Your Stories - Stress and Psoriasis

Stress Probably Triggered My Psoriasis - Marie, UK

I am 24 and I have had psoriasis for ten years now. I am the only one in my family with it, and that includes extended family. It started after I developed my heart condition in eighth grade. I remember I was an emotional wreck from my heart condition because it took them a year to diagnose it. I have tachycardia, a heart murmur, and low blood pressure. The combination kept making me pass out. I felt so horrible, so completely exhausted, and my chest hurt so bad that I remember wondering if I was going to die. It was shortly before I was diagnosed that my first flare up of psoriasis occurred. Looking back on it, it was probably from all that stress. I woke up with some lesions on my hands, and they quickly spread all over my arms. It has been ten years now, and the psoriasis has never spread past my arms and hands, but it has never receded either, probably from the stress of my other health problems. The side of my right hand is completely hard from it and painful. I developed psoriatic arthritis a few years after my first psoriasis flare up, and its been a constant ever since.

Looking back on it though, I've been lucky. I woke up after my first flare up, saw the lesions, and put on a short sleeved shirt anyways. I have never hidden it. People stared, yes, but not a single friend of mine shunned me, and I think that's what made the difference. I was very nervous when I went out on my first date nine years ago because of the psoriasis. What he said to me that night has stuck with me since. He looked at my lesions and asked what it was. I, of course, answered, "It's psoriasis. It's not contagious." Without even asking what psoriasis was, he rubbed my lesions and then said, "It feels cool. I kinda like it." I spent years after that oblivious to people's stares. Just the thought that some people out there LIKES my psoriasis... It's not that it doesn't bother them, they actually like how it feels. It felt good. There are still people I run into who will refuse to touch me and who avoid me because of my psoriasis, but I think back to my first boyfriend and my friends and my husband who thinks I am beautiful. I remember what my first boyfriend said and how my husband does not even seem to notice my lesions. It helps to know some people don't just tolerate my psoriasis, but accept it. (May 2008)

Stress and my psoriasis - Becca, Hampshire, UK

I have been suffering on and off with psoriasis since I can remember, Now I am 20 and recently diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma I can see where my Psoriasis comes from. STRESS. Looking back I can see that my stress levels control how bad my Psoriasis becomes. Have a think back if you have it, may be this??

I am lucky in some cases as I only have it on my scalp and in my ear but even so it's not nice and especially when its weepy and makes me itch all day long.

As I'm sure like many of people with Psoriasis, I have tried everything for my scalp and nothing seems to work. Although I can say washing your hair with Betnovate prescribed shampoo and then putting Tea tree conditioner on the scalp, wrapping it in a hot towel and leaving it over night can help cool, soothe and de-flake the area. I hope this helps others. (November 2007) Contact Becca

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