Psoriasis

z0oT

brightkane wrote: »

Do you do the enema yourself or go somewhere for it? How often do you do it and if at home do u mind me asking where did you get your kit and is it easy to do?

I do them myself at home in the bathroom. I got a basic enema kit on amazon that I use. I do about 4-5 per week at the moment. They take a bit of getting used to, but to be honest they're pretty easy and safe to do. Although reaching the deeper parts of the colon or doing herbal enemas takes practice.

I've developed a technique where I can get water all the way up into the ascending colon now. For the herbal ones, I find Apple Cider Vinegar and Garlic the most effective enemas when it comes to removing Candida.

Enemas have helped me big-time though. I'm no longer constipated, I've good well formed regular bowel movements now with a good transit time. Very high fiber foods like Flaxseed and Psyliuum have helped there too.

Back before I started, even though I was still regular, my transit time was very high. The only way you can gauge this is with a marker (beetroot is a good one). For instance, I'd eat beetroot on the Saturday/Sunday and I wouldn't have seen the red juice in the toilet until Wednesday! Now, I see it the day after each time I eat it.

Gael23

I bought Psyllium tablets and they do make me open my bowels but I wake up in the middle of the night with a full bladder because you have to drink a lot of water with them.
When I don't take them I would go at least once a day but my motions wouldn't be as zoot describes. I think up to 48 hours is normal for transit. Its something I should keep an eye on more.

Gael23

Im struggling.
Got an appointment with Prof Kirby next Tuesday so we'll see what plan B is.

Gael23

So looks like I'm going on Enbrel. Not really sure what to think just yet

brevity

Gael23 wrote: »

So looks like I'm going on Enbrel. Not really sure what to think just yet

A quick Google tells me it's quite like Humira. You concerned about it? It's a bit unnerving alright, I had a good long think about going Humira but I don't regret it for a second. There is no way I could go back. It like living a different life now.

Gael23

brevity wrote: »

A quick Google tells me it's quite like Humira. You concerned about it? It's a bit unnerving alright, I had a good long think about going Humira but I don't regret it for a second. There is no way I could go back. It like living a different life now.

Im concerned about the long term impacts of having a suppressed immune system really. I think its a weaker version of Humira but I'm not sure.
To be honest at this point I need convincing theres another way other than Dovobet. Im going to go and talk to my GP next week to see what he thinks and take it from there.

brevity

Gael23 wrote: »

Im concerned about the long term impacts of having a suppressed immune system really. I think its a weaker version of Humira but I'm not sure.
To be honest at this point I need convincing theres another way other than Dovobet. Im going to go and talk to my GP next week to see what he thinks and take it from there.

My dermatologist just said to me that I need to get the flu shot in winter and if I get an infection to go to the doctor. If necessary I might come off Humira for a week or two in order to give my immune system a chance to fight the infection.

Give it a shot (no pun intended) anyway - if its not for you, then try and different route. Some people have great results with changes in diet and lifestyle so you could go down that path as well.

z0oT

I can confirm there is a bit of an improvement in my P now. Not a massive one, and it's not coming fast, but it is an improvement which is something to be positive about and encouragement to keep up what I'm doing.

It's only taken about 4 months of a strict diet and about 2 months of regular enemas. :P

Gael23 wrote: »

Im concerned about the long term impacts of having a suppressed immune system really.

That's the one thing that gets me about the medical treatments for P, they all consist of just suppressing the immune system, which is the case with most autoimmune diseases too.

Of course, they never address the actual cause ie. why is the immune system attacking the area in question in the 1st place? The treatment is just to turn off the immune system temporarily. Treat the symptoms, not the cause, ergo the symptoms are likely to return, ergo you stay dependent on the drug in question permanently.

Dubl07

Gael23 wrote: »

Im concerned about the long term impacts of having a suppressed immune system really. I think its a weaker version of Humira but I'm not sure.
To be honest at this point I need convincing theres another way other than Dovobet. Im going to go and talk to my GP next week to see what he thinks and take it from there.

I've been on Enbrel for a few years. It's worked very well for me. I weighed up a number of factors before choosing to use it.

• Psoriasis is a whole-body illness and puts pressure on many internal organs eg the heart and lungs to carry oxygen to enable all that rapid cell-division.
• The inflammation also seems to factor into joints with PA, gut with IBS and may contribute to bouts of depression (now also thought to have an inflammatory component). Being less itchy and hence able to sleep, being able to wear t-shirts and shorts, not showering the place with flakes from skin and scalp; all positives.
• The above pros outweigh (for me at least) the need for precautions around infection such as the flu-vaccine, frequent hand-washing and carrying a bottle of hand-sanitiser.
• It's an extremely expensive medication so the doctors such as Prof Kirby are highly unlikely to recommend it here unless they've exhausted other possibilities and feel the severity of your P merits approval for funding from the High-Tech Scheme.

If you decide to give it a try then best of luck.

