Living with Psoriasis

Image taken from Wikipedia

I have been living with psoriasis for over 10 years now.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease that affects the skin. 

It is typically a lifelong condition. There is currently no cure.

As many other
sufferers know it’s awful. It looks bad, itches and is very painful at times.
Especially now I have psoriatic arthritis.
I first got psoriasis shortly before
I fell pregnant with my first child. During my second pregnancy just over a year
later it spread all over my body. One day I remember counting 108 patches and
none were smaller than a fifty pence piece.

When my children were young my knees were constantly open wounds. The skin
rips and tears and before you know it, a simple game of crawling with your
child results in lots of blood, pain and then the prevention of infection.

Thankfully my husband couldn’t care less about my skin. But I remember
thinking on my wedding day..

"This isn’t right. This isn’t what I had planned to
look

like on my wedding day".

    

I tried every potion, lotion and medicine known. None worked.
In my third
pregnancy it all cleared up. It was wonderful. I had clear skin, not even a scar
in sight. I could play with my children and not feel pain or bleed.But soon
after he was born it all came back.

I have tried every moisturiser, and steroid cream, I've even wrapped myself in cling
film with creams on! I've tried coal tar, acupuncture, Chinese tea, diets void of sugar and
dairy, herbs, vitamins, Chinese creams, porridge, phototherapy and even taken
cyclosporine, which is an immune lowering medicine that people usually take when
having a new organ implanted.

My latest trial is going to be using borax. I’m going to drink a pinch of it
in 1 litre of water, bath in it and make a paste to cover my skin. This should
help with both my skin and the arthritis pain.
I’ll let you know how it’s going
and if I get any results. Wish me luck!

I'm embarrassed by this condition, and my children suffer the embarrassment from other
children teasing them about their mum’s skin. One boy asked my daughter why her
mum had tattooed herself red. She was very embarrassed. From that day on she asked
if I could cover myself up.
On a day out at the beach last summer, my husband convinced me to take my
cardigan off as it was very hot. I heard people comment as I walked past them,
and I'd see their faces too.
One woman said rather loudly, as I walked past her, how
disgusting my skin was and how I should cover it up! I understand how children
can be when they see something different. But adults…

Psoriasis needs awareness and people need to change the way they teach their
children how to deal with certain situations. In some cases the adults need teaching
themselves!
It’s ok to ask. That would be acceptable. How are children to learn
the appropriate way to behave if their own parents can’t?
My children know if
someone looks different that it’s not ok to stare and mock. They also know its
ok to look different.

My children have an increased chance of developing psoriasis now. The stats suggest that there is a 50% chance they will get it because of me. I’m determined to find a way to
clear my skin for their possible future too.

I would love to hear from any other sufferers.

Let me know what’s helped you, and
what hasn't.

Written by Victoria.

It Starts with a Step

 

Now the weather is brightening up a little after the snow we've had these past few months, it's natural to want to get outside into the fresh air, and feel more energised to work off those warming puddings we have been eating all winter. One of the ways I get more active this time of year is by setting a goal to achieve in the next few months. Last year my daughter who is nine joined me too... in a very good cause, training for Race For Life http://raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org.

Every year, women of all shapes and all sizes either walk, jog or run 5km or 10km to raise Cancer Research funds in a supportive and very fun atmosphere. The warm ups that start an hour before are incredibly good mood boosters too with hundreds of women wiggling and stretching and laughing in a mad crowd of pink. Then, we're off around the track at our own pace, some dressed as fairies with glitter wings, some dressed as fuschia dinosaurs, but most of us dressed in pink tshirts with a heartfelt statement on their backs proclaiming who they are running for. It can be very moving as you're jogging along, swigging your water, feeling you're so tired that you really can't go on to the next bend, to read about someone's grandparent or parent who has passed away, and then that spurs you on for the next kilometre - along with all the dads and sons all cheering on the sidelines! The atmosphere is amazing as you reach the final last few metres and run through the finishing line.

My daughter pleaded with me to let her enter Race for Life with me last year and I wasn't certain that she was going to cope with the length - but I need not have worried, she was the one zooming on ahead and I was the one left standing in the dust! This year I am going to start training so much earlier as I need to match my nine year old, pace for pace! It's a great bonding event for daughters and mothers, and one that we can both feel immensely proud of doing for a wonderful cause. For husbands and sons, there is a separate event called Relay for Life which men can enter, so dads don't feel left out. (Sons can also enter the Race for Life if you phone your entry in).

