I wanted to let everyone know that there are experts available to answer your questions about the safety of Psoriasis medicines during pregnancy by calling OTIS at 877-311-8972 (toll free in the US and Canada). You will speak with a phone counselor who is a trained in teratology (the study of birth defects caused by exposures during pregnancy). This service is free and confidential. OTIS counselors have a variety of backgrounds in the health care field and include doctors, genetic counselors, nurses, and researchers. You can also check out their website at www.otispregnancy.org. Under resources, you will find information fact sheets in English and Spanish on a variety of common pregnancy questions like topical acne creams, caffeine, nausea and vomiting, and depression, as well as some prescription and non-prescription medications.

In addition to providing updated and accurate information on medicines during pregnancy, OTIS conducts telephone interviews with willing participants to learn more about health conditions and medicines during pregnancy. This increased knowledge should benefit women and their doctors in the future by aiding in treatment decisions and ideally providing reassurance. One project, the OTIS Autoimmune Diseases Pregnancy Project is researching the effects of autoimmune diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasis, as well as the medications used to treat these conditions during pregnancy. Participants will not be asked to take or stop taking any medication as part of this study. We are also enrolling a comparison group for this study (women who don’t have an autoimmune disease, but who are pregnant). If you are interested in learning more about this study, please call 1-877-311-8972 (Toll Free in Canada and the US), email raandpregnancy@ucsd.edu or check out the website at www.otispregnancy.org

Psoriasis Help Organisation (PHO) was started by a newly diagnosed psoriasis sufferer in 2000. He realised, when looking around for information about psoriasis, that there really wasn’t very much available for people to find out more about the disease and how to deal with it on a day-to-day basis.

As more and more people were beginning to have access  to the internet, he saw potential for a website that could fulfil a need: instant access to information and a place to find help and support.

The heart of PHO is the forum; a place where all psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis sufferers can post about their experiences, treatments and ask questions about their disease from other sufferers. More importantly, they can gain much needed support from people who truly understand what it is like to live with a disease that can not only affect their skin and joints, but also their confidence, relationships and work lives.

PHO is unique by the fact that it is privately owned, free to join and participate in and has absolutely no advertising or sponsorship.

PHO has more than 10000 members, not only from the UK but from across the world and as the site has grown, so has its reputation as a safe environment for sufferers to freely talk about their experiences.Next year, PHO celebrates its 10th birthday and we know that it and the members who make it what it is have not only given much needed support to 1000s of psoriasis sufferers over this time, but will continue to do so for many years to come. http://www.psoriasis-help.org.uk/

I start telling  my story and hope to encourage other psoriasis patients to do the same.

Psoriasis pretty much affected my live in a severe way since it was discovered on age of thirteen in combination with vitiligo. Before psoriasis was diagnosed I was a  happy child enjoying life in every way. I was an actor at that age and performed in a lot of plays at school and played at the local theatre. After the diagnoses I got a shy, closed and pretty messed up guy. I felt ashamed, ugly and insecure as a result I had hyperventilation and panic attacks.

Life became a daily struggle to me. The dermatologist at that time told me there is no cure available and pretty much told me to accept it and that’s it. That was such a disappointment too; my thrust in medical treatment vanished immediately.

Years went by and living in my own save, protected world resulted in not really living for years. Talking to a psychologist at age 29 helped me accepting this incurable non contagious disease and helped me to find some trust in people again. With her help I started to visit a dermatologist again and she advised me to start talking about my psoriasis.

Now I write about psoriasis at my blog, I started talking about it to friends and family and even at work I shared my ‘big secret’. Surprisingly it helped me in a great way to start living again!People react positive and understanding and share their own life struggles.

There is a reason to tell this story. I haven’t been living for almost 17 years, missed out on chance to enjoy life. I hope dermatologists are aware of the role they play in giving people hope ,faith and confidence.

If my dermatologist at the age of thirteen had taken my condition seriously at the time it would have helped me dealing with psoriasis. Sure there was still a road to take in accepting the disease and overcoming the Shame of Psoriasis.

I am now thirty years old and finally I feel alive again! Still struggle with psoriasis and vitiligo every day, but at least I have thrust again, talk to people and started to enjoy the beauty of living.

Sebastiaan, Netherlands

Suffering from psoriasis, start talking! Share your story now

Start guest blogging on psoriasisblog.org today. Share what you would like the world to know about psoriasis and how it affect daily life. This is your ideal opportunity to learn, support and encourage each other while fighting Psoriasis.

People with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis,their family and friends, Dermatologists and other physicians, psoriasis advocates and Researchers are all invited to write and blog about Psoriasis. Share ideas, ask and answer questions, learn and support each other.

A few requirements:

• A personal story must have unique content.
• A news article must refer to the original content though it must be written in your own words.
• Check your facts and respect copyright law
• We respect other people’s rights and opinions, and expect you to do the same.
• Our administrator makes the final decision about publishing articles
• Write an article relevant to the subject of Psoriasisblog.org.

Suffering from psoriasis, start talking today!

Write your first article right now!