Ciclosporin treatment

Hi Stephanie, I am not sure I would simply take this person's word for this, My son recently completed a university occupational health and safety course and in his opinion most of the people doing the course, who were actually employed in the field, did not have a real in depth grasp of all the regulations, What is the position and qualifications of the person telling you this? Make them provide you with the pertinent regulations, and have them show your their evidence for the conclusion that psoriasis is an infection risk. Then make them produce precedents where people with psoriasis have been refused entry into the nursing profession. Then if all else fails contact the nursing union. Good luck! wendyloish

Thanks Wendy for your reply. I'm not sure what qualifications occupational health nurses have but i do know for me to get out on placement in November i need to be psoriasis free from the elbow down. They told me if my skin is intact I'll be ok but if not, i won't be able to be a nurse due to infection control to keep me and also patients safe. I can't wear long sleeves due to infection control aswell. I need to do so many hours of placement to progress into the next year but if I'm not psoriasis free from the elbows down come november then i wont be able to continue with my degree. I have actually spoke to nurses in the field just now and they have stated that many employees have different skin problems and it doesn't effect their career. I'd really rather not be taking ciclosporin due to the side effects but i feel like i have no other choice. I need to try everything available and risk other health problems to get rid of this. Even if i manage to keep it at bay for my placement in November, what about the next 3 years? If i keep taking these tablets i wont be fit enough to be working with sick people as my immune system will be in a state. I'm so close to giving up, i feel like I'm fighting a losing battle and the more i stress about it, the worse it gets. The worse it gets, the more i stress. I'm stuck in this vicious circle and have no idea what to do.

Hi Stephanie, I am sorry this is affecting you so badly as it could impact on your ability to concentrate and get through your studies, I think you need to focus on the things within your control and this will help you get back into a more positive mind frame, I would also suggest you have a look through the forum posts for things that other people have posted as helping their psoriasis. Things that come to my mind are the various creams for topical application like Enstilar foam or 3% hydrogen peroxide, the various immune suopressor drugs like methotrexate and the different biologics, and the various diet modification suggestions like eating blueberries or giving up gluten, So make a plan about how you will attack the problem once you have gathered your alternatives from the forum, then put the plan into action. You will be amazed at how it will stop the downward spiral, And write your plan down under three headings 1) topical treatments 2) medicati0ons and 3) diet and lifestyle, Whenever you feel stressed just look at your plan and you will know that you are doing your best in the situation because you have a plan. Good luck, wendyloish

Hi Stephanie Sorry to hear you are having such a rubbish time with your psoriasis. Wendy makes some good suggestions and i would back em up. That said, covering my body in moisturisers is something i struggle to have the will to do after a long day (also have kids!). I have recently switched to dead sea salt baths, and what relief they are providing me with. My scales flake off in the bath, and apparently the cocktail of salts also hydrate the skin. The bath is also relaxing. I've used oatmeal baths in recent years and I do feel dead sea salts are having a much better impact for me. They are expensive in high street shops but I've been bulk buying online via dolphin fitness. I also need to provide a positive experience of cyclosporin! For me, this was a wonder drug. No side effects, my extensive psoriasis pretty much disappeared after a couple of months and I basically lived a normal life for a year amd a bit! I only came off it because you can't use it long term. Now hoping to switch to a biologic as was on acetretin but it wasn't for me (not clearing quickly but also hair loss was occurring). As everyone says, each treatment works for differently for different folks - but the cyclosporin was great for me. Hope things get easier for you!