Feeling Psoriasis Crawlies for the First Time

I value myself as a country girl. By this, I mean I have lived in the country most of my life. The only two things I dislike about country living, especially where I currently live, are snakes and spiders. I love to go fishing and have no problem baiting a worm on my hook.

Who among us can say that we have never had an insect on us? Speaking honestly, I have had other creepy crawlers on me at some point over the years. Why would I tell you about all that? Well, last night, I experienced something that seems to be directly caused by my psoriasis.

What is that creepy, crawling feeling on my skin?

I have had psoriasis for a long time. While it's hard for me to believe, I am closing in on the 20-year mark. The one thing I have learned about psoriasis in all those years is that there will always be something new to learn about this chronic condition. Today is one of those days.

I had a horrible night of sleep. For hours my skin felt like something was crawling all over it. I started feeling it on my chest – it felt like something had fallen down my shirt neckline and was crawling from one side to the other.

As much as I kept trying to feel for whatever this was to get it off me, I could not find anything. I would feel it on my right side, then left. Every time I reached for this crawling thing, I found nothing. It was the most unnerving feeling for me.

I couldn’t go to sleep, and I couldn’t make this unrelenting sensation stop. I sure wanted it too. It was not a good feeling.

Apparently, this is a common psoriasis symptom!

Managing life with psoriasis alone can be very isolating, lonely, and sad. I am so grateful to have found the psoriasis community, to advocate for this condition, and to have found great friends along the way. I say this because it was one of my great friends who helped me identify this creepy, crawling sensation.

I informed her of my sleepless nights and my skin crawlies (for lack of a better word). Imagine my surprise when she said that this sensation was an additional symptom of living with psoriasis. Apparently, she also had been experiencing it for some time.

Of course, I had to look it up. I didn’t doubt what she was telling me, but I love to research things. After a night of not sleeping, I wanted to know everything I could find out so I could have an informed talk with my doctor.

I do not want many more nights with the creepy crawlies –that is for sure. If you are interested in reading about formication, you can find it here: Understanding Psoriasis: What is Formication?