If You Are Retired Did Your PsO Get Better After That?
They say that stress makes our psoriasis worse. When you had a 9 to 5 job, did you find that you had more flares? We would like to hear from you. Diane (Team Member)
Working while living with psoriasis can be hectic. If you work a 9 to5 job learn to balance the demands of your job with your condition. It’s not easy, but not impossible. You have to communicate with your supervisor and be your own best advocate. How do you manage your psoriasis while working? We would like to hear from you. Diane (Team Member)
I don’t have psoriasis, but I can imagine that retirement could lead to a significant reduction in stress, which might help improve symptoms for those who do have it. Without the daily pressures of work, there’s often more time to focus on self-care and relaxation. -Latoya (Team Member) , thank you so much for replying. I loved being retired. I get to travel now and enjoy life. How are you doing? Diane (Team Member)
If only...
I have found that - for me - psoriasis has only gotten worse with age. Retirement didn't make any difference., sorry to hear that your psoriasis has got worse with age, and that retirement didn't make a difference for you. Psoriasis can be pretty relentless, unfortunately. I haven't been able to work a 9-5 job since I got psoriatic arthritis 16 years ago, so I guess I may never find out whether retirement helps my psoriasis or not! Do you mind me asking if you know what initially triggered your psoriasis? And what your triggers are these days? I don't know what my initial trigger was (I was very young), but I do know that stress, infections and skin injury will trigger a worsening of psoriasis for me now. Hoping you've been doing okay since we last caught up. Always good to hear from you! Warmly, -Catherine, Community Moderator , I do understand what you are saying. I got psoriasis at 5 years old. I don't remember having it until I was 6. This sticks out because on my 1st day of school I was taken to a hospital and quarantine. They thought I was contagious.
I had severe psoriasis over 80% of my body for the next 40 years. And guess what, I was seeing a dermatologist every month. I didn't get any relief until biologics came out. My psoriasis has got better, but my psoriatic arthritis is kicking my butt. I just went back on Methotrexate a few days ago.
What type of treatment are you on now? We would like to hear more of your journey. I am 66 now and it never ends. Diane (Team Member)
I don't know when I first became aware that my skin was different than normal, but it was very young, perhaps 3 years old. I was always very itchy and very sensitive to any stimulus such as touch, sweat, close fitting clothing, sunlight, even water! I also vaguely remember the hellish torment from a nasty case of impetigo on my neck when I was in pre-school. It was very traumatic and has left me with a lifelong phobia of anything touching my anterior neck & upper chest. Ties or buttoned collars are absolutely out! I'm 77 now and it's still just as bad. , goodness, you had a really hard time with all of this as a child. I wish you hadn't had to go through all of this. Such a lot for a young child to be coping with, and these traumas and difficulties do leave a lasting imprint on us. I was very fortunate that my grandad had psoriasis too, so even when I was in a lot of pain and discomfort as a child, I had a kind of safety net of knowing that someone I looked up to and loved was dealing with this as well. Thank you so much for sharing. I know it can be hard to revisit these memories. It sounds like you've had trouble with your skin in one way or another for most of your life. You certainly deserve a break! I know you've posted previously about struggling to find treatments for both your psoriasis and AKs that don't aggravate the other condition. Have you had any luck with that since we last spoke? Hoping today is kind to you. Warmly, -Catherine, Community Moderator
