I've suffered with pustular psoraisis now for over 25 years, although I did enjoy a long-term remission. I was so sure it was gone for good. It started when I was in my mid-20's, or so, on my hands. I had no idea it was psoraisis, although I've also had psoraisis in my scalp and on my elbows since my late teens. The only time I'd ever been treated for it was when it started moving down onto my forehead, and became too unsightly to just let be. I was prescribed some type of cortisone cream and told it should 'control' it, although it wouldn't cure it. It worked too, for the forehead, but nowhere else.
I'm not sure what caused the pustular kind, but i went to the doctor for that, because within a month, my hands were raw, and I had to wear gloves with the fingers cut out of them just to be able to manage my desk job. I was prescribed all types of creams and tars. The tars made it far worse, and although the various creams sometimes helped a bit, it seemed that prolonged use of any particular type just lost its effect after a bit. Then my feet got itchy and next thing I knew it was all over the soles of my feet as well. It became increasingly difficult to walk, and really caused me a great deal of discomfort and anxiety. I went back to the doctor, who then sent me to the same dermatologist I'd seen so many years ago, and he's the one that diagnosed it, at a glance, as pustular psoraisis.
He gave me one treatment of 25 injections of cortisone into one hand, and 35 into the other. It was, by far, the worst pain in my entire life, those shots. It took him and another intern all their might just to hold my arm down to shoot me. Thank goodness, though, it was enough of a jolt to send the desease into remission. My feet, on the other hand, didn't clear up for a long time. In fact, they didn't clear up until I became pregnant with my first child at 29. It completely dissappeared during both of my pregnancies, but came back right after giving birth.
This led me to believe that it might be some sort of hormone deficiency, so I asked the latest dermatologist I was then sent to if she wouldn't have my hormone levels checked. She got very upset, and insisted hormones didn't play a role....there was no scientific evidence to think such a thing. Although I told her I was allergic to tar, she basically just said to me "I hope you have a good insurance plan, because your prescription is very expensive". She also told me I'd have to take two 45 minute baths a day in it, and to be very careful, because it would stain clothing. Turned out to be a tar based prescription, which I never did get filled, as I'd always reacted very negatively to tar. Needless to say, I gave up on her, and decided to just try creams at home.
I found that a type of cream I bought through Mary Kaye did just as much good as the cortisone creams that were being prescribed continally to me, so for years I just kept buying that stuff and using it. It seems that eventually it just went away.
About 3 years ago, one of my feet got itchy. I'd forgotten all about pustular psoraisis, so, I ended up scratching my foot. That's all it took. It's not quite as bad now as it was back when I was younger, but just about. My hands WANT to break out too. I can feel it just under the skin, and if it's humid out, or if I have my hands in hot water a lot (and I do, since I'm now a stay at home mom), I can see all the little blisters just under the skin. They get frightfully itchy at times, but I know better than to scratch them now! Sure enough, my hands have not erupted. I'm absolutely convinced that if I give in and scratch my hands, they'll be looking just like the bottom of my feet within days.
I have no idea how I'm going to get my feet back into remission. I decided, since I'd had great success treating a toenail fungus that one of my daughters came down with, just from googling home remedies......this was after two different doctors told me that they COULD treat it, but that the medication would have to be taken for between 6 to 9 months and that her liver would have to be checked on a weekly basis, as the medication was known to be very hard on the liver. Obviously, I opted out of this option, and decided to google home remedies. Well, six months later, her toenail is completely healed, and all I used was something everyone has in their kitchen. No harmful side effects at all.
That's what brought me here. I decided to google "pustular psoraisis" along with a couple other keywords I'd been thinking might have a connection, and ended up here at this site.
My hope is that I'll not only glean more knowledge of the 'condition', but also be able to offer support to others.
I guess that's it for now. Sorry to make a short story so long. (I tend towards verbosity
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