what do they say about your toenails? when i had a manicure done and had psoriasis in my thumb nail they thought it was fungus and slapped some sort of stuff on it. I am just worried about showing my funky toenails to a pedicurist. I wish they had medical ones you could go to where they have seen this type of stuff and know what to do.
Seenie said:
The "psoriasis of the joints" thing isn't, of course, a medically accurate description. But I've used it in many situations where I need something really short and simple. Like with my pedicurist. (By the way, I consider pedicures to be the only fringe benefit of my PsA: my toenails are kind of gnarly, and my hips make it difficult to reach. I love justifying the indulgence!) Saying that I have "psoriasis of the joints" is: 1. Short and snappy 2. Makes 'em wince and cringe every time (and sometimes go eeewwwww, LOL) 3. Doesn't remind them of granny's arthritis or or the arthritis they got after breaking their ankle skiing. Works really well for me. PS this month my nails are a lovely coral-y red. LOL
My usual first-time spiel with a pedicurist goes something like this: “Just so you know, that stuff under my toenails that looks like fungus, isn’t. It’s psoriasis. Thank goodness I don’t have it on my skin. Unfortunately, I do have it inside my joints. I know, hard to believe … Blah blah etc.”. And if they seem interested (which they sometimes are) I give them a little lesson on how a smart nail tech can be instrumental in diagnosis. I wish, somewhere along the line, a nail tech had noticed my pitting and suggested I go to a dermatologist. That might have saved me years of mysterious suffering.
crookedtoes84 said:
what do they say about your toenails? when i had a manicure done and had psoriasis in my thumb nail they thought it was fungus and slapped some sort of stuff on it. I am just worried about showing my funky toenails to a pedicurist. I wish they had medical ones you could go to where they have seen this type of stuff and know what to do.
that is a good way of putting it. i do not have much psoriasis on my skin either just some on my scalp and my toe nails now. But I will try that when i eventually go for a pedicure. they sound nice and all.
Right now my toes are OPI's Cozu-melted in the sun--a gorgeous coral rose. :-) Just right for spring!
I was very lucky with my nail tech. Her aunt has PsA, so she instantly recognized what was up with my nails. She has been a blessing.
I agree, Chris, my heart goes out to those who endure both skin and joint symptoms of psoriasis. I have had both, but my worst skin breakout involved the back of my scalp. As awful as that was for me, that would be a trivial outbreak for many psoriasis patients.
I was watching TV last night and heard an off-hand remark about the "heartbreak of psoriasis"--one of those attempts to trivialize our illness. Unfortunately, that campaign works all too well. I've had people laugh in my face when I've said the word, "psoriasis."
There are always going to be people who do not understand this illness, and simply don't want to. It is much easier to laugh than to try to comprehend a complex auto-immune disorder.
These days when I have to explain (and I rarely try anymore), I tell folks I have an auto-immune arthritis. For most, that's sufficient to let them know something is amiss, and it sounds complicated enough to discourage further questions. Occasionally, someone is truly interested and will ask for more information. Then I try to educate.
“I have PsA. It’s NOT osteoarthritis, it doesn’t improve with exercise, it doesn’t improve with Osteo-Biflex, there is NO CURE. I will be fatigued, in severe pain, depressed, and it will be hard for me to function as normal. Thanks for reading.”