It is not contagious, but its external symptoms raise anxiety among those around it. Psoriasis sufferers know this well. They don’t like the name of their disease either. They even invented their own synonyms for psoriasis.
It is not lethal or contagious. If we asked Poles what diseases they would not like to get sick the most, few would mention psoriasis in the top five. They are worse – cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease.
Ala from Poznań wrote on the forum for people suffering from psoriasis: “It is 19 pm, I’m at work, waiting for a client. Every 5 seconds I look at my hands. They look terrible, all red and stiff on the inside. They are still overgrowing with new scales, and for some time it has started to overlap the back of my hand. I wonder how to arrange my hands so that no one sees the changes. It is no longer possible. At night, during the day, I think about my illness at all times. My feet underneath are in terrible condition, after a whole day I literally crawl home crying in pain. The disease also hit the elbows, calves and many other places. I have already done everything, visited dermatologists, herbalists, followed diets, I was even in the hospital. They didn’t help me anywhere! I don’t know what to do, I’m broken. Help!!!”.
It was her only letter, she said no more.
Mrs. Ł. And me
Małgorzata says she has a friend for life and death. Sometimes it disappears for weeks or months, but it always comes back when something is wrong. A stronger stress is enough and they are back together again – Gosia and Mrs. Ł. The woman does not pronounce the full name of the disease because she thinks that she describes the patient’s life too accurately. It starts with a small, innocent looking spot. Then the dark red points are made more, they merge with each other to form one large, burning focus of the disease, to form an unpleasant scale over time. The lesions affect the feet, hands, calves, knees and scalp.
The real unfortunates are covered with scales on the face, neck, back, abdomen, and genitals. Optimists among the sick call themselves ladybugs or snakes. Depressed pessimists say the worst word – “monster”. Małgorzata does not think of herself as repulsive. She feels quite pretty, sometimes beautiful, especially when her husband is close. He does not know herself about another, only the one who carries Mrs. Ł.
She knows from her parents that she fell ill when she was 3 years old. My mother knew it was psoriasis because my father and sister were sick. She was aware that the child could be burdened with the disease, but did not hesitate to get pregnant.
– Her attitude has taught me courage – says Małgorzata. – Nobody should wonder who they got the disease from or to whom they will pass it on. It is not even a matter of risk whether the child will be healthy or sick, because it is not up to us. With or without psoriasis, he can be a wise, fulfilled and happy person. I gave birth to two children for a moment without considering whether I might expose them to disease. It’s like wondering if I have the right to risk my life.
Three-year-old Małgosia was immediately given over to a dermatologist by her parents. For 32 years of treatment, the list of doctors, offices and methods of therapy has grown significantly. The woman explains that each patient reacts differently to the treatments. In some cases, the appearance of the skin improves after using the ointment, others say that a diet rich in selenium helps them, and others that the best remedy is the sun in summer and a solarium in winter.
Małgorzata went through all phases of fighting the disease. There were weeks when she regularly, three times a day, applied greasy ointments prescribed by a doctor, three times a day. She wasn’t nervous, she just waited calmly for improvement. There were months when she rebelled against treatment, did not use any preparations, and yet it was then that the condition of the skin improved a little. She was euphoric several times when she used new drugs. Steroid ointments gave high hopes, but after a few weeks the disease returned with double strength, and in addition, it was more resistant to standard drugs. Małgosia did not give up. She accepted that she and Ł. Would always be together. For the last 2 years she has had only minor changes to her knees and scalp.
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Nobody likes basilisk?
Twenty-one-year-old Żaneta believes that psoriasis attacked when it was weakest and badly needed mobilization. Then the spots appeared. It took 7 months to almost destroy her life.
She is characterized by ambition, perhaps because she is the only girl of four siblings. The brothers did not give her forums, but constantly mobilized. She liked to be “the best”. On test and on the pitch. She wanted to pass her high school diploma best in Białystok. During the summer holidays, she got up at 7 am to spend a few hours studying. 2 months before the exams, the disease attacked. It got worse with each passing day. When her brother told her that her friend had dumped his fiancée because she fell ill with psoriasis, a hereditary disease, Żaneta cried for a long time. The next day there were more changes in the skin, the doctor said it was from stress.
She passed her high school diploma and she also got into college. Only she didn’t want to go to them. After a few unpleasant experiences, she was unable to because – as she says – adolescents entering adulthood do not forgive flaws in appearance. In order to exist in a new environment, you cannot have a skin like a basilisk. In the summer it was impossible to hide changes on the legs and neckline. When she explained once again that it was just psoriasis, she saw smiles and listened to the words of encouragement. But no one invited her to meetings, didn’t sit close to class. But maybe it’s not their fault, but hers? At that time, she wanted to growl at everyone.
He knows from others that everyone has to find their own medicine. She is relieved by preparations based on tar, the oldest remedy for psoriasis. Although the smell is terrible, the skin looks better. After a year, the skin changes were smaller, Żaneta wore short-sleeved blouses for a few months, and once at the swimming pool. Unfortunately, the silver scale has returned. Now she uses ointments with a derivative of vitamin D.
Sometimes she fantasizes about a man who touches her fearlessly. Sometimes about his own beauty salon for psoriasis patients, in which she would recommend proven bath olives, moisturizing lotions, oiling creams. She has tested them all, she knows it. Most often, however, he thinks about a planet where everyone is sick, and its scales are beautiful. She has been going to a psychologist for 2 months. He said it was a creative vision showing her inner richness.
They may look askance
Fifty-five-year-old Maciej from Krakow talks about the disease willingly and a lot. He wants to help others, inform. They have life in front of them, they care about good appearance, and he has lived his life and does not have to prove that there is a great guy behind the “mask”.
At the age of 41, he found out that he was diabetic. Soon after he was caught by the flu, the virus did not go away for 2 weeks. Gingivitis developed immediately behind him. When it seemed that his sickness period was over, strange stains on his nails disturbed him. The doctor recognized the mycosis and prescribed some burning medicine. Only the next one made the correct diagnosis: psoriasis. Maciej started to read about her, but he learned that it hurts only from his body. Irritated skin that cracks under the cuticle can tease you more than a strong blow. It’s hard to sleep, it’s hard to suppress the scratching reflex.
– There were nights when I wanted to cut pieces of leather with a knife in order to sleep peacefully – she says. – After the painkillers, the pain was gone, but the skin reaction was immediate, new foci appeared. Only with time did I discover which one is safe for me.
Alicja, Maciej’s wife, showed him support. She explained to her family and friends what was happening before he could open his mouth. She also became a cosmetics specialist, bought more deeply moisturizing creams and tested which works best. She also experimented with the diet, she noticed that her husband’s skin condition improved after eating fish and grains, and worsened after eating sweet delicacies.
According to Maciej, a person suffering from psoriasis cannot hide it, because only problems result from it. Many people are unaware that the disease is not contagious, so tell them right away. Children, grandchildren, friends, hairdresser. Even the customers. Maciej is a carpenter, he works in a company that installs modern windows. When someone looks at him sidelong because he noticed scales on his hands or on his neck, he doesn’t feel embarrassed and explains that it’s non-contagious. Because people deserve it, they have the right to look askance. It is important that, in addition to the skin, they also see him. And whoever does not see, should regret it, it is no longer Maciek’s trouble. He prefers to have scales on his skin than on his eyes.
Text: Sylwia Skorstadt
Also read: Allergy and psoriasis – a deceptive similarity
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