So how am I doing?

Aug 31, 2010 23:31

Hello, all. I know you've been on the edge of your seats wondering what's going on in my exciting life, so here's a quick update:

After many hours on the phone and scouring the Internet, I found a physician who seems aware of integrative medicine, practices within 50 miles of me, AND is covered by the BC/BS HMO we're enrolled in. Her name is Silvia Panitch, and I will get to see her next Tuesday.

The main issues I want to address with her are the depression and the psoriasis. The depression comes and goes... I've had three mini-periods and one major one in the last two months, so I would not be at all surprised to find that the low moods are hormone-related. This has been dragging on for years now... argh.

The psoriasis is getting much worse. I've eased up on the supplements for the anti-candida diet due to some intestinal unhappiness, and focused on the no-sugar/no-wheat part. Almost my entire scalp is now involved, the itching/burning/tightness is really driving me crazy, both ears (in, on and behind) are pretty well covered. There is some relief when I douse myself in coconut oil, but as soon as I wash it out (and I have to wash it before I leave the house), it starts back to the itch phase again. The flakes are horrible... I'd say I'm seeing a solid tablespoon of them a day.

But hey, all that's not enough! No, there's yet another little twist I'm noticing: I've lost a huge amount of hair. The remaining stuff was in really bad shape, so I cut off about 8". Now I'm really kicking myself... because the remaining stuff is becoming so thin, I can see my scalp through it. I will never, ever have long hair again, at least not as nice as the stuff I just whacked off, and it's really hitting me viscerally very hard... I see a woman with long hair, and my eyes well up.

There's a single inflamed lymph node behind my left ear. I'm also having a lot of trouble with energy... I don't think it's related to the apnea, because I wake up pretty much refreshed around 7:30 a.m. most mornings.

I'm really reluctant to try the steroids... a number of accounts I've read seem to indicate that, while people do get good immediate results with them, they wind up having a really horrible rebound effect when you stop... and you have to stop every once in a while, because they become less effective the longer you use them.

A friend who has been grappling with psoriasis called and talked with me a long time about it, and it looks like a UV comb might be helpful. I'll ask if my insurance covers it, or if there's a way to try it somehow.

There's a part of me that hopes against hope that it's not psoriasis, that I have some funky food allergy and I'll just have to stop eating tomatoes or something and it will get all better... but realistically, I know the odds of that are about zilch.

Ah well. Stay tuned... more after next Tuesday!

psoriasis

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