Sorry about the ‘late’ input, motivation issues…
I started with Plantar [hands] psoriasis when I was 20. A year later Inverse psoriasis in my genitals, also Plaque psoriasis. Psoriatic Arthritis started when I was 24 & remains predominantly in my SI joint.
During this period, several decades, I sought advice from eleven dermatologists, they were - struggling to proffer mitigating and or ameliorate strategies. One suggested, as a last resort, arsenic tablets…
When the Inverse psoriasis transitioned to my urethra I decided to [urgently] seek a Biological ‘path’, but Dermatologists cannot prescribe Biologics in Australia so I sought out a Rheumatologist. They wanted a ‘steady as she goes’ approach of Methotrexate & Sulphur tablets. Still on the former, the latter had to stop as urinating was another higher level of pain. Subsequently tried two TNF Alpha Biologics, plus MTX, no improvement, currently on MTX & Taltz nine months in and no discernible improvement.
I pointed out to one Dr we have no way, currently, of measuring pain in an accurate, consistent & reproducible way, even locating the source is a ‘hit & miss’ affair.
My Dr, I’m lucky in one sense, her son is a member of the ‘psoriasis team’, ‘skin in the game’ so to speak, she has had endeavoured to provide pain management starting with morphine patches, unfortunately they helped for approx. ten months, now on synthetic opioids, ibuprofen & paracetamol. This provides a modicum of pain suppression, I still urinate with trepidation…
I see my Rheumatologist in November this year when, according to him, ‘we’ll’ probably try a different Interleukin suppressor if Taltz continues to provide no improvement.
I was an Electrical Engineer before retiring that had transitioned into IT [Cisco certified] and I was - am watching with interest what AI can provide to us [psoriasis sufferers]. I hear the concerns, however those same concerns were raised when the first computers were commissioned all those years ago. Work being done in the gene ‘enhancing’ arena for cancer management, appears to have merit for us as well.