Gael23

Dubl07 wrote: »

• Psoriasis is a whole-body illness and puts pressure on many internal organs eg the heart and lungs to carry oxygen to enable all that rapid cell-division.
• The inflammation also seems to factor into joints with PA, gut with IBS and may contribute to bouts of depression (now also thought to have an inflammatory component). Being less itchy and hence able to sleep, being able to wear t-shirts and shorts, not showering the place with flakes from skin and scalp; all positives.
• The above pros outweigh (for me at least) the need for precautions around infection such as the flu-vaccine, frequent hand-washing and carrying a bottle of hand-sanitiser.
• It's an extremely expensive medication so the doctors such as Prof Kirby are highly unlikely to recommend it here unless they've exhausted other possibilities and feel the severity of your P merits approval for funding from the High-Tech Scheme.

If you decide to give it a try then best of luck.

Im seeing Professor Kirby as it happens. Its not that I'm a really bad case, its that nothing is working for me. I had PUVA for 5 months and as soon as I stopped receiving that, it came back. Ive tried everything and Prof Kirby doesn't want me using Dovobet so I'm backed into a corner.
Being able to sleep without having to take antihistamines every night would be good alright. At the moment I don't have other symptoms apart from the plaques and itching.

Call Me Jimmy

Went to v expensive dermatologist, prescribed eumovate (steroid) even though it says not to use on face. A doctor prescribing me something for my face where the instructions say do not use on face... is this the state of dermatology?

Gael23

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

Went to v expensive dermatologist, prescribed eumovate (steroid) even though it says not to use on face. A doctor prescribing me something for my face where the instructions say do not use on face... is this the state of dermatology?

He must think you are bad enough to put it on your face. I did for a few months until it got under control, but use it very sparingly.
I really swear by Protopic for my face.

Call Me Jimmy

And protopic is not a steroid iirc?

Gael23

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

And protopic is not a steroid iirc?

Protopic is an immune suppressant. It has many of the same actions as a steroid without many of the harmful side effects from what I understand, that's the beauty of it.
By the way Jimmy,I'm Ryan, been posting here for years but has to change my name.

Zombienosh

Be careful with pro-topic and other immune suppressants, especially if you have broken skin of any kind or suspect any infections.

Call Me Jimmy

Well what would you use to heal broken skin then?

Dubl07

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

Well what would you use to heal broken skin then?

If it's not infected, something gentle like coconut oil or grapeseed oil helps. Remember that psoriasis means your skin will heal really fast anyway. If you want to up the healing, I find a few drops each of lavender and peppermint EO in a quarter-cup of grapeseed or melted coconut oil is helpful.

If it's infected, I use Flamazine (colloidal silver - antibiotic) or a little Fucidin (antibiotic) or a bare smear of Travocort (fungal). Yes, there's some cortisone in Travocort but it works quickly to heal inverse that's split if it's smelling a bit cheesy. Just be careful to use a very small smear and for the minimum possible time. The lavender and peppermint dilution is also helpful for inverse. If it doesn't help inside a few days go to the gp/derms.

huskerdu

Dubl07 wrote: »

I've been on Enbrel for a few years. It's worked very well for me. I weighed up a number of factors before choosing to use it.

• Psoriasis is a whole-body illness and puts pressure on many internal organs eg the heart and lungs to carry oxygen to enable all that rapid cell-division.
• The inflammation also seems to factor into joints with PA, gut with IBS and may contribute to bouts of depression (now also thought to have an inflammatory component). Being less itchy and hence able to sleep, being able to wear t-shirts and shorts, not showering the place with flakes from skin and scalp; all positives.
• The above pros outweigh (for me at least) the need for precautions around infection such as the flu-vaccine, frequent hand-washing and carrying a bottle of hand-sanitiser.
• It's an extremely expensive medication so the doctors such as Prof Kirby are highly unlikely to recommend it here unless they've exhausted other possibilities and feel the severity of your P merits approval for funding from the High-Tech Scheme.

If you decide to give it a try then best of luck.

I have been on Simponi for a few years now, for Psoratic Arthritis. I, too, weighed up the pros and cons and decided to give it a go.

I have seen no serious problems with my immune system. I didn't get a flu vaccine last year, and I rarely use hand sanitiser. I know I am lucky, but I rarely if ever get a cold and my life has not really changed at all.

Mountainsandh

I thought I'd try probiotics since it's mentioned here and elsewhere, and is a harmless and affordable thing to try. I haven't changed my diet, I eat both very good and very bad stuff on occasion, as always.
I simply looked for probiotics at the chemist without too much research. I took an Optibac probiotics 60 capsules for everyday, cheap cocktail, and Alflorex 30 capsules, 30 euros or so, expensive because they claim it is a hard to reproduce bacteria that isn't in other cocktails.
I just realized I should have taken 2 Optibac capsules daily but I've only taken one.

