Has P/PA had any positive effects on your life?

[Emma]

Well I found this place and through here met Roger.

We have been together for over 7 years and are geting married next year.

So having p has definitely had a huge positive impact on my life!

[Pieman]

yes, meeting some really nice peeps, gaining knowlege and having a laugh on virtual pho.

[riaY]

yes, meeting some really nice peeps, gaining knowlege and having a laugh on virtual pho.

Me too

[Luvvi]

No...but I only developed it 5 years ago thankfully!  I try not to let my psoriasis or PA change me but sometimes in unavoidable and that makes me angry!

I accepted I have P and PA a long time ago, I think its very important to do that and not always fight against it however, it doesn't mean I have to be happy having it!

[Hyacinth]

nothing positive for me at all.

My diet has always been good, always have taken care of myself - exercised, never got over weight etc. P has taken a lot away from my life such as the physical activities I used to enjoy so much.

I have no sex life, I don't go anywhere not because I care what others think but it's too painful and I don't want to go out wearing baggy cotton pajamas.
This outbreak has gone on for over a year. I feel depressed and even angry. I think why me? There is nothing I have eaten or done that could have caused it. My derm saids it was caused by a very stressful event I went through. I had no idea stress could cause this.

Nobody in my life other than my daughter really understands how I feel. My husband can be sympathetic but if he left me tomorrow I wouldn't be surprised.

P has cost a fortune and I have only had it 5 years. I can't imagine how those of you have dealt with it over a lifetime.

The only positive thing is I am alive, if you want to call this living.

[hilhol]

nope - just means that my energy has to go on coping with the pain/itching/bleeding/scaling/creaming/injecting etc etc etc, rather than living. Dealing with work and family commitments becomes truly difficult, and NO-ONE realises what you're having to deal with on a daily basis, on top of life as everyone else knows it!

Not happy today - tired through lack of sleep due to itching/bleeding......................................

[yon]

Good question. It made me think.

There is one thing I can think of... is that I can understand other people's pain whatever medical condition they have. I can really feel for them.
....having said that.... I had bad flare up recently, everything was c**p. Couldn't think of anybody/anything but my own pain and itch! So hard to stay positive with c**p skin.

[Cupcakes]

I think P has made me very sensitive to other people's feelings. If someone comes across as unfriendly, unapproachable...i think well maybe they have issues in their own life that make them defensive. I was extremely closed when i first got P (in my teens). I didn't want to know new people, i was too busy being torn up inside that i probably came across in a very negative way.
I also think P has prevented me from being shallow. Having P so bad in the past has made me realise that there's so much more to someone than their physical appearance...which is a hard thing to learn in your teens where appearance seems so important.
So there you go, positive effects on my life...id still rather not have P but i must admit i think it in some ways has made me a better person.

[kathryn1989]

its made me realise that some people love you for who you are. its also made me realise some people arent worth it.
Its forced me to quit my binge drinking/unhealthy lifestyle and made me want to eat right/ go to the gym/take vitamins.

Its made me realise the stuff I whinged about before psoriasis was minor. Its also made me think there is more to life than looks and going out and getting drunk.

apart from that psoriasis is a very itchy awful condition and I wouldnt wish it on anyone.

[mustang]

Like Liz has said, you have to accept that you have P/PA and it is a lifelong battle.  Once I accepted that, it made me a much stronger person and more determined not to let it affect my life and, 99% of the time, that works!  I am much more open with my skin / PA and completely up front about it with everyone I meet.

Funnily enough, I think it has also made me impatient and less tolerant of others as I am not very good with people who moan a lot about small things that they have control over.

The main thing is that I have met some brilliant people on here (and even let one of them live in my flat!) and without this place I would never ever ever be the person I am today.