Julie, Rishton

My name is Julie. I am 43 years old. I developed psoriasis when I was 14, just scaly skin on my arms at first, which quickly spread to my legs. It was years before it was diagnosed a psoriasis. I endured teenage years wearing trousers and long sleeves all year round, and trying to cover up best as I could at school and for PE lessons. In my twenties I had bad flare -ups. At thirty I married and had a baby, and my psoriasis abated a little.

Compared to some people I now have it only mildly, although at present there are large patches flaring on my legs. My arms are relativley clear as I keep them exposed to sunlight. I have lost my self-consciousness about it now. I'm not ill with it and I have a nice life and there are sufferers worse off than me. One of those sufferers lives with me. My 13 year old daughter Rosie developed psoriasis when she was 10. It was diagnosed as eczema at first and we tried every cure under the sun.

Rosie has dyslexia, and the psoriasis appeared at around the time SATS were first mentioned. It got worse and worse and resulted in her not taking her SATS because I didn't believe any exams in the world were worth my daughters' health. I did some research into food supplements and gave Rosie a mixture of Omega 3 fish oil, mulit-vitamins and selenium. Within a month she was completely clear. She went off to secondary school one very happy child, but she stopped taking the supplements and gradually over two years the psoriasis has crept back. Recently Rosie was the victim of bullying and bike theft and her psoriasis has flared very badly. It was red, scaly very dry and angry looking.

We recently attended a talk at school by nutritionist Dr Jacqueline Stordy. She has researched the effects of Essential Fatty Acids on dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD. People lacking EFA's often have one or all of these conditions together with unquenchable thirst and dry scaly skin. Dr Stordy recommended a product caled EFALEX, which is mixture of Omega Oils and Evening Primrose. It is available through chemists and costs approx £7 for 60 capsules. The recommended dose for the first three months in 8 capsules a day, so it works out at roughly £1 a day. Already after 2 days Rosie's skin does not look as angry. If this product works for Rosie I would gladly pay £1000 a day. I don't want my daughter to have the teenage years that I had. She copes really well with it but I know she would love to be wearing short skirts and swimsuits this summer - she herself knows the benefits of sunshine as she was clear within a few days of being in the sun last August - but how do you convince a child that no one will stare at her - when they will. Rosie's friends are really good, the school, our family and neighbours are fantastic, but strangers can be ignorant. I would love to raise the profile of psoriasis, to raise public awareness of it.

I know Rosie gets really down sometimes. I remember the nights I held her at barely10 years old while she sobbed and asked why it was happening to her. I hated myself because she had inherited it from me.

We've come through it together now. We talk about it and I tell her it doesn't make any difference to who she is, that her dad and I love her. I buy her lightweight leisure trousers for summer and I'm happy to see that this year long flowing indian style skirts are in fashion. Rosie will often say that there are people in the world far worse off than we are and that at least we are healthy and well fed with a nice home. I am really so proud of the way she copes, and I am absolutely convinced that the outbreaks are linked to stress and anxiety which come back to the dyslexia. I am happy to pay for the EFALEX and to watch the results in the next couple of months. Rosie insists that if it works for her then I have to take them too. I will keep you posted. Thank you for giving me the oppotunity to talk.

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Page updated: 16/02/06