It was a few weeks before our wedding when it started. A small lump on my scalp that started flaking when I touched it.

My cerebral palsy can make it challenging to thoroughly wash my hair 100% of the time so I put it down to being a bit of dandruff. I changed my shampoo and made sure I took a little longer when rinsing my hair. But it didn’t make any difference – the area remained flaky, itchy and sore.

I should have realised what it was sooner as psoriasis is in the family and is a hereditary condition but the penny wasn’t ready to drop. Some time after our wedding, I started developing red sores around my stomach and someone suggested I ought to get checked out – suspecting something sinister.

It was only then I was diagnosed with psoriasis. For those who may not be familiar, psoriasis is a chronic skin disease which results in itchy, flaky patches of skin which often become red and sore. I now had two conditions to manage which didn’t exactly work well with each other. I was prescribed creams for both my scalp and body which I needed help to apply. Once my scalp had been treated, it needed to be gently scrapped to remove the skin that had been loosened by the cream – again a task I needed someone to help with.

Managing psoriasis is physically difficult

My mum and hubby have been brilliant at helping me manage it but it’s a really horrible condition to live with. At one point, my scalp was completely covered in psoriasis and removing it all was pretty much impossible. We’d treat the scalp every other day but it made little difference. Even when I manage to get one aspect under relative control, another part of my body will have a flare up.

Though the various creams I use do have some impact, there are issues. I’ve been told not to use the cream for more than two continuous weeks but unless I keep using it regularly, the flares start up again and often get worst.

After having my scalp in a good condition for a while (good as it gets!), I fell really ill at Christmas. Unable to get a doctor to even speak to me, I am only assuming it was the flu. I have never been so unwell. During this time and despite still finding limited energy to apply creams, my psoriasis spiralled completely out of control. The sores I had previously are worse than ever and the psoriasis has appeared in several new places. A month on from being ill and I’m still struggling to regain control of it.

Psoriasis and alcohol are not friends

Nobody really knows what causes psoriasis and there is currently no known cure to my knowledge. There is research to suggest that diet and alcohol has an impact on the condition – this is problematic for me as I find alcohol has a positive impact on my spasms and pain caused by my Cerebral Palsy! Hence another reason as to why the two conditions are not friends. 😊

Up until recently, having psoriasis didn’t really bother me. It was mostly unnoticeable to others on my scalp and the cream was fairly effective on my body. But I’m at the point now where the psoriasis is really getting me down. With a summer holiday on the horizon, I am dreading wearing lighter, looser clothes although psoriasis is supposed to respond better to the warmer weather.

So after exhausting options given by my GP, I am waiting to see a specialist who I hope will have new ideas for managing it and also take into consideration the difficulties I face having Cerebral Palsy and psoriasis.