New Year, new chapter.....

Greeting from my sick bed....well, couch with a fuzzy blanket and warm fire :) Thankfully I'm over the worst of my cold and feeling better each day. A trip to the doctor this morning, it was decided I didn't need antibiotics and to continue my recovery on paracetamol. Funnily enough my facebook memories today showed me moaning about being sick this day, on two different years...seems to be a pattern. I know that this is going around and I know people who suffered from it recently. Probably from going from bad habits over Christmas to trying to do better again in the new year getting back into routine. On that note also, Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed however you chose to celebrate. I did so with family and my boyfriend having a quiet night in, going outside at midnight to see the fireworks over the nearby town.

So today, giving how I'm feeling I thought I'd go through a routine of how I recharge my batteries when I am sick...

Comfort:

It is important to make sure you are comfortable! Whether its being in bed or on the couch, its nice to have comfy pillows or cushions to ease and aches of pains you may have. I found myself suffering from terrible lower back pain which my doctor put down to the virus targeting a weak area of your body. I found myself layer up cushions on the couch and while in bed using my trusty hot water bottle to heat the area. Just be sure not to have the hot water bottle touching your skin, so as not to burn the skin, instead wrap it in a towel or tshirt.

My lovely fuzzy blanket from trusty Penneys has been attached to me most of the week. It warm but also light material if I get too warm. Who can forget warm, cosy slippers!  My pair of choice being sheep ones I received as a present at Christmas.

Sleep

Sometimes coming down with something like a cold is a way of your body saying you need to slow down and recharge. Depending on your age and lifestyle it is usually recommended that we get 8 to 9 hours sleep a night. A good night sleep can help to focus more during the day at work/school. Lately unfortunately my sleeping pattern has been all over the place (a bad habit from Christmas) which may have been part of the reason I became sick. Relaxation plays a big part, even little things like lighting candles or your favourite scent,going for a short walk to get to fresh air into your lungs (love the chill of late cold nights), listening to your favourite music, watching your favourite show or if like myself lately, watching your favourite youtubers.

Medicine

Whether you believe in herbal medicine or the chemist kind, use whichever you find works for you! I found myself using Strepsils sore throat and blocked nose lozenges due to a bad cough I had and later found Fisherman Friend were more beneficially. As a child I always suffered from very sore throats and bad coughs but since I had my tonsils out (10 years this month!) I thankfully haven't suffered as badly, as well as improving my skin when it was at its worst at that time. I had started out using a cough syrup but found it only seemed to make me cough more. Voltarol has been a godsend for using on my lower back! The pain was so bad when it came to getting up from sitting down and standing back up again but this gel really has helped relieve it as it targets the area.

Fluids

This is sooo important! Be sure and keep your body hydrated with plenty of fluids. Water, 7-Up and Tea have been my fluids of choice. One of my goals for the New year is to drink more water. I had a good routine of drinking water daily but fell into bad habits over Christmas.

If needed, seek medical advice

If you feel like nothing is helping, maybe seeing your doctor is the next step. Your doctor can then recommend a course of action, whether it be antibiotics, or even just more rest. It is best to follow the instructions of your doctor and if that doesn't work, don't hesitate to let them know, they are there to help you after all.

I have found myself using the downtime to also make goals for myself for the new year. I'm not one for making New Years Resolutions, simply because I never keep them! So I have written out ideas and steps to go about achieving them, in the form of progression and it has really made me motivate myself to getting better and try to improve my lifestyle as of late.

Anything you would add to the above list? Leave it in the comments below. I hope it has been a better start to the new year for you. Have you made resolutions or plans? I may share mine in a post, I'm planning to keep track of progress in all areas so hopefully a few changes in motion.

Until next time....

Sarah x

 

December Update....

Hi all! Hope everyone is doing well since my last post. I do apologise for the lack of posts as I'm having laptop issues and waiting on a part to be delivered. But on with the update....

So I didn't update through November, which was also due to being busy with work. I had another visit back to my Rheumatologist. I had experienced quite bad stiffness in my elbow in the days leading up to my visit, and unfortunately my skin hasn't been behaving lately. With the winter setting in, it could be down to the changes but it has been fairly mild temperature wise here. 

