Do you remember those days as a kid, dancing around your yard in a bathing suit? Or playing soccer after school with your closest friends? Or even looking forward to a fun sleepover on a Friday night?
I do. I remember loving all of those moments and feeling so lucky to be me.
But at age 10, that all changed. You see, I was diagnosed with a really common skin condition called psoriasis. What started out to be a small spot on my upper left arm turned into dry, white, scaly patches covering my whole body — just one year later.
I lived in constant pain and immediately quit soccer. I became terrified of sleeping over at a friend’s house for fear that I would flake too much on the sheets. I wouldn’t be caught dead in a bathing suit.
The thing about having a skin condition is most people don’t acknowledge it as a significant disease. After all, “it’s only your skin” — which is true, I suppose. Thank God I’m not dying from cancer or some terrible bacteria. But think about it: The first thing you notice when you meet someone is his or her appearance. And for 16 years of my life (when my condition was at its worst), the only thing people noticed about me was my unsightly skin condition.
So although it was “just my skin,” I would often wake up with blood on my sheets from the intense scratching I couldn’t prevent while asleep. Worse than that, I couldn’t focus. I was constantly getting in trouble because I wasn’t able to study for tests or do homework. Most of the time, I was simply trying to survive emotionally. At the time, I didn’t have the self-awareness or tools to communicate that I couldn’t focus because I was in so much physical and emotional pain. What I wanted more than anything was to fit in.
This is what living with a condition like psoriasis is really like. But no matter how bad it is, I made a decision early on that I invite more people to make: No matter how much pain I am in, I decided to believe that this condition is constantly molding me into the best version of myself. That may seem like a stretch if you’re going through something similar or are struggling with your body, because pain is real. But I believe that this decision single-handedly allowed me to deal with psoriasis.
While developing this emotional strength was a huge part of the healing process, I also had to take the necessary steps to heal physically. Throughout those 16 years, I tried all kinds of treatments including Chinese herbal medicine that tasted like mud, homeopathy, Ayurveda, acupuncture, reiki energy treatments and dozens of therapies and modalities that promised to cure. The constant search for the ultimate remedy was exhausting in itself. Ultimately, I know it was a combination of many things that got me to the place I am today — 24 years after my diagnosis.
Most doctors won’t tell you this, but after over two decades of testing out so many remedies, I know for a fact that healing from any condition is a holistic process. You need to treat the stress, the intensity of your emotions and your physical symptoms. You cannot fully heal from the root cause of your condition unless you do all three.
Today, I still have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (I developed the arthritis when I was 20 years old), but I am able to live with ease and feel healthy because I consistently take care of these three areas. I go to therapy to support my emotional process. I work with a team of awesome doctors to support my body as it changes throughout the years. And, I have found a combination of medicine that works for me — specifically Stelara and Methotrexate, which have both changed my life tremendously.
The last and maybe most important piece in all of this is being incredibly mindful about what I put into my body. Psoriasis and arthritis are both diseases that are triggered by inflammation, and the food I eat either irritates my condition or keeps inflammation low. I prefer to keep it low!
Since there is currently no medical cure for either psoriasis or arthritis, I know I will have to live with them for the rest of my life. But I take comfort in knowing I have all the tools and resources I need to do just that.
More from U.S. News
7 Reasons to Choose a Plant-Based Diet
11 Ways to Cope With Back Pain
Living With Psoriasis originally appeared on usnews.com