I recommend that you take a look at the website http://raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org and see if there is an event near you this spring or summer - be brave and take the plunge to try something different with your family and raise money for a very worthwhile charity.

 

Written by Andrea

Karma Family Life, now on Twitter!

That's right!

You can now follow all of us here at Karma Family Life on Twitter by either searching for
@karmafamilylife or by clicking here!

Please do stop by and say 'Hello' we would love to hear from you!

Kerry, Betty, Andrea, Victoria, and Bev x

Delicious Diary Dates!

I love the randomness of picking up new vegetables to try at the supermarket, if they're on a special offer, and when I get the shopping home, trying to incorporate them into something that's going to lead to an empty plate and not a full dog!

 However, my children, who are seven and nine, are typically average kids at trying new things when it comes to eating their dinner. This is why we are trying a new activity at meal times - whenever there is a country's national day marked on the calendar, we are trying that cuisine... Best of all Jasmine and Sam help me with researching what we should cook, then help with preparing and cooking it if it's on a weekend.

So far we have tried Chinese (Chinese New Year) - sweet and sour veggies with brown rice, American (President's Day) - we made meat and also lentil burgers with potato wedges - and Wales (St David's Day) - leek and potato soup with freshly baked bread rolls.

Coming up, we have St Patrick's Day which is of course Irish food and then Anzac Day which is Australian and New Zealand recipes - sometimes the imagination has to stretch a little with what can be cooked on a rainy day far from the warmth of Sydney!

The kids have really taken to the idea and look up the countries on the globe we have in the lounge - it can also lead into many other activities such as themed reading, finding out about the day to day life of children in those countries, or activities online such as www.activityvillage.co.uk/educational.

If the recipe that day is not a hit, there will soon be another special day on the calendar - it can be developed even further into celebrating Royal Day (Queen Elizabeth's birthday) with Queen of Puddings or International Women's Day (baking gingerbread women!).

The only limit is your imagination!

Written by Andrea.

Getting Crafty

If you are like me,  and love doing crafts, and you also love your children,  but the idea of mixing the two gives you palpitations with the  thought of  mess and the clean up job afterwards, I'm afraid you're going to have to suck it up and get on with it, like me, as it can be really good fun for all involved.

Crafting with children doesn't have to involve the dreaded paint..
The thing to think about is, is it just for fun? i.e. messy play or would you rather make something to keep?

There are so many choices,  but I'm going to give you a simple idea. Making a bag.

Sounds tricky right?, but it's easy!


My daughter outgrew her favourite denim skirt.
Trust me she wore it until it was so short it was verging on looking like a belt! -Now I sound like my mum!

Anyway, following yet another conversation on why it was inappropriate for her to wear it anymore, we decided to turn it into a bag!


This made her happy but sceptical, as she is the better sewer out of the two of us and she couldn't work out how we would do this. Hard to believe an 8 year old is better than her mum but I owe it all to my own mum for teaching her. (Thanks Mum, I will always have someone to sew on my buttons!)

Here's how we did it:

First, turn the skirt inside out.

Put some pins in along the bottom to keep it secure.

Sew across the bottom of the skirt. (We used 3 different colours to make it a bit funky).

Turn the skirt back and pop something in it to make sure your stitching holds!

We then used a bright pink material belt from a pair of jeans that she had outgrown to make the handle.

A few pieces of ribbon or twine plated together would be great too.

We sewed one end of the belt to the inside of the side of the waist of the skirt. Then the other end to the other side.

The good news is all the sewing is inside so it won't show on the finished bag.

As our skirt had some details with zips and coloured stitching on it, there wasn't much need for anything else. But I did personalise it further by stitching the first letter of my daughters name on the front then added a flower sequin
.

You could add buttons or tassels to make it perfect for you.

Don't forget you can do this with almost anything! Why not make a back pack for a little boy by using some old shorts, and adding some badges to funk it up?

My daughter loved the end result, and so far, her new bag has lasted a year, but the most important thing is that we spent time together, having fun!


Written by Victoria

Misplaced Priorities

Following a radio news report I heard today on Radio’s The Jeremy Vine Show, I feel rather saddened and despairing of our global society.

I just heard that the violin, played by the Band Master of the String Quartet that played on the deck of the stricken HMS Titanic, has just been sold for millions of pounds in an auction held 100 years after the sinking of the magnificent ship.