My rheum did discuss with me about changing medication, to which I wasn't open to. As previously posted about, my current medication, Stelara, is the third different biologic I've tried this year. I was told about a different oral medication I could try but due to being of 'child bearing age' it was not something he would be comfortable putting me on.

We decided that it would be best to give the higher dosage a fairer chance (only one 90mg had been taken at that stage). I was due to take my next dosage the first week of December but due to not being well, I was put on a course of antibiotics and could then take Stelara. I got a steroid injection to my side to relieve the stiffness and pain I had been feeling in my joints and sent on my way.

A week later and I was feeling better, I then waited another 3 days before I took my next injection. The 90mg dosage came as one injection, instead of two, which made life a lot easier. I have become more confident at injecting, considering at the start of the year it was something I felt sick at the thought of but I'm am grateful for having learnt this.

As previously mentioned above, my skin hasn't been agreeing with me lately, especially on my legs, upper arms and lately my scalp. I find scalp psoriasis to be one of the more annoying things, as well as being itchy, you have to deal with flakes through your hair and on your clothes. I have found one or two dots appearing on my face lately as well, so I'm hoping it is not reappearing there but I guess this time I am more prepared for it. Last year when my face was covered, I took it very badly, hated going out in public and felt the need to avoid certain situations. I have found some very good foundations and good application techniques which would help if I feel the need to cover it, as well as becoming a stronger person to be able to deal with it uncovered in public.

Have you found your skin/joints to be flaring up this time of year? What do you find helps?


I hope to update before the year is out, but if I don't get the chance to, I hope everyone has a lovely flake-free Christmas! Stayed tuned for bigger and better to come in 2016 :)

Until next time.....

Sarah x

World Psoriasis Day 2015....

If you didn't know, now you do! Today, October 29th is World Psoriasis day. A day celebrated worldwide by many a Psoriasis sufferer, to educate others, and also to acknowledge how far treatments have come over the years with so many options now available.

I know Psoriasis is something, if we all could choose, we wouldn't want to have it. But there are positives to come from it and for me a bit part of that was how much of a community you will find from fellow itchys. People are so eager to educate as well as share their own experiences and advise when times are tough.

For myself, the Psoriasis Ireland group on Facebook has been so helpful and so welcoming, be it to rant or rave, you'll always find someone who will set you on the right path. There are plenty of forums out their also, as well as other Facebook pages/groups from different countries.

I want to end this by sharing a video by a beautiful little girl named Pearl, who is an inspiration in speaking out about how it feels to live with Psoriasis and deal with it from a young age. I wish I had her confidence. When I developed it at age 17, it was the awkward years, in high school and a lot of focus on how you look. I wish I was a brave as this girl back then, thankfully I have grown a lot as a person since :)

Until next time......

Sarah x

Double the fun.....

I must apologise for the lack of posts lately, there has been a few bits going on in my personal life that I have had to deal with, so I chose to take a break from blogging for a while.

While one issue I was dealing with is something I hope to deal with in a future post, it's not exactly psoriasis related, but stress related....so in a way I guess it is psoriasis related.

To update on my ongoing treatment, I took my 45mg Stelara as usual in August and had a return visit to my Rheum in September. He was happy with my progress, but unfortunately my arthritis was active, in my knee, elbow (which doesn't straightened properly these days) and now my ankle. My ankle had been giving me trouble for a while, and I found an ankle support did help when at work. When I bought new runners to replace my old, falling apart Golas, I found my ankle to be better supported.

With my PsA being active, but my skin coming along well, my rheum decided to up the dosage from 45mg (1 injection) to 90mg (2 injections). I was prescribed one injection to boost me up to 90mg from my old dosage a month earlier. I have been feeling great, my joints feel a lot better in that I have been doing more things that I couldn't do as well in about a year or so. My skin has had its ups and downs, mostly on my right leg but still nowhere near my worst flares.

I am due back to my rheum in November, to see how I'm finding the higher dose. I am due to take my next 90mg on Nov. 21st, all going well. In the mean time I hope to post a bit more often as I have had a few ideas during my blog break.

If you have an suggestions on any topics or issues you would like to see covered, leave it in the comments below :)

Until next time.....

Sarah x