Psoriasis and Strep Throat

Do you know about the correlation between psoriasis and strep throat? I am waking up and it feels like my throat is sore. I sit up in bed and swallow hard feeling my swollen throat. My own saliva going down feels like I just swallowed shards of glass! I get up drink some water and notice that this is not going away as mush as I had hoped it would, which means that it's time to make an appointment with the doctor. As I arrive at the doctors, I am painfully aware that it hurts to speak when I check in at the desk.

As my name is being called I enter the exam room to tell the nurse my story of waking up this way. The nurse says to wait a moment and comes back to the room with swabs and explains that the doctor wants to look for strep throat? Are you for real? How can this be? I am not a kid anymore. I am a middle aged adult. Daisy takes the swab and tells me to say 'ahh'. After I gag, it is done. Blinking rapidly from tears in my eyes from gagging I think about how I used to get this in grade school. It feels the same way as it did back than. I can almost taste the tons of popsicles, ice cream, soft foods. Am I experiencing deja vu?

I had strep!

My memories are being interrupted, as Doctor Nick walks through the door smiles at me and says, "Hi Melissa you have strep!" I say hi. That is when I ask "Doc, I had this as a kid a lot. I am an adult, I thought I wouldn't have it anymore. What's going on?" He looks at me thoughtfully and explains. First, the throat can be a breeding ground for different types of bacteria, but one of it's favorites is strep throat Bacteria loves the moist darkness around the tonsils. Streptococcal bacteria creates an inflammation response in your throat creating swelling and discomfort. Next and more importantly, the inflammation doesn't just happen in your tonsils but it can cause your whole body to snap into an inflamed state. Your T-cells are pretty busy right now creating havoc.

I am really surprised by this and ask about recovery. He sits down at his computer and opens the notes to my file. Before the doctor came in, he told me that he talked to a colleague in dermatology. The red small patches are most likely guttate psoriasis and are caused by the strep A strain.

My heart seems to thump louder in my chest. Now I realize that the small dots on my legs that seem to have been slowly building up are actually my psoriasis returning after 4 years of less then 5% body clearing. Knowing what I know about guttate psoriasis, I realize this is going to be a good while if it does go away at all. My thoughts are running fast now. I am wondering how long it will last, will it be a large flare? Am I going to be covered again? Last time it was 97% of my body.

There is hope this clears up soon

The doctor reassures me and tells me not to worry just yet. The doctor said he thinks that my next shot of my biologic will most likely take care of the flare. There is hope! We exchange pleasantries and he gives me my paperwork and I am out the door, as my mind tries to digest the information.

As with many things, I need to learn more. I go home and look through some medical information and find out that this is not only is what's happening to me, but I find that it fairly common. Cellulitis is another problem created by streptococcal A bacteria. Cellulitis can also live on the skin of autoimmune challenged people more often because of the T-cell production being so high.

As of this writing, it has been about a month and my skin is still recovering, but slowly. Guttate is is known for spreading fast but mine is slowly fading away. I am confident that it will recede and go away.