Believing Is Seeing

We know that our eyes allow us to see things you need to see. One hot day years ago, I started talking to a stranger in the store. He began to engage in a conversation with me. This was a time that I had a very bad breakout on my face. He began to tell me that he thought that what I had was contagious and maybe I shouldn’t be touching food. I told him I had psoriasis and that I wasn’t contagious.

My take away on this day was simply the phrase that we have heard for years. Seeing is believing, but is it? I began to turn this around; believing is seeing. I knew what I had. I knew it was not contagious. I knew what the doctor had diagnosed me with. A lot of times we see things, but it isn't what we visually see with our eyeballs.

Psoriasis is more than what you see

I look at believing as knowing something to be a fact. I don't have to speculate, guess, or use my imagination to figure it out. I felt very agitated that day because of the simple fact that he was trying to tell me something I know wasn’t true. I believe and know that I have psoriasis. I believe and know that it is an autoimmune disease. I believe and I know that there is no cure. I believe and I know that I can take care of it by doing what is necessary.

Seeing is believing, but believing is knowing what I know. If I didn't believe that the doctor diagnosed me with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, no matter how much plaque psoriasis I see on my face, arms and legs, I would just be seeing it. It is believing that keeps me going back to my doctor, it is believing that keeps me eating properly, it is believing that keeps me sharing my story, it is believing that keeps me going to different places and telling my story. It is so crucial for healing with this disease to believe it is what it is.

Believing these facts about psoriatic disease

When we are in denial, there is a disbelief of what we accept as real. As a patient having psoriasis most of my life, I can truly say. I believe it is psoriasis. I can pass thousands of people every day and they can see whatever they want to see. If they don't know what they are looking at, it is just what they see. I am grateful that I have believed the report from the doctor. I tell people all the time. We have been privileged to have scientists, medical researchers who have put in thousands of hours researching this disease. When I take the biologics I believe and know that these drugs are doing what they are supposed to do.

When I use the creams, I believe they are getting under the layers of my skin and doing what they are supposed to do. If I didn't, then I wouldn't be using it.

I like to close with seeing is believing, but more importantly, it is important to believe. Believing that it is a real disease. Believing that we play a major part in our own healing. Believing that everybody will not believe, but see what they want to see. I accept it now because we are a visual world. People see what they choose. As for me, believing is seeing into this world of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. I want everyone who shares this disease with me to not only see it on your body or feel the joint pain, sore fingers, twisted feet, knotted legs but rather believe that it is what it is. I believe that I will continue making a difference in the lives of those who suffer because I believe we all make a difference. It's all in how you see and believe.