Rob's Story

Rob was diagnosed with psoriasis when he was 21 and then psoriatic arthritis when he was 27. He bravely opens up about his struggles in his story.

I actually didn’t develop any signs of psoriasis until I was 21, when I noticed red patches on my scalp and arms appearing, that soon started to spread to other areas on my body. Whilst I’m very fortunate that it’s not severe, it has and still does effect how I feel about my own appearance a lot.

Fast forward to me being around 27, my skin was no better but it was somewhat under control. Then I started noticing aches and pains in my feet and knees( which eventually spread to other joints, and just didn’t go away. I’d already done the reading and I knew exactly what it was. It confirmed a year later - psoriatic arthritis.

There’s no book that tells you how to handle news like that. You’ve been fine all your life and then in the space of a month you develop a condition that literally takes away your life as you knew it and puts you on medication forever. I could write a whole separate post on the impact of this on my mental health, I’m sure most could relate. 

 I’m now 29, as I’m writing this I’ve just came off methotrexate injections, probably going through one of the biggest flare ups I’ve ever had. I’d never pretend there haven’t been bad days or even weeks, but focussing on what I can do rather than what I can’t has really helped me move forward. 

I have two jobs I love, one in a children’s home and the other for a frontline emergency service. I started hiking again this year and I’ve been able to get back to training in the gym 3/4 times per week. I might deteriorate further one day and not be able to do the things I love, so I’m making the most and doing life on my terms. 

This is well out of my comfort zone but knowing it might help just one person makes it all worthwhile. Thanks for reading.