I developed psoriatic arthritis about three months after I was diagnosed with psoriasis. That happened about 10 years ago, when I was still in university.
At first, it affected my knees, and then it started to hurt my neck. It was very hard for me to adjust to the changes that were happening to my body because I used to be a very active person. I had to stop playing my favourite sports like football and badminton because of my limited range of motion.
In time, my knees started to improve, but unfortunately my neck got worse. Judging from the X-rays, the doctor revealed that the bones in my neck have fused together and this damage is irreversible.
It’s not easy to witness your body transform from a ‘normal’ one to a body that is covered with reddish flakes. At my worst, 80% of my skin was red and scaly. It was extremely uncomfortable and painful. My knees, back and heels would hurt due to inflammation. It hurt so much that I had trouble walking and sleeping. There were days where I have to sleep standing up because sleeping on the bed was just too painful.
Dating has, without a doubt, been challenging. It goes without saying that physical appearances do play a big part when it comes to romantic attraction. Having mobility issues and scaly skin is not exactly an attractive trait and to a certain extent, it can be scary for some people.
I currently work in digital marketing and my condition does not affect my job directly. I am required to attend meetings frequently and speaking with people can be quite challenging because I am unable to turn my neck easily due to my psoriatic arthritis. People will also stare at me because of my physical appearance.
Fortunately, the people I work with are understanding and accepting of my condition. My family and friends have been very supportive and that has been extremely helpful. But occasionally, strangers do strike up a conversation with me to recommend medication and doctors. This can be very annoying and intrusive especially if they speak to me as if I have no knowledge on the condition I have had for years.
Most days are still bearable for me – I can carry out my day to day activities as usual. On certain days, my joint pains can be excruciating, where I will have no choice but to take painkillers to relieve the pain. From my understanding, most psoriasis medications have side effects, and I am concerned about how it will affect my body in the long run. Because of this, I tried alternative treatments but unfortunately, none of it worked out for me so I went back to the original medication that the doctor prescribed to me.
Besides taking medication, I manage my psoriasis by putting on moisturizing cream on my skin every day. I tend to avoid staying in air-conditioned rooms as it will dry up my skin and I also try not to go to bed too late at night. There are a lot of things that I need to be mindful about and it can be overwhelming at times.
Living with this autoimmune disease has definitely affected my mental health. I struggle with it especially when I am in pain. When it happens, I distract myself by watching television, playing computer games, or going out for a walk. There are times where the struggle is so tough, sometimes I do feel like throwing in the towel. But I know that it’s important to never give up, not just for myself, but for all my loved ones as well.
Personally, I do not think people understand the severity of this skin condition. It is very important that we keep educating the public about it. Psoriasis is a condition that goes beyond the skin as it can deeply impact our lives – it forces us to change our lifestyles and the struggle for every individual is different.
Alvin
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