Disclaimer: Psoriasis looks different for everyone who experiences it. My journey with psoriasis might look different for someone else battling it. This is my story.
Back in May of this year, I got sick with COVID-19, and then strep about a week after. When dealing with these two illnesses, I began developing what looked like an allergic reaction to what I thought were the antibiotics I was taking at the time to help me recover. Little red dots began showing on my stomach, soon covering my entire body, making me itch, and even ache.
After getting off the antibiotics and noticing that the swelling had not gone down, I decided to go to the dermatologist to see what was wrong. At first glance, the doctor knew the issue and could diagnose psoriasis right away. She had planned to put me on steroids and other medications to help cure the problem. However, getting permission from the insurance was going to take a while, so I sat and waited for the test results. For biopsy results. For answers.
I’m currently living in Orlando. I wasn’t super close with my roommates, and I have no family members in the area, so not only was I scared, but I was also lonely. I didn’t know who to turn to in this time of need. I couldn’t afford to go home, put a hold on school, and I didn’t really want to either.
By reaching out to my family back home, I ended up finding out that my mom also had psoriasis and, upon doing more research, I discovered this was something genetic that I’ve always carried with me. She told me about her experience and how it wasn’t easy for her. It took her three years for it to clear up entirely. This obviously scared me even more and my insecurity began to grow.
I never struggled immensely with body image before, so coming home from work after having to digest people’s comments about my body took a toll on me. Having people stare at me wherever I went was something I had never experienced before. I wanted to feel confident and accept my body despite its difficulties; I didn’t want to cover who I was, especially in the summer heat (I later found out that this was my saving grace, but we’ll get to that in a second).
Before making any decisions about medications and steroids I went home for the summer, tried some home remedies, and I instantly felt better knowing I was around family and friends who cared about my well-being. I started doing more outside activities and noticed that my skin would get better every time I was out in the sun for a while. I started tanning and, with that, my psoriasis started drying up and minimizing in size without any medication at all.
I’ll always remember that time of my life: coming home and crying about the way I looked, feeling hopeless and lost, and just overall confused. I felt like my body was reacting to the stress it was under and was calling out to me because I wasn’t prioritizing it. When it started clearing up and healing, I felt a huge realization about how much my body takes care of me all the time and alerts me when something is wrong. I feel so grateful for my experience, gained a whole new perspective, and love for my body.
If you are someone who is struggling or has struggled with psoriasis, I feel you, I understand you, and I stand with you.
Visit https://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriasis/ to learn more.