Sharing this as I have found a great improvement with my hands (my most hated spot !). They are practically clear, I can see the psoriasis is not far but it is kept contained if that makes any sense ! Even the pigmentation where the drops and plaques were is fixing itself.
Forearms noticeably better too, but rest of body shows no improvement I'm afraid.

So for me so far probiotics verdict : easy, relatively cheap way to efficiently calm down inflammation, highly recommend a course if you're currently having a bad flare up, it might stop it in its tracks !:)

P.S.: rushing to buy Optibac+ Alflorex at same time means I can't tell which one is the effective one, or if it's the combination of both. Duh.

z0oT

Mountainsandh wrote: »

I thought I'd try probiotics since it's mentioned here and elsewhere, and is a harmless and affordable thing to try. I haven't changed my diet, I eat both very good and very bad stuff on occasion, as always.
I simply looked for probiotics at the chemist without too much research. I took an Optibac probiotics 60 capsules for everyday, cheap cocktail, and Alflorex 30 capsules, 30 euros or so, expensive because they claim it is a hard to reproduce bacteria that isn't in other cocktails.
I just realized I should have taken 2 Optibac capsules daily but I've only taken one.

Sharing this as I have found a great improvement with my hands (my most hated spot !). They are practically clear, I can see the psoriasis is not far but it is kept contained if that makes any sense ! Even the pigmentation where the drops and plaques were is fixing itself.
Forearms noticeably better too, but rest of body shows no improvement I'm afraid.

So for me so far probiotics verdict : easy, relatively cheap way to efficiently calm down inflammation, highly recommend a course if you're currently having a bad flare up, it might stop it in its tracks !:)

P.S.: rushing to buy Optibac+ Alflorex at same time means I can't tell which one is the effective one, or if it's the combination of both. Duh.

If you respond well to Probiotics, it might be worth a shot to try eating some Fermented Vegetables or another cultured food, given they'll give you a far stronger dose of beneficial bacteria than any probiotic supplement ever would at a far lower cost.

I now have the best and brightest looking skin I've ever had on my face and elsewhere (P affected areas not withstanding), and I put it down to regular consumption of Fermented Vegetables.

TBH, I think the Probiotics are a bit of a waste of money for what they provide. I mean, I can make up a jar of Sauerkraut for a cost of maybe a few euro, between the sea salt and the cabbage. It'll provide more bacteria both in species and numbers than maybe 10+ jars of an expensive probiotic supplement. Contrast that to the last supplement I bought - it was €45 for 80 capsules with 60 billion bacteria in each.

...and talking of the most hated spot. I'm noticing a big improvement in the plaques on my forehead now. They're about 10% of the size they used to be now.

Mountainsandh

I don't think I'm ready to ferment my own veg ZoOt.
I suppose with probiotics pills you pay for the convenience more than the actual contents. That suits me for now anyway.

Gael23

I'm getting bloods done on Monday as well as some sort of X-ray before I can go on Enbrel so at least the ball is rolling.

Luxie

Hi all. I have not read through all the thread. But has anyone dealt with psoriasis on the feet? Never had it before 2007. It's been ok but two days ago I had to phone in sick as I couldn't walk. Worse my feet seem to have swollen so no pair of shoes even fit comfortably!

rubadub

Luxie wrote: »

But has anyone dealt with psoriasis on the feet?

pretty sure I have. I had contact dermatitis on my feet as a child. I think it is P in some spots now. I use a small UVB light on them and it reacts very quickly.

I think your feet have much higher turnover of skin, I remember a tattoo artist lad I know had tattoos on his feet and he did them himself for practise saying it wears off. I think this is why the treatments were so fast to react.

I used powerful dermovate steroid cream on my feet as a child and it was cured pretty much overnight, and they were in a shocking state at the time.

Gael23

rubadub wrote: »

I used powerful dermovate steroid cream on my feet as a child and it was cured pretty much overnight, and they were in a shocking state at the time.

I was thinking of Dermovate but it is very strong. You'll need a prescription for that too.

Gael23

First Enbrel injection tomorrow. I can't help feeling a little apprehensive.

Dubl07

Gael23 wrote: »

First Enbrel injection tomorrow. I can't help feeling a little apprehensive.

That's perfectly understandable. I was in a right panic between deciding to take Enbrel and the first few injections. Once it started to clear my skin that subsided. Best of luck!

Gael23

I have no alternative at this point so it's an easy choice. Are you using the pen or syringe?

Dubl07

Gael23 wrote: »

I have no alternative at this point so it's an easy choice. Are you using the pen or syringe?

Syringe. I can control the speed that way.

Gael23

Dubl07 wrote: »

Syringe. I can control the speed that way.

Im starting with the syringe but I was supposed to get the Pen. It wasn't specified on my prescription so the Pharmacist ordered the syringe. The Specialist Dermatology Nurse I see is saying that with the syringe, people dislike actually giving themselves an injection. And I do see her point in that.