The unfortunate Band Master apparently strapped his beloved violin to his body, shortly before he drowned, so that they would not be parted in death. Then, 10 days after the sinking of the Titanic, the Musicians’ body was recovered, along with his precious violin. The strings of the violin were broken; it was also severely water-damaged and has remained completely unplayable ever since.

Now, I appreciate that if someone is extremely wealthy, they, of course, have the perogative to spend their money in whichever way they choose. I suppose I can also understand the satisfaction that one might derive from owning one of the most valuable and significant artefacts of such an important historic event.

However, as this particular news item has aired on such a philanthropic day as today, Red Nose Day 2013, a day on which we all strive to think of and help those less fortunate than ourselves, I , for one, would have felt very uncomfortable, had I been the buyer of this albeit historically significant violin.

Maybe it’s just me, but if I had a vast amount of disposable income to spend, I would rather spend it on trying to prevent Africa’s children from pointlessly dying of Malaria, as opposed to buying a broken musical instrument whose owner perished a century ago.

Don’t get me wrong. The untimely demise of the Titanic, on its maiden voyage, was a terrible tragedy and is close to my heart. I would never seek to undermine or belittle the importance of remembering the maritime tragedy that so cruelly took the lives of so many unfortunate souls.

However, the extortionate amount of money spent for the purpose of owning historic memorabilia would be better spent helping the living today.

But, hey, don’t quote me: this is just my arguably unrealistic view of what should be happening in an ideal world in which we all share our love and good fortune in order to save the children who are the future of this beautiful planet of ours.


Written by Bev

Being Accountable

Some people amaze me.

They seem to go through life with blinkers on. Completely blanking out what they don't want to see.

Don't get me wrong, this could be a highly sought after skill, should they not apply it to every aspect of their lives. I wonder how many of these people suffer from a mental illness, for example? Certainly none of the ones I know..

The main worry I have about these people, is their complete lack of responsibility where their families are concerned. Where a child was more of a fashion accessory, or a money ticket, then a person they would have to take care of for the next 18 years.

You can recognise these people by the sheer amount of pathetic excuses they come out with as to why their child is a bully, or rude, or has absolutely no respect for anyone or anything. And it doesn't matter if they are a single or dual parent family. They just do not understand that they, as the 'responsible' adult are at fault if their child is a tearaway.

Being a childminder, I have head it all. In fact, this excuse has been used so many times, it just isn't worth listening to anymore:

"He's only acting out because I have to work.

 He just doesn't get any time with me at the moment"

Yet, asked what they do all weekend with their child to make up for the fact that they haven't seen him all week long, and the unbelievable response is commonly:

"Well, the weekends are my 'me time'. I went out with friends on Friday night, was hung over all of Saturday and picked up my little man from his grandparents on Sunday evening"

Yup. You state the obvious, that little Tom, or Katie don't see you all week long and you can only guess that this is the reason for their poor behaviour, yet, instead of spending your weekends together, reconnecting, you push them away further, but it will all be fine in the summer when you jet off to Ibiza for 10 days with your friends, because then you will get to spend some 'real quality time' together..

Parents. You are the adults. If you choose not to put your child before your own needs, don't go making up excuses about their poor behaviour. Like with everything else in life, if you only put in 50% of the effort, expect to only get 50% of the result.

This is also an issue for stay at home parents too. Those whom would rather sit watching Jeremy Kyle and catch up on their soaps or even the ones who spend all of their days cleaning their house instead of sitting down and playing or talking to their children. Too many people have completely lost the balance of work/life/giving/taking/educating.

Teach your children respect, good manners, and independence. No one is perfect. I'm certainly not. But I don't make excuses for it. If I've messed up, I'll admit it and find a solution to turn the situation around and make things better, not just for me, but for everyone involved.

It's not hard to do this. All it really takes is admittance, commitment to rectify, and determination to not let it slip, at least too often.

Don't be perfect. Be accountable.
Find a balance that works for you and your family.
Be a good parent and learn from your mistakes. Everyone makes them, show your children that things go wrong, but you will always seek to make things right again.
Tell your child that you will find more time for them, and follow through.
Don't be the person that the other mothers talk about at the school gates, because their child is constantly craving attention for all the wrong reasons.

Listen to your children. They will tell you if and when you are failing them.
You made this tiny little person. Take pride in that. You did a wonderful, amazing thing!
Don't mess it up by being ignorant. You can do this. You can make the difference in your life, and I guarantee that you are everything in theirs.


Written by Betty Blue.