What do you do for a living and how does it affect ur condition?

[hawkmoth]

I work for the Probation service with high risk offenders. I don't find that too stressful but the heavy workloads and office politics drive me mad - whenever I let it get to me I am guaranteed a flare about 6 weeks later. On the other hand if I didn't have a challenging job that would drive me mad with boredom so really I can't win!

[Midge]

I'm a full time Youth Worker. The kids I work with don't give me stress, but the managerial politics of the place does.

The kids tell me off for scratching, and they offer sympathy. They don't discriminate or point at my skin, occasionally new kids will ask me 'what's that?' on my hands/arms/neck/wherever, and I explain. End of story.

The people I work with, however... not so much immediate colleagues, but those 'in charge'... oh dear... they're an uneducated bunch!!!

I have a loan to pay off until June 2011...Put it this way, I'll be reducing my hours by at least half after then!!!! 

[hawkmoth]

I know EXACTLY where you're coming from Midge lol. Just found out today that "those in charge" have basically taken my occupational health report, ripped it up and changed my role and doubled my caseload without a even a hint they were considering it - starting Monday!!! I seriously wonder what planet some people live on lol

[Midge]

Hawkmoth - that is disgusting!!

Are you going to take it further??

[akesingland]

Hi All

I am a pharmacologist (drug research) and my job is not that stressfull.  However we have to define what stress is.

How most people understand stress is stuff like pressure of work, emotional stress, loosing a job, moving house, berevement.... the list goes on.  In a biological sense stress is deviation from what is the norm. Take for example temperature.  Most plants for example thrive when conditions are warm and sunny.  Loss of light or frosts are stressful to plants.  However if we go though life without stress this is a bad thing as we never learn to deal with stress or how I have defined it changes from the norm.  Stress is good for adaptation.

I never get the stress thing, as is asked here, as for humans it is very difficult to define, let alone quantify.  Bankers strive on stress.  In a non-biological sense the most stressful period of my life was when my daughter moved to Ireland with her mother after we separated.  I noticed no difference in my psoriasis.  The one and only time my psoriasis ever improved was because of narrowband UVB.  Although my psoriasis is worse than after my UVB treatment I still feel the benifit of it now.  That is to say it is better now than it was before my UVB treatment.

All my love to all.

Adam (CRH) x

[Balloo]

I used to have a stall on the outdoor markets if I wore a black shirt the Psoriasis from my head landed on my collar and it looked like the worse case of dandruff possible. If I wore a white shirt no dandruff but when my Psoriasis bled my shirt would be covered in blood stains, I also suffer from low platletts which means my blood does not clot easily so when it bleeds it bleeds. 

[Midge]

Hi All

I am a pharmacologist (drug research) and my job is not that stressfull.  However we have to define what stress is.

How most people understand stress is stuff like pressure of work, emotional stress, loosing a job, moving house, berevement.... the list goes on.  In a biological sense stress is deviation from what is the norm. Take for example temperature.  Most plants for example thrive when conditions are warm and sunny.  Loss of light or frosts are stressful to plants.  However if we go though life without stress this is a bad thing as we never learn to deal with stress or how I have defined it changes from the norm.  Stress is good for adaptation.

I never get the stress thing, as is asked here, as for humans it is very difficult to define, let alone quantify.  Bankers strive on stress.  In a non-biological sense the most stressful period of my life was when my daughter moved to Ireland with her mother after we separated.  I noticed no difference in my psoriasis.  The one and only time my psoriasis ever improved was because of narrowband UVB.  Although my psoriasis is worse than after my UVB treatment I still feel the benifit of it now.  That is to say it is better now than it was before my UVB treatment.

All my love to all.

Adam (CRH) x

Hi Adam!

As far as 'stress' goes, I'm pretty sure you could give it any name, and it would still mean the same thing. I'm not sure that by 'defining' stress we would really see any difference - I guess that emotional stress manifests itself in different ways for different people - and at the end of the day, all I know (and I'm not in the medical field - I'm just a youth worker!) is that when my blood pressure seems to rise, and my anxiety levels increase, my psoriasis increases along with it.

which reminds me...I'm off for a meeting now...bum! I have no voice, my throat's sore and I'm supposed to be doing the talking. Maybe I'll mime my reports this month in the style of 'Charades'...whaddya reck??

 

[Midge]

Sorry, Adam - posted that half way through!!

UVB worked for you? That's great! It's not great that it's worse though now. I have a friend who had UVB and unfortunately it didn't really seem to help, but I'd try it if it was offered to me!

Dramas in life seem to make psoriasis worse in some people, from what I've read, and I suppose for some it doesn't affect it at all. Your own personal experience must have been terrible, and I'm glad you didn't suffer a huge P flare with it to add to it. Psoriasis seems to have no rules, or indeed reasons - I suppose that's why it's so hard to treat, and why there are so many treatments available. It's sad that nobody's found a way to help us all yet.

Maybe soon!

PS. I managed to abort the meeting 'mission' halfway through, but not before I'd made a total fool of myself, spluttering and choking and then my voice disappeared altogether! Now at home, wheezing and rasping!

 

[hawkmoth]

Hi Adam,   I have to say that in my personal experience emotional stress and my skin are most definately linked. I've had UV and PUVA bu trying to manage the treatments, long travelling distances and juggling work and other committments only served to increase my stress which was counter productive and actually made my skin worse. The only time in my life when my skin cleared on it's own was when an extremely fortunate turn of events removed all of stress (for a short time at least) - six weeks later my skin was clear. Unfortunately since then the only  way I can manage it is through biologicals and I am now on my third. I've recognised the link between stress and P for years (it was triggered by an emotional event at age 7) and I seen counsellors and psychologists who tell me I have all the skills and tools I need to both recognise and manage my strees. What I don't have is an employer prepared to make reasonale adjustmments to accommodate that without threeatening capability proceedings so I go down the medical route instead until I am able to afford to change my career (I have a ten year plan lol).


Midge - I tried to sort it out today but no joy. I will be ringing a union rep next week and see where that leads. all in all it's been one of those weeks so am just going to forget for the weekend and chill with my puppy dog. :-)

[Midge]

Good idea - and good luck. Keep us posted, eh? Send me a PM if you like, I'll be interested to hear how things go.