20+ yrs of never giving up

At the age of 18, I was suffering the flare-ups with coverage from head to toe, clawing myself to bits until I was covered in blood. It started with a feeling of like my blood literally boiling under my skin. After trying more and more creams than you can imagine, I found that ointment with a 2% salicylic acid worked well on heavy build-up. Like everything I tried, my body became used to it. Along with my doctor telling me the government wouldn't fund the addition of the 2% acid, so I had to stop due to the cost.

Changing treatment plans

So I was then down the PUVA route with my trusty sock haha. Got a nice tan, didn't get rid of the scarring from heavy build-ups, but hey ho stuck with the plain ointment without the acid. The ointment, unlike creams, stays moist on the skin and will lift the heavy build-up straight off after a few days. Be prepared for extremely raw and sore skin. I used it for a week or two then let the skin heal accordingly. Don't be tempted to put anything else on it, and if need be, bandage the affected area while applying the ointment.

When this stopped working after a few years, Acitretin and a couple of others were the next stages. They didn't do anything for me apart from stomach upset. So then I get onto the cyclosporin, building the number of tablets I took up to an acceptable level that the stomach could take. The nausea and diarrhea were too much, so stuck with the ointment.

After a short spell in the pub, I met with a newfound friend who introduced me to Enstilar, which is a sort of mousse, easily applied, and works wonders for me. The doctor gave me a prescription for my own after I told him I had tried my friend's. The Enstilar is used for 4 weeks and then a couple of weeks off it. It worked well and while I was referred back to my consultant, I was asked to try biologics. There are several ones available but I went with the Stelara Ustekinumab. Wow, it's fantastic and should be made available straight away to us with frequent flare-ups. Unfortunately, the doctors have a protocol, and patients have to try a few tablet forms beforehand.

Living with psoriatic arthritis pain

I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and osteoarthritis, so the Stelara was the best with my diagnosis. The good thing is, I can still have an alcoholic drink or two. I am still taking the injections and anti-inflammatory tablets, as my joints swell to extreme sizes where my ankles and calves can be the same size as my thigh. I have struggled a lot of the time to walk let alone get a shoe on my foot.

If you are struggling with it keep getting on at the doctor's and don't give up. As for the people who stare at us wondering what it is we have, just let them stare because one day you will be clear and back to the beautiful people we always were. Good luck everyone with your treatment and don't stop till you find something that works. I will upload a few more pics if I can but this one was while only using the ointment only.