I'm no stranger to skin problems. Mom said she greased me like a pig as a baby because of dry skin and contact dermatitis. I can't touch wool, latex, some grasses, some woods, etc. I took Benadryl and weekly Eastern Pollen shots until I was 16. When my dermatologist diagnosed basal cell carcinoma on my stomach at 57, I cursed my skin. And I asked whether my newly itchy elbow was cancer, too. I was relieved to hear it was "just" plaque psoriasis -- until I thought about my older sister with flaming red skin, patches of hair loss, and a trail of flaking skin. As the itch increased, my low-level anxiety grew into frantic scratching of every bug bite, bump, and ingrown hair. My plaques increased in size and spread. I laid my arms across cool leather chair arms, turned on the fan, and cranked up the AC. I tried Salicylic Acid (made it worse). Cortisone cream was temporary. Aveeno diabetic and eczema lotions kept dryness and itch at bay, but I had to apply cream 8+ times daily. At work, clients thought I had a disease. I got tired of explaining and swiping flakes off my desk. I was jittery and distracted. Night after night, I sat in front of the TV itching, scratching, lubricating, itching, etc. Reading, journaling, and mindfulness didn't help. I sat with both arms over my head so my plaques didn't rub against my shirt and itch more. I clenched my jaw. "I don't want to be awake anymore." But I laid in bed willing myself to stop scratching. Sometimes I scratched until I drew blood. Morning came too soon. I read articles online to find symptom relief. After learning that the sun -- vitamin D specifically -- had an impact on plaques, I drove with one elbow out the window, hoping I wouldn't accidentally set myself up for more skin cancer. The itching waned. As luck would have it, a coworker gifted me two bottles of Nature's Bounty D3 gummies (2,000IU) and I have taken one daily for the last week. I have fewer plaques, less redness, and less itching. My anxiety is in check, even though both elbows itch a little as I type this. It's going to be ok. I'm going to be ok.
#Psoriasis
#Anxiety
#vitamin D
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