My son, aged 20 has an issue with psoriasis on his hands.
We have spent a huge amount of time and money on doctors, specialists, medications etc etc trying initially to get a diagnosis and then trying to find a medication that works.
We have tried natural products, steroid creams, topical lotions, ointments etc and still no real result.
Paracetamol for pain.
I wish I could tell you that i thought the diagnosis ( psoriasis) was right but in my gut I think its wrong.
My son is a student who works part time and this problem with his hands is a hindrance on all levels and I can see it wearing him down.
The medications and consultations for this sort of stuff are so expensive, so of course we help with all that.
He just doesn’t have the money.
The first dermatologist he saw was mildly amused/puzzled and called in one of his partners to help make a diagnosis.
Neither of them could, so they put it down to psoriasis, prescribed some cream that cost a fortune and sent him on his way.
His GP is stumped but at least she tries.
She sees his distress and tries so hard to help.
A leading naturopath here in Newcastle has seen Joshua about 8 times trying to help but with little success.
Allergy testing has been done with no results but the allergy doctor prescribed some cream which really seemed promising and we all breathed a little easier.
A specialist he saw a week or so ago basically called the medication that was working crap and prescribed something completely different.
Another $50 and after a few days it was evident that the new cream was making his hands so much worse.
This morning they are split and blistered, torn and frayed- as was my boy.
So we took some photos and went back to the cream the allergy doctor prescribed which Joshua said felt like it was making a difference straight away.
This poor kid can not go through life with both hands bandaged and wearing gloves to keep out shampoos, soaps etc.
There has to be an answer out there somewhere, and we will keep searching until we find it.
The sight of the burst blisters and deep cracks this morning almost made me sick- its like his palms are rotting and looks and feels so painful.
What ever it is, the one thing all the professionals seem to agree on is that it is likely to be a permanent condition, something that needs to be managed rather than cured to lessen the flare ups, like today.
I worry of course because i have Lichen Sclerosis which is a hereditary condition and has been known to appear on all parts of the body.
It ( the condition on Joshua’s hands) looks like that to me ; the splitting and blistering are all too familiar for my liking and I even got Joshua to bring this up with his GP but she seemed to think it was unlikely given where it usually presents (lower back, thigh area, genitals) and his age as well.
He is just too young.
I was thirty two when i was diagnosed and even at that age the doctors just couldn’t believe it when the biopsy came back positive.
Its an old persons disease I was told.
So yeah, worrying about Joshua and his hands seems the norm these days. He is a trooper but after so long even he is starting to wear thin.
I have discovered online something called Hand Eczema and that sounds more like what Joshua suffers.
The frustration is that with most of the specialists he has seen, he feels unheard.
Whether its his age or their arrogance I don’t know but he cant seem to stress to them how bad this is, how crippling and this makes me see red because so much money is being outlayed to Doctors who seemingly know nothing at all and just want to problem to vanish without contributing to the solution.
We are paying for that damn solution.
Joshua is a mature 20.
He is articulate and intelligent.
I cant understand how he is not being heard.
So anyway, that’s my sob story for today.
My poor boy and his poor sore paws.
If you have any clues I am open to hearing them, that’s why i have blogged about this, for feedback.
If you have any, i’d really like to hear it.
Lisa xx
We have spent a huge amount of time and money on doctors, specialists, medications etc etc trying initially to get a diagnosis and then trying to find a medication that works.
We have tried natural products, steroid creams, topical lotions, ointments etc and still no real result.
Paracetamol for pain.
I wish I could tell you that i thought the diagnosis ( psoriasis) was right but in my gut I think its wrong.
My son is a student who works part time and this problem with his hands is a hindrance on all levels and I can see it wearing him down.
The medications and consultations for this sort of stuff are so expensive, so of course we help with all that.
He just doesn’t have the money.
The first dermatologist he saw was mildly amused/puzzled and called in one of his partners to help make a diagnosis.
Neither of them could, so they put it down to psoriasis, prescribed some cream that cost a fortune and sent him on his way.
His GP is stumped but at least she tries.
She sees his distress and tries so hard to help.
A leading naturopath here in Newcastle has seen Joshua about 8 times trying to help but with little success.
Allergy testing has been done with no results but the allergy doctor prescribed some cream which really seemed promising and we all breathed a little easier.
A specialist he saw a week or so ago basically called the medication that was working crap and prescribed something completely different.
Another $50 and after a few days it was evident that the new cream was making his hands so much worse.
This morning they are split and blistered, torn and frayed- as was my boy.
So we took some photos and went back to the cream the allergy doctor prescribed which Joshua said felt like it was making a difference straight away.
This poor kid can not go through life with both hands bandaged and wearing gloves to keep out shampoos, soaps etc.
There has to be an answer out there somewhere, and we will keep searching until we find it.
The sight of the burst blisters and deep cracks this morning almost made me sick- its like his palms are rotting and looks and feels so painful.
What ever it is, the one thing all the professionals seem to agree on is that it is likely to be a permanent condition, something that needs to be managed rather than cured to lessen the flare ups, like today.
I worry of course because i have Lichen Sclerosis which is a hereditary condition and has been known to appear on all parts of the body.
It ( the condition on Joshua’s hands) looks like that to me ; the splitting and blistering are all too familiar for my liking and I even got Joshua to bring this up with his GP but she seemed to think it was unlikely given where it usually presents (lower back, thigh area, genitals) and his age as well.
He is just too young.
I was thirty two when i was diagnosed and even at that age the doctors just couldn’t believe it when the biopsy came back positive.
Its an old persons disease I was told.
So yeah, worrying about Joshua and his hands seems the norm these days. He is a trooper but after so long even he is starting to wear thin.
I have discovered online something called Hand Eczema and that sounds more like what Joshua suffers.
The frustration is that with most of the specialists he has seen, he feels unheard.
Whether its his age or their arrogance I don’t know but he cant seem to stress to them how bad this is, how crippling and this makes me see red because so much money is being outlayed to Doctors who seemingly know nothing at all and just want to problem to vanish without contributing to the solution.
We are paying for that damn solution.
Joshua is a mature 20.
He is articulate and intelligent.
I cant understand how he is not being heard.
So anyway, that’s my sob story for today.
My poor boy and his poor sore paws.
If you have any clues I am open to hearing them, that’s why i have blogged about this, for feedback.
If you have any, i’d really like to hear it.
Lisa xx
