Thursday February 23rd 2012
Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis
I believe it was the year 1999 when a spot of psoriasis first appeared on my left eyebrow.
A strange small bump, kinda like a large pimple that was constantly itching and flaking.
It remained there for several years because I just did not think it was that important. The
few Dr's I had shown it too said it was dry skin, but not an official visit to a Dr's office
was set up until after a few years. It started to spread to my elbows then the side of my face
on my temple, then the back of my ears, my entire scalp, my knees, calves, inner thighs etc, etc.
Today February of 2012 after having done everything under the sun for psoriasis from tar, to UV
lights, creams, ointments (over the counter, under the counter, prescription), steroid creams,
3 different prescription medications (over the past 6-7 years) the psoriasis is at its worse. I am
literally covered in spots from head to toe, it has traveled up my nose and inside my ear canals,
on my genitals including my anus, in my belly button, I even have it in my eyes if that is possible.
When I have flare ups my eyes get red and itchy (the white of my eyes), and that’s just naming the
odd places, it is all over my legs and arms my back and stomach.
In 2005 I had some pain in my knees.
I was working allot back then and thought I had some tendonitis in my knees. I know the symptoms
being that I am a massage therapist, so naturally I was massaging my knees for some relief. Strangely
there was no affect. Not only was there no relief it was getting worse by the day. When I finally
went to the Dr. I was in so much pain that I could hardly walk and this was only about a month after the pain first began. It was diagnosed as psoriatic arthritis, the bonus package to psoriasis if you one of
the chosen lucky ones. Many people don’t know what this disease is and they ask me. Its tough to put
into words because only if you have experienced this type of pain can you know what it is.
A throbbing pain that is present all the time with absolutely no relief that was traveling from my
fingers to my knees, ankles, low back, mid back upper back, neck and the bottom of my feet. Basically
every major joint. Do the following experiment: put a finger in a vice a tighten it up to where you feel
the metal on both sides of your finger, then turn it a half turn more making sure you are squeezing bone
not just the pads of your finger. That is what psoriatic pain feels like. Try living with that
24 hours a day every day. I was not a happy camper. I am still not a happy camper. Actually the most
accurate way to describe me right now would be a very sick and very depressed camper.
At around the time the psoriatic arthritis was making its presence I also started having this weird cough,
which I just shrugged off as being a smokers cough. I used to smoke at the time. I never gave it much thought as usual (looking back I have been such an idiot), until it got to the point where I was coughing all day and all night, keeping me up and not sleeping well or at all. After having some tests done and a chest x-ray I was told by the Dr. to go for an MRI because they found some kind of growth. I immediately thought it was cancer but it turned out that it was the thymus gland that had enlarged. I was scheduled for a procedure where they basically stick a needle in your chest into the enlarged thymus to extract thymus tissue and some kind of liquid that was accumulating in there. Very unpleasant procedure that feels like you are literally getting the life sucked out of you. Then I was told I have a lung infection and have had it for some time which is why my lungs have permanent damage. After the biopsy cleared me of really bad stuff from the thymus gland procedure I was then scheduled to have lymph glands removed so they can biopsy those. (totally unnecessary procedure if you ask me, I think the surgeon needed some new rims for his Ferrari). In the process of getting some sample lymph tissue the surgeon managed to give me pneumonia (pnumo something or other). I then had another procedure after having spent a night in the hospital where they proceeded to implant a tube that went from my bicep of my left arm inside my vein all the way to my heart. I was then given loads of antibiotics in syringes and I was taught to shoot them up my self. After this fiasco I decided to find another set of doctors. So found a new hospital, new lung Dr and a new chest surgeon. The lung Dr. decided it would be best to remove the thymus. Tests had been done but I am not sure if one was done for myasthenia gravis. I was still not diagnosed with that disease yet and my lungs were not cooperating so that I can have the chest surgery. The Dr. was having a difficult time getting the lung infection under control. I had taken so much medication at that
time I honestly think someone in a pharmaceutical company has a villa in the Hampton’s because of me.
Meanwhile the surgeon is saying "lets wait, and see, I don’t think you need to remove the thymus". I was desperately trying to have these 2 Dr.s communicate but they just would not (funny thing is they worked in the same building, their offices probably 100 yards or so apart). So out of frustration and not knowing what to do, I went looking for yet another set of doctors who might be able to help me. Found a good lung specialist in Yale. I was told to buy a nebulizer and started sucking in medication and saline water 2-3 times a day. This went on for many months while all the time monitoring the thymus gland and trying to manage the psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Finally the lungs started to show improvement and I was scheduled to have chest surgery in January of 2009. The scariest and most uncomfortable thing that I have
ever had to endure in my life. The way that they remove the thymus gland is basically similar to open heart surgery. They split your chest in half, remove your parts, staple you bone back together sow you up and send you on your way. In my case because I had a lung condition that was complicating things I needed to remain in ICU for a little over a week. Then came the fun part. I was sent home and was supposed to continue the nebulizer so that I can extricate as much mucus as possible. The way this is done is by sucking in meds in liquid for along with saline and then waiting for the mucus to soften and then you cough it out. Coughing is not very pleasant when you have a 10 inch crack down your chest. Slowly over the next few months I recovered from the surgery and my lungs were showing improvement. I was still having a very hard time working and so finally in the summer of 2009 I stopped work, I sold my
house in Connecticut, I broke off my engagement and decided to move to Greece...
By the way the experiment has begun. I am on day 5 of having just fruits and vegetables.
At this time I am doing raw & cooked, fruit & vegetable, except for those in the night shade family (potato, tomato, peppers, eggplant.). All meat dairy, and grain has been removed from the diet including rice, millet quinoa & buckwheat. Also no soy, corn, seeds or nuts of any kind will be consumed. I will be making a list of all foods I will be eating and also make a list of foods that I need to test because there are some items that I don’t know my reaction to. I will do this for about 10 days and then I will start
playing around with the ratios of raw: cooked and fruit: veggie. I will also throw in there a few days of juicing, but will not do long periods of juicing, and I will explain why in a later post.
Diet of the day
DAY 5, Thursday February 23rd
8:00 -9:30am
glass of water w/ juice from half a lemon
1 orange
1 small bunch of spinach (raw)
1 glass of water with green powder (raw green super food)
11:30
1 large plain cabbage leaf
Large salad- curly lettuce, arugala and parsley topped with olive oil, lemon and ginger
Small plate full of wakame seaweed topped with olive oil and lemon
1:15pm
½ of a cucumber plain
1 glass of water with green powder (raw green super food)
2:45pm
A plate full of boiled cauliflower and broccoli topped with lemon and oil.
1 medium sized salad- carrot and cabbage, with lemon & olive oil
5:45pm
1 medium sized salad- carrot and cabbage, with lemon & olive oil
1 glass of water with green powder (raw green super food)
8:30pm
1 banana
1 orange
11:00pm
5 dry figs
small handful of goji berries
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